Sergii Skakun

Sergii Skakun is an Associate Professor at the University of Maryland, College Park with a joint appointment in the Department of Geographical Sciences and the College of Information Studies (iSchool). He holds a PhD in Computer Science from the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (2005) and an M.S. in Applied Mathematics from Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (2004). His research focuses on advancing remote sensing data fusion, machine learning applications for Earth observation, and agricultural monitoring. Skakun has led projects funded by NASA, NSF, and international agencies, including initiatives on war-induced agricultural damage mapping and climate change impacts in conflict zones.

Education:

• PhD in Computer Science, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (2005)
• M.S. (Hons.) Applied Mathematics, Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (2004)
• B.S. Applied Mathematics, Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (2002)

Research Interests:

• Remote sensing of land cover/use change
• Machine learning in geospatial analysis
• Disaster monitoring and conflict zone agriculture
• Earth observation for food security

His work has produced over 70 peer-reviewed papers and collaborations with NASA Harvest, CEOS, and international teams. Notable recent projects include artillery crater mapping in Ukraine and climate analog velocity estimation using optical flow.

Grants & Leadership:

• Two-time NASA FINESST grant recipient (2021–2025)
• PI for NASA Rapid Response projects on Ukraine’s agricultural monitoring
• Co-leads CEOS Cloud Masking Inter-comparison Exercise (CMIX)

Labs & Teams: Active contributor to NASA Harvest and Terrestrial Information Systems Laboratory (NASA Goddard), focusing on operationalizing satellite intelligence for global food security challenges.