Yongqin Zhang

Dr. Yongqin Zhang is an Associate Professor in Geospatial Information Technologies and the founding Director of the Master of Applied Science in Geospatial Information Technologies (MAS-GIT) program at Delta State University's College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Biological Sciences. She joined Delta State in 2011 and has developed this master's degree program, which is designated as a “Signature Program” at the university.

Her educational background includes:

• Ph.D. from the University of Toronto (2007)
• M.Sc. from Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology (1999)
• B.Sc. from Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology (1994)

Dr. Zhang specializes in remote sensing, photogrammetry, GIS, and climatology, with research focusing on hyperspectral and lidar remote sensing, advanced spatial analysis, invasive species detection, grassland and cropland modeling, forest parameter retrieval, and climate change applications. Her work applies geospatial technologies to estimate and map earth system variables. With over 70 publications cited 575 times, her research has been internationally recognized.

Her recent publications demonstrate strong trends in applying geospatial technologies to solve real-world problems across multiple domains including public health (Zika virus mapping), environmental monitoring (hydraulic fracturing impacts), conservation biology (species mapping), and sustainable infrastructure (EV charging stations). The research consistently integrates advanced remote sensing techniques with practical applications.

Her scientific recognition includes:

• NSERC PDF Postdoctoral Fellowship Award
• National Best Ph.D. Thesis Award
• Graduate Student Research Award from University of Toronto
• Ontario Association of Remote Sensing Award
• Connected Educator Award
• Highest Course Evaluation Response Rate Award

Dr. Zhang has secured research funding from Ellucian Service, Technology for Higher Education, and SunGard Higher Education Solutions. She has advised over 90 graduate students and guided researchers at Canadian government institutions, York University, and the University of Toronto. Her teaching excellence is reflected in student evaluations with scores of 4.2 to 4.8 out of 5, and she has developed 12 graduate and undergraduate courses in geospatial technologies, hydrology, and climatology.

She established a Geospatial Information Technologies research program and lab at Delta State University, where students gain hands-on experience with cutting-edge GIS and remote sensing instruments for data acquisition, geospatial data analysis, and image processing. Her research has led to the development of standard practices for digital hemispheric photography in vegetation measurements for the North American Carbon Program and Canadian Carbon Program.