Summary
Dr. Kunwar K. Singh is a Senior Geospatial Scientist at AidData and an Affiliate Faculty at the Center for Geospatial Analysis at William & Mary. His research is at the nexus of land change and geospatial sciences where he investigates how the terrestrial system can support future land conversions and resource consumption under a changing climate. He uses geospatial data and technologies supplemented with data from ground observations and weather stations to develop workflows for large spatiotemporal data processing, assess broad-scale land change and its implications to natural resources, and measure outcomes of new adaptations to diminishing natural resources. He also serves as a science advisor to the NASA DEVELOP program at the Center for Geospatial Research at the University ofGeorgia.
Education
Dr. Singh’s educational background includes a Master of Science in EnvironmentalScience and a Master of Technology in Remote Sensing & GIS. He holds a doctorate in Forestry and Environmental Resources from North Carolina State University with a focus on geospatial analytics and landscape heterogeneity.
Background
Dr. Singh’s research and teaching practices stem from the question, how can the Earth system support future land conversion and accelerating natural resource consumption under a changing climate? As a postdoctoral fellow in the Center for Geospatial Analytics at North Carolina State University, Dr. Singh quantified invasive plants using time-series remote sensing, developed eco-hydrological models for water-stressed regions to understand how agricultural intensification and land conversion affect the availability of water resources and develop research based on drone-captured data and applications to help address issues of localized land conversions. He used multi-sensor data integration methods for generating time-series land conversion data to quantify changes in agricultural and natural resources. His work has been published in multiple high-profile journals with international recognition and readership. Before his academic research pursuits, Dr. Singh worked in India as GIS Specialist at the International Resources Group, and asa project officer for the United Nations Development Programme. He actively pursues several national and international service activities.
Expertise
Dr. Singh has more than 20 years of experience in remote sensing data acquisition, processing, and analysis using proprietary software and scientific programming languages, including the applications of LiDAR and drones to measure, map, and model land characteristics and resources.