Sonam Wangchuk is a Postdoctoral Researcher at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam 's Faculty of Science, specializing in Earth and Climate. His work bridges remote sensing technologies with climate change impacts on glacial lakes and permafrost degradation . PhD in Remote Sensing from University of St Andrews (2021) MSc in Environmental Engineering from Warsaw University of Technology (2016) BSc in Life Sciences from Royal University of Bhutan (2013) His research focuses on Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) applications for monitoring Himalayan glacial lakes and Siberian Arctic permafrost . Recent projects include wildfire-carbon feedbacks in larch forests and GLOF risk assessments. Publications highlight expertise in satellite observation , interferometry , and surface water dynamics , with collaborations across international institutions. Current work involves the FireIce project analyzing climatic feedbacks in Arctic regions.
Dr. Stefanie Rieger is a GIS and Geological Remote Sensing specialist affiliated with the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU Munich). Her research focuses on quantifying vertical surface deformation across varying spatial and temporal scales to understand subsurface tectonic processes. PhD in Geology (2016, LMU Munich) Diplom in Geography (2006, LMU Munich) She employs advanced techniques like Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) and Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) for contemporary deformation studies, achieving millimeter-per-year precision over regional areas. Long-term deformation patterns (millennial to million-year scales) are analyzed through river profiles, paleo-shorelines, and Neogene sedimentary rocks. Her work integrates geological data mapping and the plume-stratigraphic framework (Friedrich et al., 2017) to reconstruct paleo-topography. She also manages geological data and maintains geologic map collections at LMU Munich. Contact: stefanie.rieger@iaag.geo.uni-muenchen.de
Dr. Badal Pokharel is a Research Associate at the Research Centre for Integrated Transport Innovation (rCITI) within the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Faculty of Engineering. She holds a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from UNSW (2023) and an M.Sc. in Engineering Geology from Tri-Chandra Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, Nepal (2018), where she was the university topper. Her research focuses on the assessment of natural and human-induced disasters, particularly earthquake-triggered landslides and climate change-induced floods, using advanced geospatial approaches. Dr. Pokharel has extensive expertise in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), remote sensing (RS), and implementing geospatial systems for geohazards, agriculture, climate change, land administration, and geomorphology projects. Her methodological expertise integrates machine learning techniques with traditional geospatial methods, showing particular focus on the Himalayan region, especially Nepal. Dr. Pokharel's publications demonstrate strong expertise in landslide susceptibility mapping, earthquake-triggered landslides, and geospatial analysis of natural disasters. Her recent work includes innovative approaches using random forest methods, Persistent Scatterer Interferometry, and slope-unit-based assessments for disaster risk management, with a geographical focus on Central Nepal and the Himalayan region. Early Career Academic Social Impact Award 2023, UNSW Early Career Network (ECAN), Sydney Australia Best Talent Award, 2021 Young Generation Forum/Young Professional Forum hosted by the Korean Academy of Scientists and Engineers in Australasia University topper for Master of Science in Engineering Geology, Tri-Chandra Multiple Campus, 2018 Dr. Pokharel has secured multiple research grants including UNSW Seed funding (AUD 25000), Global Partnership Project Grant from Virginia Tech University (AUD 7200), HPC-Europa3 Transnational Access Programme research grant (AUD 3630), and PhD Research Support Grant from UNSW (AUD 3000). She is passionate about interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research that contributes towards disaster risk reduction and management, bridging engineering, geoscience, and data science to develop practical solutions for natural disaster prediction and management.
