Yu Shen

Yu Shen is a Temporary Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Geography and Geospatial Sciences at South Dakota State University (SDSU), affiliated with the Geospatial Science Center of Excellence. His postdoctoral work focuses on remote sensing applications, data science, and algorithm development for geospatial science. He holds a Ph.D. (2024) and M.S. (2019) in geospatial science and engineering, and a B.S. (2016) in cartography from China University of Mining and Technology.

Research interests include dryland vegetation dynamics, wildfire-phenology interactions, and satellite-based phenology monitoring using multi-source data. He develops process-based and deep-learning models to analyze environmental factors like precipitation variability and extreme climatic events. Key responsibilities include data analysis, manuscript preparation, and mentoring students.

Honors include the 2024 SDSU Dr. Fritz Gritzner Outstanding Graduate Geography Student Award. His work has been featured in media and highlighted at SDSU. Professional memberships include the American Geophysical Union and American Association of Geographers.