Richard Ross Shaker

Dr. Richard Ross Shaker is an Assistant Professor of Landscape Modeling at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF), with affiliations in Sustainable Resources Management. He also serves as Principal of GEOECO Inc., a firm specializing in ecological restoration and spatial analysis. Previously, he held roles at Toronto Metropolitan University, Binghamton University (SUNY), and as a J. William Fulbright Scholar in Moldova. His research bridges human-environment interactions, focusing on sustainable development, landscape ecology, global change resilience, and applied geoinformatics.

Education: Ph.D. (Geography, Sustainable Development), M.Sc. (Landscape & Aquatic Ecology), and B.Sc. (Geography) from University of Wisconsin institutions. He holds a Certificate in GIS from UW-Milwaukee.

Research Interests: Dr. Shaker’s work addresses human-landscape coevolution, sustainability indicators, ecological restoration, and resilience planning. Key themes include aquatic invasive species, urban resilience, climate adaptation, and spatial modeling. His team explores global case studies across North America, Europe, and developing nations.

Recent Publications: Focus on sustainability indices, urban heat islands, bioeconomy monitoring, and wetland restoration. Collaborations include SSHRC-funded projects on climate resilience and interdisciplinary spatial modeling.

Advising & Grants: Current advisees include Sakib Tahmid Rishan (PhD), Alexsa Torres (MS), and Edward Zellar (MS). Grants include SSHRC (Canada) and USTDA-funded research in Romania. He emphasizes applied research with real-world policy impacts.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Shaker Research Group at ESF, integrating geospatial technology with ecological and social systems analysis. GEOECO Inc. provides applied solutions in environmental planning and spatial analytics.