Students

In conjunction with my teaching and research activities, I am and have been actively engaged in graduate student advising and mentoring. I see mentoring activities not only as an avenue to strengthen the link between research and teaching, but as crucial for training the next generation of experts and scientists in my field.

Potential students please read this before contacting me.

Current PhD. Students:

• Qingqing Chen, Geography, UB.
• Boyu Wang, Geography, UB.
• Ying Zhou, Geography, UB.

Current Masters Students:

• Zijun Wang, GIS, UB.

Current PhD. Candidates Dissertation Committee Member:

• Navid Mahdizadeh Gharakhanlou, Geography, Université de Montréal.
• Suiyuan Wang, Geography, UB.

Completed PhD. Student Advisor:

• Annetta Burger; Computational Social Science; Ph.D. awarded Fall 2020 (First Position: Postdoctoral Associate at New York University).
• Title: Disaster through the Lens of Complex Adaptive Systems: Exploring Emergent Groups Utilizing Agent Based Modeling and Social Networks.

• Carmen Iasiello; Computational Social Science; Ph.D. awarded Spring 2021 (Current Position: Senior Analyst, United States Department of Defense). 
• Title: An Agent-Based Modeling Approach for Human Resource Management.
• Talha Oz; Computational Social Science; Ph.D. awarded Fall 2020 (First Position: Computational Social Scientist at Humanyze).
• Title: Collective Stress in the Digital Age.
• Bianica Pires (Pint); Computational Social Science; Ph.D. awarded Summer 2014 (First Position: Postdoctoral Associate at Virginia Tech, currently Lead Modeling and Simulation Engineer at MITRE).
• Title: When People Rebel: A Computational Approach to Violent Collective Action.
• Ovi Chris Rouly; Computational Social Science; Ph.D. awarded Fall 2015 (First Position: Postdoctoral Fellow at ETH Zurich).
• Title: Towards Emergent Social Complexity.
• Ross Schuchard; Computational Social Science; Ph.D. awarded Summer 2019 (First Position: Assistant Professor at Naval Postgraduate School).
• Title: Examining Adaptation in Complex Online Social Systems.
• Brandon Shapiro, Computational Social Science; Ph.D. awarded Spring 2021 (Current Position: researcher at the Institute for Defense Analyses). 
• Title: Kinetic Action and Radicalization:Theory, Data, and Model.
• Melanie Swartz; Computational Social Science; Ph.D. awarded Summer 2020.
• Title: Exploring Symbolic Representation of Identity and Collective Behavior in Social Media: Emoji Use in Twitter.
• Sarah Wise; Computational Social Science; Ph.D. awarded Spring 2014 (Currently a Associate Professor at the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, University College London).
• Title: Using Social Media Content To Inform Agent-based Models For Humanitarian Crisis Response.
• Xiaoyi Yuan; Computational Social Science; Ph.D. awarded Summer 2020 (First Position: Data Scientist at FINRA). 
• Title: Geo-textual Data Analytics Exploring Places and their Connections.
• Yang Zhou; Computational Social Science; Ph.D. awarded Spring 2021 (First Position: Research Analyst at Independent Project Analysis). 
• Title: Exploring Human Activities in Cities Using Data and Model.

Past PhD. Students' Dissertation Committee Member:

• Ahmad Aburizaiza; Geography and Geoinformation Sciences; Ph.D. awarded Fall 2017, GMU.
• Title: A Geospatial Footprint Library For Validating Volunteered Geographic Information.
• Meysam Alizadeh; Computational Social Science; Ph.D. awarded Fall 2016, GMU.
• Title: Essays On The Drivers Of Political And Ideological Extremism.
• Chad Bates; Geography and Geoinformation Sciences; Ph.D. awarded Spring 2019, GMU.
• Title: Predictive Team-based Detection And Identification Model Based On Situational Awareness And Cognitive Performance.
• Niloofar Bagheri Jebelli; Computational Social Science; Ph.D. awarded Spring 2024, GMU.
• Title: Computational Modeling of the Social Complexity In Göbekli Tepe and Earliest Neolithic Communities.
• Dale Brearcliffe; Computational Social Science; Ph.D. awarded Fall 2023, GMU.
• Title: Computational Military Science: Complexity, Broken Symmetry, and Artificial Intelligence.
• Shawn Bucholtz; Computational Social Science; Ph.D. awarded Fall 2017, GMU.
• Title: The Washington, D.C. Housing Affordability Simulator.
• Roberto Canavosio-Zuzelski; Geography and Geoinformation Sciences; Ph.D. awarded Spring 2012, GMU.
• Title: A Photogrammetric Approach for Geopositioning OpenStreetMap Roads.
• Ernesto Carrella; Computational Social Science; Ph.D. awarded Summer 2015, GMU.
• Title: Modeling Adaptive Economic Agents with PID Controllers
• Moongi Choi; Geography; Ph.D. awarded Spring 2024, University of Utah.
• Title: Navigating the Complexities of Pandemic Dynamics: An Integrated Agent-Based Modeling Framework for Spatially Explicit Risk Assessment and Mitigation at Multiple Scale.
• Jonathan Clarke; Geography and Geoinformation Sciences; Ph.D. awarded Fall 2012, GMU.
• Title: Spatial Arrangement as a Part of Geospatial Feature Ontologies.
• Kevin Comer; Computational Social Science; Ph.D. awarded Spring 2017, GMU.
• Title: Patients, Premiums, and Public Policy: Modeling Health Insurance Markets Using Agent Computing.
• Amy Cotnoir; Geography and Geoinformation Sciences; Ph.D. awarded Fall 2014, GMU.
• Title: On the Identification and Study of Polycentric Nation Models through the Geosocial Analysis of Social Media Content.
• Paul Cummings; Computational Social Science; Ph.D. awarded Fall 2020, GMU. 
• Title: A Hybrid Machine Learning and Agent-Based Modeling Approach to Examine Decision making Heuristics.
• Troy Curry; Geography and Geoinformation Sciences, GMU; Ph.D. awarded Spring 2021. 
• Title: Exploring Forced Migration through Open-Data and System Dynamics Modeling.
• Farzaneh Davari; Computational Social Science, GMU; Ph.D. awarded Fall 2021. 
• Title: A Study of Resilience of the Urmia Lake Basin in Iran with Agent-Based Modeling.
• Thomas Dover; Computational Social Science; Ph.D. awarded Spring 2016, GMU.
• Title: Implementing A Complex Social Simulation Of The Violent Offending Process: The Promise Of A Synthetic Offender.
• Jarrod Grewe; Computational Science and Informatics; Ph.D. awarded Summer 2022, GMU.
• Title: Optimizing Search Plans for Teams of Mobile and Stationary Searchers with a New Class of Searchers over a Multi-zoned Domain and Finite Time.
• Atesmachew Hailegiorgis; Computational Social Science; Ph.D. awarded Fall 2013, GMU.
• Title: Computational Modeling of Climate Change, Large-Scale Land Acquisition, and Household Dynamics in Southern Ethiopia.
• Christine Harvey; Computational Science and Informatics; Ph.D. awarded Fall 2019, GMU.
• Title: Modeling, Simulation, and Analysis of the US Organ Transplant System.
• Mona Hemmati; Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado State University. Ph.D. awarded Summer 2021. 
• Title: The Role of Urbanization in Resilience of Communities Under Flood Risk.
• Salwa Ismail; Computational Social Science; GMU; Ph.D. awarded Summer 2024.
• Title: Universities as Complex Systems: Data, Power Laws, and an Agent-based Model.
• Steven Jackson; Geography and Geoinformation Sciences; Ph.D. awarded Spring 2014, GMU.
• Title: Analyzing Contribution Patterns of Volunteered Geographic Point Features in Relation to Errors and Demographics.
• Andrew Jenkins; Geography and Geoinformation Sciences; Ph.D. awarded Spring 2016, GMU.
• Title: Crowdsourcing A Collective Sense Of Place Through Emerging Platial Themes.
• Na Jiang; Computational Social Science; Ph.D. awarded Summer 2022, GMU. 
• Title: Exploring Urban Shrinkage via Computational Approaches: A Case Study of Detroit.
• Ajay Kulkarni; Computational Science and Informatics; Ph.D. awarded Spring 2022, GMU.
• Title: AI-Enabled Classroom Tool For Visual Learning Analytics.
• Manqi Li; Geography and Geoinformation Sciences; Ph.D. awarded Spring 2019, GMU.
• Title: Spatiotemporal Analysis of Information Diffusion in Online Social Networks.
• Xu Lu; Geography and Geoinformation Sciences; Ph.D. awarded Fall 2014, GMU.
• Title: Mining Spatial Aspects of Cyberphysical Communities.
• Ron Mahabir; Geography and Geoinformation Sciences. ; Ph.D. awarded Fall 2016, GMU.
• Title: Exploring Open Sources of Data for Detecting and Mapping Slums.
• Ammar Malik; School of Policy, Government, and International Affairs; Ph.D. awarded Spring 2015, GMU.
• Title: Exploring the Dynamics of Urban Development with Agent-based Modeling: The Case of Pakistani Cities.
• David Masad; Computational Social Science; Ph.D. awarded Spring 2016, GMU.
• Title: Agents In Conflict: Comparative Agent-Based Modeling Of International Crises And Conflicts.
• Hugh McFarlane; Computational Social Science; Ph.D. awarded Spring 2016, GMU.
• Title: An Agent Based Model of Community Authority Structure Resilience.
• Cristina Metgher; Computational Social Science; Ph.D. awarded Spring 2016, GMU.
• Title: A Computational Social Science Approach To The Social Determinants Of Cancer.
• William Mullen; Geography and Geoinformation Sciences; Ph.D. awarded Spring 2014, GMU.
• Title: Accuracy and Completeness as Measures of the Quality of Volunteered Point-Feature Geospatial Data and Evaluation of the Effect of Demographics on that Quality.
• Seyed Mussavi Rizi; Computational Social Science; Ph.D. awarded Spring 2012, GMU.
• Title: A Multiagent Model of the Success and Failure of Development Aid Projects in the Post-2001 Counterinsurgency in Afghanistan.
• Collin O’Connor, ; Geography; Ph.D. awarded Spring 2025, UB.
• Title: Deer as Dilution Hosts: Testing Density-Dependent Mechanisms in the Ixodes scapularis and Anaplasma phagocytophilum Genetic Variant System.
• Matthew Oldham; Computational Social Science; Ph.D. awarded Spring 2019, GMU.
• Title: The Utilization of Computational Social Science for the Benefit of Finance.
• Chris Oxendine; Geography and Geoinformation Sciences; Ph.D. awarded Spring 2013, GMU.
• Title: Analysis of Volunteered Geographic Information for Improved Situational Awareness during No-Notice Emergencies.
• Nathan Palmer; Computational Social Science; Ph.D. awarded Fall 2015, GMU.
• Title: Individual and Social Learning: Bounded Rationality from First Principles.
• George Panteras; Geography and Geoinformation Sciences; Ph.D. awarded Fall 2014, GMU.
• Title: Discernible Spatial Configurations in Built and Transient Scenes.
• Amit Patel; School of Public Policy; Ph.D. awarded Summer 2012, GMU.
• Title: Slumulation: An Integrated Simulation Framework to Explore Spatio‐Temporal Dynamics of Slum Formation in Ahmedabad, India.
• Elaine Reed; Computational Social Science; Ph.D. awarded Fall 2017, GMU.
• Title: The Emergence of Self-Government: Agentizing Acemoglu and Robinson.
• Peter Revay; Computational Social Science; Ph.D. awarded Fall 2017, GMU.
• Title: The Effects of Dual Inheritance Mechanisms of Cultural Evolution on Emergent Social Networks.
• Melonie Richey; Computational Social Science; Ph.D. awarded Fall 2020, GMU. 
• Title: Scalable Agent-Based Modeling of Forced Migration.
• Katherine (Raven) Russell, Computer Science, GMU; Ph.D. awarded Fall 2020. 
• Title: Large Scale Ad Hoc Information Centric Networks in Disrupted Environments.
• Jay Roorbach; Geography; Ph.D. awarded Summer 2024, UB.
• Title: Assessment of the Function of Risk Management in Regional Institutions of Higher Education.
• Holly Russo; Computational Social Science; Ph.D. awarded Spring 2016, GMU.
• Title: Explaining Box Office Performance From The Bottom Up: Data, Theories And Models.
• Stephen Scott; Computational Social Science; Ph.D. awarded Spring 2016, GMU.
• Title: Computational Modeling For Marine Resource Management.
• Farshid Shoushtarian; Environmental Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park. Ph.D. awarded Summer 2022. 
• Title: Sustainable Water Resources Management Through Agricultural Water Reuse: Application of a Decision Support System.
• Ciara Sibley; Computational Social Science; Ph.D. awarded Spring 2024, GMU.
• Title: High-Stakes Testing and Second Chances: From Data to Models.
• Aisha Sikder; Geography and Geoinformation Sciences; Ph.D. awarded Spring 2020, GMU.
• Title: Improving Recommender Engines by Integrating Spatial Statistics.
• Amira Al-Khulaidy Stine; Computational Social Science; Ph.D. awarded Spring 2024, GMU.
• Title: Social Networks, Agent-Based Models, and Data Science: From Individual Decisions and Social Interactions to Aggregate Outcomes.
• Harold Walbert; Computational Social Science; Ph.D. awarded Summer 2021, GMU.
• Title: Agents, Networks and Empirical Data: Agent-Based Modeling for Understanding Inter-Country and Intra-Country Dynamics.
• Michael Wolf; Geography and Geoinformation Sciences; Ph.D. awarded Spring 2019, GMU.
• Title: Sociolinguistic Analysis of Geolocated Tweets for Inferring Socioeconomic Characteristics.
• Chun-Yi Yang; Computational Social Science; Ph.D. awarded Fall 2019, GMU.
• Title: The Formation and Sustainability of Labor Substitution Patterns: An Agent-Based Organization Model with Autonomous Skill Allocation, Endogenous Specialization, and Entropy Exploitation.
• Fuzhen Yin; Urban and Regional Planning; Ph.D. awarded Summer 2024, UB. 
• Title: Incorporating Social Media to Model Human Dynamics during Crises: Towards a Hybrid Space Perspective of Urban Analytics.
• Mojtaba Zare; Health Services Research; Ph.D. awarded Summer 2020, GMU.
• Title: Intelligent Patient Data Generator.
• Han Zhang; Geography; Ph.D. awarded Spring 2020, UB.
• Title: Integrating Geographical Data Science with Soil Erosion Modeling to Support Soil Conservation and Environmental Sustainability: A Hybrid Geo-Spatial Approach.

  

Completed Masters Student Advisor:

• Brent Auble; MAIS in Computational Social Science; Degree awarded Spring 2015, GMU.
• Title: Narrative Agents As A Reporting Mechanism For Agent-based Models.
• Niloofar Bagheri Jebelli; MAIS in Computational Social Science; Degree Awarded Fall 2017.
• Title: Urban Development Through The Lens Of Agent-based Modelling.
• Justin Brandenburg; MAIS in Computational Social Science; Degree awarded Spring 2016, GMU.
• Title: Simulating and Classifying Cyber-Attack Patterns of Behavior using Agent-Based Modeling, Graph Analytics and Machine Learning.
• Dale Brearcliffe; MAIS in Computational Social Science; Degree awarded Fall 2017, GMU.
• Title: Parallelization of Entity-based Models in Computational Social Science: A Hardware Perspective.
• Devin Bright; MAIS in Computational Social Science; Degree awarded Spring 2017, GMU.
• Title: Mapping the Human Terrain of a Modern Megacity with the use of Social Media.
• Satya Venkata Siddhartha Bokka, MS Geographic Information Science; Degree awarded Spring 2025, UB.
• Title: Geospatial Intelligence: Integrating ML and GIS for Fire Impact and Water Resource Studies.
• Paul Cummings; MAIS in Computational Social Science; Degree Awarded Fall 2016, GMU.
• Title: Modeling the Characteristics of Radical Ideological Growth using an Agent based Model Methodology.
• Noelle Douglas; MAIS in Computational Social Science; Degree awarded Spring 2017, GMU.
• Title: Measles Vaccine Sentiment: Examining How Vaccine Hesitancy Impacts the Communicative Patterns of Twitter Data.
• Stefani Fournier; MAIS in Computational Social Science; Degree awarded Fall 2015, GMU.
• Title: Strategic Options For Terrorist Network Disruption: Understanding The Structure And Complexity.
• Eric Hanson; MAIS in Computational Social Science; Degree awarded Spring 2016, GMU.
• Title: An Agent-Based Model of British And Boer Small Arms and Tactics During the Second Anglo-Boer War.
• Yao Houkpati; MAIS in Computational Social Science; Degree awarded Spring 2018, GMU.
• Title: Responding To An Ebola Disease Outbreak Within A Slum: An Evaluation Of The Quarantine And Isolation As Control Measures.
• Yon-Chien Huang, MS Geographic Information Science; Degree awarded Spring 2023, UB.
• Title: Sentiment Analysis in August Complex Fire in California, 2020. 
  
• Stephen Sanders, MA in Geography, UB; Degree Awarded Spring 2025.
• Title: Spatial Patterns and Global Shifts: Socioeconomic Distress in Appalachian New York and the Rise of China.
• Ross Schuchard; MAIS in Computational Social Science; Degree awarded Spring 2015, GMU.
• Title: A Social Network Analysis Of Emergent International Communities: A Global Discussion About The 2013-2014 Ukrainian Crisis.
• Melanie Swartz; MAIS in Computational Social Science; Degree awarded Spring 2015, GMU.
• Title: Evaluating Impacts of Future Development on Commuters: A Model of Transportation and Development for Reston, VA.
• Yi-Xuan Zhao, MS Geographic Information Science; Degree awarded Spring 2023, UB.
• Title: Agent-Based Simulation of Land Market Changes in Urban Gentrification Areas: A Case Study of Buffalo, NY. 
• Zhongyu Zhou, MS Geographic Information Science; Degree awarded Spring 2025, UB.
• Title: Modeling Wildfire Evacuation with Embedded Fuzzy Cognitive Maps: An Agent-Based Simulation of Emotion and Social Contagion.

 

Completed Masters Students' Thesis Committee Member:

• Jared Campbell; Geography and Geoinformation Sciences; Degree Awarded Summer 2019, GMU.
• Title: A Spatial Classification of Criminal Offenders: Moving Beyond Circle Theory with an Agent-based Model Approach.
• Gary Esworthy; Geography and Geoinformation Sciences; Degree Awarded Spring 2016, GMU.
• Title: Comparing OpenStreetMap And Wikipedia Edit Patterns During Major Events.
• Eileen Flynn; Environmental Science and Policy; Degree Awarded Spring 2012., GMU
• Title: Individual-Based Model Predicting Impacts of Climate Change on Diversity in a Representative Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Community of the Chesapeake Bay.
• Kevin Glodava; Geography and Geoinformation Sciences; Degree Awarded Fall 2014, GMU.
• Title: Using Twitter Data as a Community Policing Mechanism of Criminal Activity in Washington DC.
• Scott Heneghan; Geography and Geoinformation Sciences; Degree Awarded Spring 2017, GMU.
• Title: Grassroots To Voting Booths: A Study Of The Spatiotemporal Dynamics Of Traditional Media Coverage And Social Media Impact In 2016 United States Presidential Candidates.
• Tom Holby; Geography and Geoinformation Sciences; Degree Awarded Fall 2014, GMU.
• Title: #IndyRef: A Geographical Comparison of Tweets Related to the Scottish Independence Referendum of 2014.
• Jacqueline Hunke; Geography and Geoinformation Sciences; Degree Awarded Spring 2018, GMU.
• Title: A Comparative Study of the Utility of Knowledge Bases for the Geospatial Enrichment of Social Media Data.
• Andrew Jenkins; Geography and Geoinformation Sciences; Degree Awarded Fall 2012, GMU.
• Title: Mapping Location-Based Social Topics in Today’s Evolving Cities.
• Kathryn Kash; Geoinformatics and Geospatial Intelligence; Degree Awarded Spring 2016, GMU.
• Title: Exploring The Use Of Signs During Protest Activities Through Social Media Data Integration: The Case Of OccupyWallStreet.
• Stefan McCabe; MAIS in Computational Social Science; Degree Awarded Spring 2016, GMU.
• Title: Communicating Sequential Agents: An Analysis Of Concurrent Agent Scheduling.
• Reynaldo Molina; Geography and Geoinformation Sciences; Degree Awarded Summer 2017, GMU.
• Title: Patterns of Tourists and Local Residents Seen Through Social Media Posts in Flickr and Instagram.
• John Naylor; Geoinformatics and Geospatial Intelligence; Degree Awarded Spring 2017, GMU.
• Title: Truths and Rumors on Twitter: Analysis of the Spatiotemporal Distribution of Geolocated Tweets.
• David Novak; Geoinformatics and Geospatial Intelligence; Degree Awarded Summer 2017, GMU.
• Title: The Spatial Distribution of Health Narratives in Twitter and the Relationship to Corresponding Cancer Rates Across the United States: A Case Study of Cancer-related Communications.
• Matthew Oldham; MAIS in Computational Social Science; Degree Awarded Spring 2016, GMU.
• Title: The Implications Of Investors Considering Their Social Network.
• Stephanie Parker; Geography and Geoinformation Sciences; Degree Awarded Spring 2014, GMU.
• Title: Patterns of Geographic Content made by the General Public in Response to Natural Disaster Events.
• Molly Phillips; Geography and Geoinformation Sciences; Degree Awarded Fall 2019, GMU.
• Title: Estimating Toponym Content of Social Media Data of the Northern Triangle.
• Richard Rodriguez; Geography and Geoinformation Sciences; Degree Awarded Summer 2014, GMU.
• Title: A Spatial Analysis of Boko Haram and Al-Shabaab's Influence Through Social Media Content.
• Charlie Roe; Computational Social Science; Degree Awarded Spring 2019, GMU.
• Title: An Application Of Agent-Based Modelling To Maker-Taker Exchange Fee Pricing.
• Katelyn Thomas; Geography and Geoinformation Sciences; Degree Awarded Spring 2018, GMU.
• Title: An Analysis of Disturbances in Critical Energy Infrastructure Through Social Media.
• Peter Thomas; Geography and Geoinformation Sciences; Degree Awarded Spring 2018, GMU.
• Title: Neighborhood Self-identity and Point of Interest Identification on Airbnb.

 

Completed Masters Students' Project Committee Member:

• Fahad Aloraini; MAIS in Computational Social Science; Degree Awarded Fall 2019, GMU.
• Title: The OMDA Framework: An Environment-Agent Decision-Making specification for Agent Based-Modeling.
• Marta Hansen; MAIS in Computational Social Science; Degree Awarded Fall 2016, GMU.
• Title: Positive Affect And Prospect Theory In Agent_Zero: A Model Extension.
• Jessica Hughes; MAIS in Computational Social Science; Degree Awarded Spring 2014, GMU.
• Title: Reexamining Vowel Transmission and Diffusion In a Repeatable Modeling Environment: Advancing Computational Interpretation of Vowel Chain Shifts as an Approachable NetLogo Model with Simple Parameter Adjustments.
• Tung-Lin Liu; MAIS in Computational Social Science; Degree Awarded Spring 2018, GMU.
• Title: Understanding Power Law Behaviors in Surname Distribution: An Agent-Based Analysis.
• Mike Livermore; MAIS in Computational Social Science. Degree Awarded Spring 2015, GMU.
• Title: Implementing the MR POTATOHEAD Framework – A Software Tool for Collaborative Land-Use Change Modeling.
• Rui Zhang; MAIS in Computational Social Science; Degree Awarded Spring 2016, GMU.
• Title: A Cellular Automata Model on Agricultural Land Use Change of Poyang Lake Region.

 

Other:

• Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology Mentorship Program (2013-2014) 
• Student subsequently won second place in the Computer Science category of the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.  
• Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program Mentor, GMU (2015, 2016). 
• One student subsequently won the ACM and the Computer Science Teachers Association 2017 Cutler-Bell Prize in High School Computing.