Davis lab dinner, Fall 2024. Pictured left to right: Afia Sarwar, Endi Kebede, Michael Eruaga (lab alum), Ali Ameer (honorary member), Kyle Davis, Hanan Ameer, Amara Ameer (honorary member), Amaja' Mack, John Uponi, Bhoktear Khan, Nusrat Mohana (honorary member)
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
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Kyle F. Davis
Dr. Davis is an Assistant Professor at the University of Delaware in the Department of Geography and Spatial Sciences and the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences and a Resident Faculty in the UD Data Science Institute. His work focuses on food systems, water sustainability, and global environmental change. His current research in India, Nigeria, China, and the US combines environmental, economic, and social considerations with direct stakeholder engagement to inform agricultural decision making and to improve nutrition, environmental sustainability, and climate adaptation strategies. He also explores other human-environment interactions through projects on: the environmental and livelihoods impacts of large-scale land investments; variability and shock propagation through food trade networks; the relationship between human migration and global environmental change; and farmer coping strategies for climate variability and extremes. Prior to joining UD in 2019, he was a Data Science Fellow and Earth Institute Fellow at Columbia University (New York) and a NatureNet Science Fellow with The Nature Conservancy. He earned his PhD in Environmental Sciences with a focus on Hydrology from the University of Virginia and is a proud graduate of UD. |
GRADUATE STUDENTS
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Hanan Abou Ali
Hanan is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Geography and Spatial Sciences at the University of Delaware. Her research interests include applying remote sensing and statistical methods to crop mapping, yield prediction, food security, and sustainable agriculture practices. Hanan has a BS in Surveying Engineering from the Lebanese International University (LIU) where she worked on studying errors in maps. Afterwards, Hanan received her MS in Geographic Information Science from Idaho State University funded through the Fulbright scholarship program. Her research focused on using satellite imagery to study potato crops in Lebanon and Idaho. Prior to arriving at UD, Hanan was an instructor at the Surveying Engineering department at LIU, where she taught multiple courses and advised senior students on their graduation projects. |
Email: arora [at] udel [dot] edu
Curriculum Vitae |
Aarti Arora
Aarti is a PhD student in the Department of Geography and Spatial Sciences at the University of Delaware. Her work is on the interactions between human migration, agriculture, and climate change. Before beginning her PhD, Aarti was the ORISE Data Science Fellow at USDA in the Office of the Chief Scientist. There she worked on measuring and communicating the impact of USDA’s scientific work in the budgetary process and she lead implementation of the USDA Science and Research Strategy. Prior to joining USDA, Aarti worked at NASA on their International Water Strategy and on measuring soil organic carbon using the Soil Moisture Active Passive satellite. She received her M.A. in Climate and Society from Columbia University’s Climate School and her B.A. in Archaeology from Boston University. |
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Endalkachew Kebede
Endalkachew Kebede is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Geography and Spatial Sciences at the University of Delaware. His research focuses on the complex interconnections between food and water sustainability, addressing global challenges related to water scarcity. Utilizing advanced techniques such as large-scale data analysis, hydrologic modeling, and geospatial methods, Endalkachew aims to develop comprehensive global datasets on irrigated cropped areas, assess the dynamics of water scarcity, and explore innovative strategies to mitigate water stress. Through his research, Endalkachew is dedicated to advancing innovative solutions that ensure sustainable water and food resources. Endalkachew holds a B.S. in Soil and Water Engineering from Haramaya University. He earned his first M.S. in Irrigation Engineering from Haramaya University, where he conducted research comparing hydrological models under climate change scenarios. He obtained his second M.S. in Water Science and Engineering from the IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, focusing on the geomorphological adaptation of the Lower Zambezi River to dam construction using numerical modeling. Additionally, he holds a European Joint Master’s Degree awarded through a consortium of three European Universities. Endalkachew has over eight years of experience as a lecturer and researcher at Debre Tabor University, Woldia University, and Bahir Dar Polytechnic College in Ethiopia. |
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Bhoktear Khan
Bhoktear is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Geography and Spatial Sciences at the University of Delaware. His dissertation focuses on the impacts of climate anomalies, cropland expansion, and dietary diversity in Nigeria. The first chapter quantitatively assesses the relationship between climate variability, forest loss due to cropland expansion, and child nutrition in Nigeria's southern states. The second and third chapters map current irrigation sites, identify areas for future irrigation expansion, and explore socio-economic challenges and opportunities for irrigation development in Nigeria. Before joining UD, Bhoktear worked as a GIS Analyst at the Roads and Highways Department of Bangladesh. He holds a BS in agriculture and an MS in agroforestry and environment, with a specialization in GIS and remote sensing, both from Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University (BSMRAU). His previous research includes studying Rohingya migration and relocation in Bangladesh using geospatial techniques. In his free time, Bhoktear enjoys sketching, running, and cricket and is fascinated by the full moon. |
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Amaja' Mack
Amaja' is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Geography and Spatial Sciences at the University of Delaware, where she focuses on the intersection of environmental science, climate change adaptation, and spatial analysis using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing techniques. Her current research investigates the connection between agricultural expansion into deforested land and its impact on food security in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Through this work, she aims to understand how cropland expansion in deforested areas can help ensure food security. Before starting her Ph.D., she was a Graduate Research Fellow with the Delaware NASA Space Grant Fellowship. During her fellowship, she conducted research on coral reef restoration and explored the potential of Nicotinamide Riboside (NR) supplementation to induce homeostasis in the development of Aiptasia pallida. She presented her findings at a symposium, contributing to the growing understanding of resilience mechanisms in marine ecosystems. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Biology and a Master's degree in Environmental Science from Wilmington University. Her background includes experience in laboratory supervision, quality control, and technical report writing for NASA. She is deeply committed to using innovative scientific research and spatial analysis to address complex environmental challenges. |
Email: asarwar [at] udel [dot] edu
Curriculum Vitae |
Afia Sarwar
Afia is a PhD student in the Department of Geography and Spatial Sciences at the University of Delaware. She is interested in climate change, food security, crop modeling, and forecasting future crop yield using GIS and Remote Sensing techniques (GIS/RS). Afia graduated from the University of Peshawar with a BS in Geographic Information System and Remote Sensing. She then earned her MS in the same field from National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Pakistan. Her study focused on the effects of climate change on wheat phenology and yield in rainfed and irrigated regions of Pakistan. During her MS, she worked as a research assistant on a project funded by ZHWA Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland on the impacts of climate vulnerabilities on crop production and agriculture water resources management in Indus Basin, Pakistan. |
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John Uponi
John is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Geography and Spatial Sciences at the University of Delaware. He is interested in agricultural crop mapping, food systems and yield forecasting using GIS and Remote Sensing techniques. His current research includes crop type mapping in Nigeria. John received his BS and MS in Geography from University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Prior to coming to UD he worked as a GIS analyst and research assistant at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Ibadan Nigeria. Some of his work included drone data collection, yield estimation of cassava and soybean trial fields using UAV data. |
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHERS
The lab group always welcomes interest from enthusiastic undergraduates. If you are interested in undergraduate research within the group, please feel free to contact Dr. Davis directly.
LAB GROUP ALUMNI
Leslie Guadalupe Castro (BS Chemistry, Columbia University)
Alex Checchi (BS)
Sam Becton (BS)
Spencer Hanggodo (BS GIScience and Environmental Data Analytics)
Tyler Sharretts (MS Geography, 2021)
Kevin Oluoch (MS Plant Science, 2022)
Michael Eruaga (MS Geography, 2023)
Carissa Johnson (BS Environmental Science, 2023)
Dongyang Wei (PhD Geography, 2024)
Piyush Mehta (PhD Geography, 2024)
Alex Checchi (BS)
Sam Becton (BS)
Spencer Hanggodo (BS GIScience and Environmental Data Analytics)
Tyler Sharretts (MS Geography, 2021)
Kevin Oluoch (MS Plant Science, 2022)
Michael Eruaga (MS Geography, 2023)
Carissa Johnson (BS Environmental Science, 2023)
Dongyang Wei (PhD Geography, 2024)
Piyush Mehta (PhD Geography, 2024)
LAB GATHERINGS
Davis lab dinner, Spring 2024. Pictured left to right (back row): Kyle Davis, Endi Kebede, Afia Sarwar, Huiwen Bai (honorary member), Dongyang Wei, Piyush Mehta, Madhulika Gurazada (honorary member), Michael Eruaga, Nusrat Mohana (honorary member), Bhoktear Khan, Kevin Oluoch, Shradda Davis (honorary member); Front row: Hanan Ameer, Amara Ameer (honorary member), Ali Ameer (honorary member)
Davis lab dinner, Spring 2023. Pictured left to right: Endi Kebede, Bhoktear Khan, Nusrat Mohana (honorary member), Shradda Davis (honorary member), Kevin Oluoch, Michael Eruaga, Huiwen Bai (honorary member), Dongyang Wei, Afia Sarwar, Kopo Oromeng, Kyle Davis, Piyush Mehta, Hanan Ameer, Ali Ameer (honorary member)
Davis lab dinner, Fall 2021. Pictured left to right: Hanan Abou Ali, Piyush Mehta, MoMo, Dongyang Wei, Huiwen Bai (honorary member), Michael Eruaga, Sasquatch, Kevin Oluoch, Kopo Oromeng, Nusrat Mohana (honorary member), Bhoktear Khan, Kyle Davis
Davis lab dinner, Spring 2021. Pictured left to right: Ali Ameer (honorary member), Hanan Abou Ali, Dongyang Wei, Huiwen Bai (honorary member), Kevin Oluoch, Sasquatch, Kyle Davis, MoMo, Piyush Mehta, Tyler Sharretts, Kopo Oromeng, Bhoktear Khan
Davis lab social-distancing picnic, Fall 2020. Pictured left to right: Kopo Oromeng, Piyush Mehta, Kyle Davis, Hanan Abou Ali, Dongyang Wei, Huiwen Bai (honorary member). Not pictured: Tyler Sharretts, Sam Becton, Leslie Castro
