Welcome to my homepage. I am an Associate Professor of Geography at the University of Michigan-Flint. I'm also a Faculty Affiliate at the University of Michigan Data Science Institute (MIDAS) and Fellow at the Center for Urban Design and Mental Health (UK).
My research is centered on examining accessibility, urban design, and public health outcomes using innovative geospatial science methods and empirical models. My work within these areas has been expansive, spanning approaches and methods such as; active transportation modeling; naturalistic assessments of cycling stress; Agent Based Modeling (ABM) of bicycling movement potentials; travel-mode sentiment; travel-demand modeling; intersection of crime and public health; urban infrastructure resiliency; qualitative analysis of micro-mobility use; intermodal travel potentials in a university environment; spatial modeling of food insecurity.
I also have a breadth of practical experience from my time working in private industry, government sectors, and non-profit organizations as a GIS analyst, planner, and consultant. These experiences inform my teaching and complement my research agenda.
Read more about my research on Google Scholar, ORCiD, or ResearchGate
LATEST NEWS
New publication in Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science: "Walking alone or walking together: A spatial evaluation of children’s travel behavior to school.” In collaboration with my esteemed colleagues from Turkey, we set out to understanding the geographical, personal, and parental factors affecting children's walking routes to school when with someone or not. Using PPGIS, GIS, and spatial modeing, we discovered that children’s age, gender, health (BMI) were important predictors. In terms of parents, we found that concerns about safety dominated children's route deviations. However, we surprisngly showed that attitudes concerning greenspace positively affected children’s longer route choices. Nieghborhood factors, includiong street connectivity reduced the level of route detours when walking to school. Overall, the results provide new insights on how to encourage additional walking trips to school. The full article can be found here
New publication in Accident Analysis and Prevention: "How do people perceive driving risks in small towns? A case study in Central Texas." A new co-authored study revealed important insights on the associations between where people perceive crash risks and where crashes actually occur. We found that locations where people feel less safe walking or cycling do not always align with sites that have high crash rates. Perceived risk may not match observed risk. Personal factors like age and gender along with built environment elements like presence of bike lanes can significantly influence an individual's perception of crash risk. The study provides a methodology for better incorporating public risk perceptions into transportation safety planning. More work is still needed to align subjective risk views with objective crash data.
I am thrilled to announce that I have been appointed as an Associate Editor for Cities & Health (Taylor & Francis) academic journal. This remarkable opportunity is a testament to my unwavering passion for scholarly pursuits and my relentless dedication to advancing knowledge in my field. As an Associate Editor, I am ready to embark on this transformative journey, collaborating with esteemed researchers and scholars to propel the journal to new heights. I am grateful for this honor and eagerly anticipate the profound impact we will collectively make in shaping the future of academia. Here's to an exhilarating chapter filled with groundbreaking research, stimulating discussions, and impactful publications. More information about the journal can be found here.
CONNECT WITH ME
Affliations
Address
Find me
University of Michigan-Flint
Department of Geography, Planning, and Environment
University of Michigan, Michigan Institute of Data Sciences (MIDAS)
Centre for Urban Design and Mental Health
University of Michigan-Flint
Department of Geography, Planning and Environment
516 Murchie Science Bldg
Flint, Michigan 48502
t: 810-762-3355
