Yuting Zhou

Dr. Yuting Zhou is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geography at Oklahoma State University. Her research focuses on understanding the impacts of climate and human activities on ecosystems using remote sensing, ecological models, and machine learning. She holds a PhD in Ecology from the University of Oklahoma (2017). Her work integrates satellite data (e.g., MODIS, Landsat), UAS imagery, and field observations to address challenges in land use change, drought monitoring, and sustainable food-energy-water systems.

Key research areas include:

• Remote sensing applications for agricultural monitoring
• Flash drought detection and early warning
• Alfalfa and peanut crop management using UAVs
• Climate-vegetation interactions in grasslands
• Sustainable development goals (SDGs 2, 6, 13, 15)

Currently leads projects funded by NSF EPSCoR, OklahomaView, and USDA collaborations. She actively collaborates with researchers at the University of Oklahoma and USDA ARS labs. Courses taught include GIS fundamentals, environmental problem-solving tools, and advanced remote sensing applications.

Notable achievements include developing novel drought indices using LSWI, optimizing crop yield prediction with deep learning, and advancing UAS-based agricultural monitoring techniques. Her work bridges geospatial technologies with real-world sustainability challenges.