Departmental Unit № 1
Department of Geography
PhD in Geography (GIScience & Earth Systems)
100% Full Funding Guaranteed (Teaching/Research Assistantship)
Funding Package: Full tuition waiver + 9-month living stipend (~$23,000–$26,500/yr + summer funding) + health insurance package provided to admitted doctoral students.
Fall Priority Deadline: December 31 (Fall Priority)
GRE Policy: Not required / Waived
English Minimums: TOEFL iBT 79 or IELTS 6.5
MS in Geographic Information Science
Eligible for Teaching Assistantships (PhD Prioritized)
Funding Reality: Department offers competitive TA awards with tuition waivers to top MS applicants.
Application Deadline: January 15
Admissions Advisory: If full funding is required and MS is self-funded, students are strongly advised to apply directly to the PhD track.
Vetted Matched Scholars (2 Profiles)
Prof. Le Wang
Professor of Geography
In Plain Terms · What This Scholar Does:
He uses super-high-resolution spy and commercial satellites combined with AI algorithms to identify individual tree species in tropical mangrove forests and monitor which ones are dying from rising sea levels.
Core Research Topics: Remote sensing, geographic information science, mangrove ecosystem mapping, object-based image analysis (OBIA), coastal environmental monitoring.
Recent 2024–2026 Works & Grants: Developing automated deep learning and OBIA segmentation algorithms applied to ultra-high-resolution satellite imagery (WorldView-3, PlanetScope) to detect mangrove species dieback and coastal wetland degradation worldwide (NASA / NSF 2024–2026).
Laboratory Instruments & Methods: eCognition, Google Earth Engine, Python, OpenCV, deep learning CNNs, ArcGIS Pro, hyperspectral/multispectral analysis.
Recruiting Context: Prominent remote sensing authority in coastal wetland and mangrove canopy classifications.
Candidate Match:
Remote SensingGISGeoAICoastal Hydrology
Tailored Cold-Email Opening Hook:
"Discussing your interest in object-based image analysis, deep learning for high-resolution satellite imagery, and coastal wetland mapping in the Wang Lab."
Prof. Ning Dai
Associate Professor of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering
In Plain Terms · What This Scholar Does:
She shines artificial sunlight on recycled wastewater to study how sunlight breaks down medical drugs and prevents dangerous chemical byproducts from forming in tap water.
Core Research Topics: Environmental organic chemistry, aquatic photochemistry, disinfection byproducts (DBPs), water reuse and recycling, contaminant degradation.
Recent 2024–2026 Works & Grants: Investigating sunlight-driven photochemical degradation of emerging pharmaceutical micropollutants and the formation mechanisms of toxic nitrosamines and halonitromethanes during wastewater reclamation (NSF Environmental Engineering Award 2024–2026).
Laboratory Instruments & Methods: UPLC-MS/MS, GC-MS, solar simulators, UV spectrophotometers, photochemical kinetics modeling, wet-lab analytical chemistry.
Recruiting Context: Strong experimental wet-lab focusing on drinking water safety and toxic disinfection byproducts.
Candidate Match:
Environmental PollutionWater QualityWet Lab Environmental TestingEnvironmental Chemistry
Tailored Cold-Email Opening Hook:
"Discussing your interest in aquatic photochemistry, disinfection byproduct formation, and LC-MS/MS water testing in the Dai Research Group."