Mirela Tulbure

Mirela Tulbure is a Professor at the Center for Geospatial Analytics at North Carolina State University (NCSU), where she relocated in August 2019 from the University of New South Wales (Sydney, Australia). She leads the Geospatial Analysis for Environmental Change (GAEC) Lab, focusing on quantifying surface water extent, vegetation, and landscape connectivity dynamics in water-stressed regions using geospatial analytics at sub-continental to global scales.

Her research interests span multiple critical environmental domains:

• Surface water dynamics and flooding patterns
• Earth observation and remote sensing applications
• Machine learning for environmental monitoring
• Climate change impacts on water resources
• Land use change and its environmental consequences
• Environmental justice applications

Dr. Tulbure's scholarly work demonstrates a strong integration of satellite data and computational methods to address pressing environmental challenges. Her recent publications reveal a focus on developing practical frameworks for rice yield estimation, urban flood mapping, surface water projection under climate scenarios, and environmental justice applications. A distinctive feature across her research portfolio is the systematic combination of multiple satellite data sources with advanced machine learning techniques to produce actionable insights for environmental policy and water resource management.

Her significant contributions include:

• Development of machine-learning pipelines processing terabytes of satellite imagery using cloud computing platforms
• Creation of innovative methods for monitoring surface water dynamics across diverse spatial scales
• Applications of geospatial analysis to address environmental justice concerns, particularly regarding non-permitted poultry operations
• Integration of hydrological models with remote sensing data for improved water resource management

Dr. Tulbure has successfully mentored multiple graduate students, including Rebecca Composto (PhD candidate), Varun Tiwari (PhD graduate), and Robbi Bishop-Taylor (PhD student), along with undergraduate researchers like Darcy Boast who presented work at academic symposia. Her teaching portfolio includes developing and instructing courses such as GIS 712: Environmental Earth Observation and Remote Sensing and GIS 495: Geospatial Analytics for Environmental Change, emphasizing hands-on experience with open-source software including Python, Jupyter notebooks, Git, and QGIS.