Byongjun Hwang

Byongjun Hwang is a Reader in Geography at the University of Huddersfield, where he is affiliated with the Department of Physical and Life Sciences within the School of Applied Sciences. He serves as Director of the Centre for Climate Resilient Societies and is a member of the Centre for Human and Physical Geography.

Dr. Hwang is a geophysicist and remote sensing specialist with extensive research experience in Earth Observation to study environmental changes. His research spans from Arctic sea ice to wetlands and forests in sub-Saharan Africa. He completed his PhD from the University of Manitoba in Canada and has secured research grants from NERC, Royal Society, EU, and the U.S. Office of Naval Research.

His research interests include:

• Arctic sea ice dynamics and fragmentation
• Remote sensing of environmental changes
• Climate change impacts on polar regions
• Environmental monitoring of agricultural wetlands in Malawi
• Coffee forest conservation in Ethiopia
• Land use mapping in the UK using UAV and citizen science

Dr. Hwang's recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on Arctic sea ice research, particularly examining floe size distribution, fragmentation processes, and the use of satellite and aerial survey data. His work often involves collaboration with institutions such as the University of Reading, Met Office, ECMWF, NOC, British Antarctic Survey, Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and Jimma University.

Scientific recognition includes:

• h-index of 18 from 1,369 citations (Google Scholar)
• 1001 Citations, 18 h-index (Scopus)

Dr. Hwang teaches remote sensing, GIS, climate, statistics, and mountain environments. He actively supervises postgraduate students and welcomes research ideas involving image analysis/machine learning, advanced satellite algorithms, and UAV technology for environmental monitoring. He is currently leading projects including 'Forest conservation through traceable supply chain development' (2023-2026) and the 'Resilient Societies Research Centre' (2021-2024).

His research contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to climate action, life on land, and responsible consumption and production. Dr. Hwang has presented his work at numerous international conferences and has been featured in media coverage of Arctic expeditions.