Deepak R Mishra

Deepak R Mishra is the Merle C. Prunty, Jr. Professor of Geography at the University of Georgia, where he serves as Professor and Head of the Department of Geography. He directs both the Center for Geospatial Research (CGR) and the UGA Small Satellite Research Laboratory (SSRL), demonstrating leadership across multiple significant research initiatives. His academic career spans geospatial science, remote sensing applications, and environmental monitoring with particular focus on coastal ecosystems.

Dr. Mishra earned his PhD in Natural Resources from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln in 2006 and completed his M. Tech in Civil Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur in 2002. His research focuses on combining field-based remote sensing with satellite technologies to monitor and study coastal and inland water resources. His work addresses critical environmental challenges including harmful algal blooms, salt marsh conservation, carbon sequestration in tidal wetlands, and sea level rise impacts.

Dr. Mishra's research portfolio reveals strong trends in geospatial analytics for environmental monitoring, with increasing integration of artificial intelligence and small satellite technologies. His recent publications show a growing emphasis on climate change impacts on coastal ecosystems, particularly salt marsh vulnerability and carbon sequestration capacity. The work demonstrates innovative applications of remote sensing for tracking cyanobacterial blooms and developing early warning systems through platforms like CyanoTRACKER.

• Outstanding Service Award, SEDAAG 2019
• Creative Research Medal, University of Georgia, 2017
• Best Poster Award, TROPMET 2016, India
• Article ranked #4 in Altmetric Attention Score in Nature Climate Change 2016
• Mississippi State University Faculty Research Award (2012)
• GRI Academic Faculty of the year (2011)

Dr. Mishra has secured substantial research funding, including a $7.5 million NSF LTER grant and a $4.7 million Army Research Lab grant for autonomous navigation systems. His lab actively mentors graduate students including Tyler Lynn, Lishen Mao, and Chintan Maniyar, who contribute to projects spanning coastal monitoring, small satellite development, and AI applications. The Small Satellite Research Laboratory recently achieved a historic milestone with the launch of SPOC satellite to the International Space Station, marking UGA's first satellite deployment.