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Our team & partners

Core Team

Chief Scientist, Land Subsidence Analytics

Dr. Manoochehr Shirzaei is a leading expert in environmental geoscience and remote sensing who directs the Earth Observation & Innovation Lab at Virginia Tech and the Global Lab for Environmental Intelligence at UNU-INWEH. His research integrates satellite observations, artificial intelligence, and geophysical models to monitor critical environmental hazards such as land subsidence, flooding, and groundwater depletion. With a proven track record leading large, multi-institutional projects, Dr. Shirzaei delivers advanced digital platforms and decision-support tools for sustainable environmental management.

Manoochehr Shirzaei

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Communications and Outreach Coordinator

Michelle Jaramillo is a Project Manager who connects environmental science with policy and communities, focusing on the Global South and environmental justice. As the Communication and Outreach Coordinator for the Global Lab for Environmental Intelligence (GEI Lab) at UNU-INWEH, she develops strategies to raise awareness of environmental security issues using insights from satellite data. An economist with a Master's in Social and Solidarity Economy, her professional background includes key positions at the International and academic sectors.

Michelle Jaramillo

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Affiliated Scientists

Research Fellow

Dr. Susanna Werth is a geodesist and groundwater scientist specializing in the use of satellite remote sensing and data science for sustainable water management. She is the head of the Hydrologic Innovation and Remote Sensing (HIRS) Lab. Her research integrates geodetic observations, including changes in gravity and land deformation, with advanced modeling to provide new insights into global groundwater systems. By improving the prediction of water availability and environmental hazards, her work provides critical data to support equitable resource planning for water managers worldwide.

Susanna Werth

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Research Fellow

Dr. Leonard Ohenhen is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Geodesy at the University of California, Irvine, whose research investigates how climate-driven hazards threaten environmental security. He specializes in quantifying the compounded impacts of vertical land motion, sea-level rise, and groundwater depletion by integrating satellite remote sensing and AI to develop new observational methodologies. His interdisciplinary approach produces actionable insights to support equitable climate adaptation, environmental justice, and sustainable resource management.

Leonard Ohenhen

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Postdoc Fellow

Dr. Ntambila Daud is a Postdoctoral Researcher at Virginia Tech and a Lecturer in Geospatial Sciences at Ardhi University, Tanzania, focusing on climate and infrastructure risk. He specializes in using high-precision GNSS and InSAR to monitor Earth’s surface deformation from volcanoes, earthquakes, and non-seismic processes. With a PhD from Virginia Tech, he applies geodetic techniques and computational modeling for hazard and risk assessments, supporting infrastructure resilience at UNU-INWEH.

Daud Ntambila

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Postdoc Fellow

Dr. Wen Zhong is a geospatial artificial intelligence (AI) specialist focused on assessing environmental risks like coastal subsidence and permafrost deformation. Her research integrates advanced remote sensing technologies—including InSAR, LiDAR, and GNSS—with deep learning and hydrological modeling to analyze and project ground deformation. As a postdoctoral researcher at Virginia Tech, she advances data-driven approaches at UNU-INWEH to support environmental security and hazard assessment.

Wen Zhong

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Postdoc Fellow

Dr. Mohammad Khorrami is a geoscientist specializing in satellite remote sensing, geohazard resilience, and the water-energy nexus. His work integrates big data, physical modeling, and geodetic analysis to assess land deformation, infrastructure risk, and the impacts of climate change. With a Ph.D. in Geosciences from Virginia Tech, he has led studies on drought, land subsidence, and human-induced seismicity. At UNU-INWEH, he contributes to advancing environmental intelligence for sustainable development and disaster risk reduction.

Mohammad Khorrami

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Doctoral Fellow

Carmen Atkins is a PhD candidate in geosciences specializing in climate-driven ground deformation and its environmental impacts across Arctic and coastal regions. Her research on permafrost and land subsidence integrates InSAR, spatiotemporal analysis, and physics-based modeling to support environmental intelligence and resilience planning. With a commitment to science communication and the integration of GeoAI, she contributes to advancing interdisciplinary approaches to Arctic environmental security at UNU-INWEH.

Carmen Atkins

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Doctoral Fellow

Jonathan Lucy is a Ph.D. candidate at Virginia Tech focusing on infrastructure and resource resilience in extreme environments. As a researcher at UNU-INWEH, his work centers on applying geospatial data science and remote sensing to enhance climate-resilient infrastructure. Jonathan brings a multidisciplinary approach to tackling global water and environmental challenges, leveraging advanced data techniques to inform sustainable solutions in vulnerable regions.

Jonathan Lucy

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Doctoral Fellow

Nivedita is a Remote Sensing and Geospatial Analyst pursuing her Ph.D. in Geosciences at Virginia Tech, where she leverages optical remote sensing and artificial intelligence to assess water quality. Her academic background, which includes master's degrees from Germany and India, is complemented by research experience at leading space agencies like ISRO and DLR, as well as contributions to NASA-funded projects. Nivedita aims to integrate her expertise in geospatial science with UNU-INWEH’s mission to develop holistic solutions for complex environmental challenges.

Nivedita Kamaraj

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Doctoral Fellow

Oluwaseyi Dasho is a Ph.D. candidate in Geosciences at Virginia Tech whose expertise lies at the intersection of land subsidence, sea-level rise, and coastal flooding. With a background in Physics, he applies geodetic techniques such as InSAR and GNSS to assess vertical land motion and its impact on critical infrastructure. His interdisciplinary research supports the development of data-driven adaptation strategies to mitigate climate risks in vulnerable coastal regions.

Oluwaseyi Dasho

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Doctoral Fellow

Florence Onyike is a Ph.D. student in the Global Lab for Environmental Intelligence (GEI) at Virginia Tech, with a background in statistics and data science. Her research focuses on using SAR interferometry to monitor land subsidence and other groundwater-related hazards. At UNU-INWEH, she supports the processing and analysis of SAR data and contributes to the development of science-based briefs and reports that inform decision-making in groundwater monitoring and water security.

Florence Onyike

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Doctoral Fellow

Ibrahim Isiaka Opeyemi is a PhD student in Geosciences at Virginia Tech specializing in radar remote sensing techniques for land subsidence and coastal hazard monitoring. As a researcher at UNU-INWEH, he focuses on developing probabilistic and machine learning models to quantify vertical land motion using advanced Earth observation data. His work contributes directly to research on coastal hazards, floods, infrastructure damage assessment, and relative sea-level rise.

Ibrahim Isiaka

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Doctoral Fellow

Nitheshnirmal Sadhasivam is a Ph.D. student in Geosciences at Virginia Tech specializing in hydrogeodesy and infrastructure resilience. His interdisciplinary research integrates satellite geodesy, remote sensing, and artificial intelligence to advance the modeling of groundwater resources and related geohazards. Holding a master's degree from the University of Twente in Natural Hazards and Disaster Risk Reduction, he is dedicated to advancing data-driven approaches to inform long-term groundwater and infrastructure sustainability solutions.

Nitheshnirmal Sadhasivam

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Doctoral Fellow

Esther Oyedele is a Ph.D. student specializing in groundwater hydrology, climate interactions, and drought. As a Science Outreach and Policy Engagement Fellow, she integrates satellite data with hydrologic models to assess groundwater variability and climate impacts. Esther is passionate about bridging science and society by translating complex geoscience research into accessible, actionable knowledge to support sustainable water management and climate resilience for diverse audiences and decision-makers.

Esther Oyedele

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Doctoral Fellow

With nearly 30 years of experience, Clayton Wise is a senior specialist in GIS, Remote Sensing, and Data Pipelines, with a focus on machine learning, AI, and large datasets. His current research involves analyzing groundwater, extensometer, and InSAR data in coastal Virginia, as well as using drones for in-field and industrial anomaly detection. His extensive practical expertise supports the lab's work in applying advanced data analysis to complex environmental challenges.

Clay Wise

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Doctoral Fellow

Mahmoud Reshadati is a PhD student at Virginia Tech whose research focuses on the integration of InSAR data, machine learning, and geophysical modeling to study surface deformation and geohazards. With a background in physics and geophysics, he also brings practical industry experience as a data analysis and machine learning expert. Mr. Reshadati contributes to efforts linking Earth observation data with physically-based models to support sustainable resource management, infrastructure resilience, and hazard mitigation.

Mahmoud Reshadati

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Doctoral Fellow

William Etzler is a geospatial data scientist whose work lies at the intersection of climate risk, disaster response, and environmental economics. He leverages his experience developing geospatial data workflows for post-disaster infrastructure repair to analyze the socioeconomic impacts of environmental hazards. As a Master’s student at Virginia Tech and a UNU-INWEH affiliate, William supports data processing and visualization for incident briefs while advancing the lab's GeoAI initiatives.

William Etzler

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Steering Committee

Chief Scientist, Land Subsidence Analytics

Dr. Manoochehr Shirzaei is a leading expert in environmental geoscience and remote sensing who directs the Earth Observation & Innovation Lab at Virginia Tech and the Global Lab for Environmental Intelligence at UNU-INWEH. His research integrates satellite observations, artificial intelligence, and geophysical models to monitor critical environmental hazards such as land subsidence, flooding, and groundwater depletion. With a proven track record leading large, multi-institutional projects, Dr. Shirzaei delivers advanced digital platforms and decision-support tools for sustainable environmental management.

Manoochehr Shirzaei

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Director UNU-INWEH

Professor Kaveh Madani is the Director of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) and a renowned environmental scientist specializing in complex human-natural systems modeling. His work integrates mathematical and systems analysis to derive actionable policy insights for addressing environmental and human security challenges. His distinguished career spans senior leadership roles in academia, government, and international diplomacy, including serving as Iran’s Deputy Head of Environment and as a faculty member at Yale University and Imperial College London.

Kaveh Madani

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Manager, Geospatial, Climate and Infrastructure Analytics Program

Dr. Mir Matin is the Manager of the Geospatial, Climate and Infrastructure Analytics Programme at UNU-INWEH and an expert in applying earth observation to mitigate environmental risks. He specializes in developing information services for water resources, disaster risk reduction, and agricultural security. With over three decades of experience, his career includes leadership roles at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).

Mir Matin

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UN and Government Relations Coordinator

Sogol Jafarzadeh is an Environmental Scientist serving as UNU-INWEH’s UN and Government Relations Coordinator and Gender and Capacity Building Focal Point for Africa. She specializes in environmental policy and inclusive governance, with a strong focus on climate and water diplomacy. Her work involves fostering partnerships with the UN system and member states to advance cooperation on water and environmental issues, particularly their gender and justice dimensions.

Sogol Jafarzadeh

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Partners

Environmental Security and Justice Through World-class EO Data and Research.

The Earth Observation & Innovation Lab (EOI-Lab) pioneers the use of satellite Earth Observation, AI, and digital twins to transform environmental data into actionable foresight. Our mission is to provide real-time decision support for global challenges like climate change, infrastructure resilience, and geopolitical stability.

Earth Observation and Innovation Lab

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Investigating (ground) water resources with innovative remote sensing methods & hydrogeodesy at Virginia Tech

The HIRS Lab pioneers the use of remote sensing and geodetic science to provide actionable foresight into water cycle and groundwater dynamics. Our mission is to enhance the prediction of environmental hazards and empower sustainable water management.

Hydrologic Innovation & Remote Sensing Lab

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