We believe what makes our department special is our dedicated faculty and staff who strive to create a supportive, caring, and dynamic learning environment. Our world-class faculty members are frequently recognized with awards and honors. Our research has had major policy impacts, and we are often quoted in the press and cited for our groundbreaking research.
Waleed Abdalati
Professor of Geography • Remote Sensing of Earth’s Ice Cover • Executive Director of CIRES • Ph.D. University of Colorado at Boulder, 1996
Physical Geography
John Adler
Instructor of Geography • Ph.D. 2010 • Satellite & Aircraft Remote Sensing • UAS Operations
Physical Geography
Jennifer Balch
Associate Professor of Geography • Fire ecology; Land use/landcover change; Global change ecology; Tropical forest ecology • Director, Earth Lab • Fellow of CIRES • Ph.D. Yale University, 2008
Physical Geography
Holly Barnard
Associate Professor of Geography • Fellow of INSTAAR • Faculty of Hydrologic Sciences • Ecohydrology; Stable Isotope Geochemistry; Forest Hydrology; Tree Physiology • Ph.D. Oregon State University, 2009
Physical Geography
Peter Blanken
Professor of Geography • Climatology; Biometeorology • Faculty of Hydrologic Sciences • Ph.D. University of British Columbia, 1997
Physical Geography
Heide Bruckner
Teaching Assistant Professor • Interests: Food and agriculture, alternative food systems, political ecology, human-animal relations, international development, participatory action research • Ph.D. University of Graz, Austria (2018) • M.A. University of Arizona, Tucson (2013) • Vassar College (2007)
Environment-Society • Human Geography
Joe Bryan
Associate Professor of Geography • Indigenous Politics in the Americas; Human Rights; and Critical Cartography. • Ph.D. University of California Berkeley, 2007
Human Geography
Guofeng Cao
Assistant Professor of Geography • GIScience, GeoAI, geostatistics/spatial statistics, and remote sensing • PhD University of California Santa Barbara 2011
GIS
Jennifer Fluri
Department Chair • Professor of Geography • Feminist political geography; conflict security and development; South/Southwest Asia • Ph.D. Pennsylvania State University, 2005
Human Geography
Mara Goldman
Associate Professor of Geography • Political Ecology; Science and Technology Studies; indigenous knowledge; Nature-Society Relations • Faculty Research Associate of IBS • Ph.D. University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2006
Human Geography • Environment-Society
Rachel Isaacs
Teaching Assistant Professor • Liaison with Continuing Education • Interests: Biogeography, climate change, landscape ecology, GIS, remote sensing • PhD The Pennsylvania State University - State College, 2016 • M.S. Texas A&M University - College Station, 2007
GIS • Physical Geography
Morteza Karimzadeh
Assistant Professor of Geography • Affiliate Assistant Professor, Computer Science, Information Science • spatial data science • visual analytics • geographic information retrieval • machine learning • geovisualization • PhD Penn State, 2018
GIS
Sarah Kelly
Teaching Assistant Professor • Interests: GIScience, statistics, spatial analysis, wetland science, ecological restoration • M.A. Geography, 2008, University of South Florida
GIS
Stefan Leyk
Professor of Geography • GIScience, uncertainty modeling, small area estimation, cartographic pattern recognition • Ph.D. University of Zurich / Federal Research Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape, 2005
GIS
Katherine Lininger
Assistant Professor of Geography • fluvial geomorphology; ecogeomorphology; carbon cycle; water resources management; coupled natural-human systems • PhD in Earth Sciences, Colorado State University
Physical Geography
Noah Molotch
Associate Professor of Geography • Surface Water and Snow Hydrology; Remote Sensing; Ecohydrology • Fellow of INSTAAR • Faculty of Hydrologic Sciences • Ph.D. The University of Arizona, 2004
Physical Geography
John O'Loughlin
Professor of Geography • Political; Former Soviet Union; Post Communist Societies; Nationalism • Faculty Research Associate of IBS • Arts and Sciences College Professor of Distinction • Ph.D. Pennsylvania State University, 1973
Human Geography
Timothy Oakes
Professor of Geography • Cultural Politics; Economic and Social Change; China • Ph.D. University of Washington, 1995
Human Geography
A. Marie Ranjbar
Assistant Professor of Geography • Feminist political geography • Critical human rights • Theories of justice • Decolonial and postcolonial feminist theory • PhD Pennsylvania State University, 2017
Human Geography
Colleen Reid
Assistant Professor of Geography • Climate change and human health; Environmental and social epidemiology; Spatial exposure assessment • Faculty Research Associate of IBS • Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley, 2014
Human Geography • Environment-Society
Fernando Riosmena
Associate Professor of Geography • International migration; population geography; social demography, Latin America • Faculty of IBS • Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania, 2005
Human Geography
Mark Serreze
Distinguished Professor of Geography • Arctic climate; global implications; and climate warming in the Arctic • Director of NSIDC • Fellow of CIRES • Arts and Sciences College Professor of Distinction • Ph.D. University of Colorado at Boulder, 1989
Physical Geography
Seth Spielman
Chief data strategy and analytics officer to the Office of Data Analytics and the Finance and Business Strategy (FBS) division • Associate Professor of Geography • Urban Geography, Medical Geography, Spatial Statistics, GIScience • Affiliate of IBS • Ph.D. State University of New York at Buffalo, 2008
Human Geography • GIS
William (Riebsame) Travis
Associate Professor of Geography • Natural hazards, risk, climate change, decision-making • Director, North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center (NCCASC) CIRES/USGS • Ph.D. Clark University, 1981
Human Geography • Environment-Society
Yaffa Truelove
Assistant Professor of Geography • Urban and Feminist Political Ecology of Water • India • Southern Urbanism • Urban Infrastructure • Water Governance • Nature-Society Relations • Faculty of International Affairs • PhD University of Cambridge, 2015
Human Geography • Environment-Society
Emily Yeh
Professor of Geography • President, American Association of Geographers (2021-22) • Nature/society geography; political ecology; cultural politics; development; Tibet; China • Faculty Affiliate: Center for Asian Studies, Women & Gender Studies, Ethnic Studies • Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley, 2003
Human Geography • Environment-Society
Department Contacts by Function
Department Chair
Associate Chairs
Advising and Coaching Staff
Grad Student Reps
Undergrad Program Contacts
Graduate Program Contacts
Office Administration
IT, Media, Website Support
Honors Representatives
Faculty - Environment-Society
Faculty - GIS
Faculty - Human Geography
Faculty - Physical Geography
