I'm a final year PhD candidate working on developing remote sensing techniques utilizing multi-source remote sensing data (e.g. GEDI, ICESat2, Landsat archive, PlanetScope) for monitoring long term carbon sequestration in forest restoration areas in East Africa. Seeking to understand how to use RS-based quantitative information to improve the sustainability of human-environment interaction is both a passion of mine and the aim of my PhD work. Moreover, I have developed skills in forest inventory and Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS) data collection from working on field campaigns in Mozambique and Uganda. Developing web-based interactive map dashboards is another set of technical expertise that I have been practicing (see http://mliang8.github.io/ for map portfolio ) and want to employ in future projects to enhance communications with various stakeholders. If you are interested in my research, please see https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=AZ_-HzAAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao for the associated publications. If you are interested in collaborations, please email me mliang77 [at] terpmail.umd.edu.

Areas of Interest

  • Lidar remote sensing, data fusion, forest dynamics

Degrees

  • Degree Type
    MS
    Degree Details
    Cartography, Technical University of Munich (TUM)
  • Degree Type
    BSc, Hon
    Degree Details
    Geography, University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison)

Awards

  • 2020-08-31
    BSOS Dean's Research Initiative
  • 2021-08-31
    NASA FINESST Grant (through May 2024)
  • 2023-05-01
    3 Minute Thesis Competition Campus-wide winner
  • 2023-05-25
    Excellence in Graduate Research Award, 1st Pace, Department of Geographical Sciences, UMD

Research Topics

  • Carbon, Vegetation Dynamics and Landscape-Scale Processes
  • Campus
    Event coordinator at Graduate Student Government, 2019-2020
  • Campus
    President at Graduate Student Government, 2020-2021
ML_profile
4600 River Road, Suite 347A3 (send mail to 2181 LeFrak)
Department of Geographical Sciences
Email
mliang77 [at] terpmail.umd.edu