Somayeh Dodge

Specific Project Info:
Dr. Dodge leads the MOVE Research Group, focusing on developing data-driven analytics, machine learning, modeling, and visualization techniques to study movement in human and natural systems. Current projects include analyzing human-wildlife conflicts, environmental change, natural hazards, disease spread, human mobility, and spatial interaction. Students will have the opportunity to assist with literature reviews, study material development, participant recruitment, and both lab and field research.

Bio:

Somayeh is an associate professor of spatial data science at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she runs the MOVE Lab and serves as associate director of the Center for Spatial Studies and Data Science. She received her Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Zurich, Switzerland, and holds an MS in GIS Engineering and a BS in Geomatics Engineering from the KNT University of Technology, Iran. Her research focuses on developing data-driven analytics, machine learning, and visualization techniques to study movement in human and natural systems. Somayeh's work has been published in top international journals, and she has received notable awards such as the 2021 NSF CAREER award and the 2022 Emerging Scholar Award from the American Association of Geographers. She serves as Co-Editor in Chief of the Journal of Spatial Information Science and is on the editorial boards of several other journals. Prior to joining UCSB in 2019, Somayeh was an Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota and the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, and completed postdoctoral research at The Ohio State University.