Modeling of IT systems

Agent based modelling;
Land use/land cover change;
Payment for ecosystem services;
Bayesian Network;
System Dynamics

My research involves the application of behavioral ecological models to archaeological problems with a focus on Pacific Island societies.

Land cover changes spatial agents based modelling
Forest fire risk modelling
Geographical information based modelling
Decision support for land planning

Simulation of emergent behavior systems and metrics associated with the detection and characterization of emergent phenomena.

My research focuses on building a systemic understanding of coupled human-natural systems. In particular, I am interested in understanding how patterns of land-use and land-cover change emerge from human alterations of natural processes and the resulting feedbacks. Study systems of interest include those undergoing agricultural to urban conversion, typically known as urban sprawl, and those in which protective measures, such as wildfire suppression or flood/storm impact controls, can lead to long-term instability.

Dynamic agent- and process-based simulation models are my primary tools for studying human and natural systems, respectively. My past work includes the creation of dynamic, process-based simulation models of the wildland fires along the urban-wildland interface (UWI), and artificial dune construction to protect coastal development along a barrier island coastline. My current research involves the testing, refinement, extension of an economic agent-based model of coupled housing and land markets (CHALMS), and a new project developing a generalized agent-based model of land-use change to explore local human-environmental interactions globally.

PhD Student in Land Use and Climate Change