Chad H. Freed

Chad H. Freed is an Associate Professor of Environmental Science at Widener University and serves as Director of the Geographic Information Systems Laboratory and the Engineering and Environmental Geosciences Laboratory. He holds a PhD in Earth and Environmental Science from the University of Pennsylvania (2006), and dual MS degrees in Civil Engineering and Engineering Geology from Drexel University (1993).

His research focuses on geovisualization techniques applied to natural habitats, subsurface geology, hydrology, and urban attributes. Major projects include quantifying landscape disturbances from natural gas mining, conservation biology studies, and climate change analyses in Pennsylvania/New Jersey, as well as international projects in Costa Rica, Peru, and China. His teaching emphasizes hands-on learning through GIS applications and service-oriented projects.

Key honors include being named a Clinton Global Initiative Researcher and a Strong Cities, Strong Communities Researcher under the Obama Administration. He is affiliated with the Association of Environmental and Engineering Geologists (AEG), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and Society for Conservation GIS (SCGIS).

Dr. Freed leads active research labs focused on spatial data visualization and geoscience applications, integrating academic work with real-world community challenges such as watershed management and crime pattern analysis.