I am interested in hydrology, applications of Bayes’ theorem in machine learning, and global-scale water cycles. The overarching goal of my research is to provide accurate hydrological variables and solve the major challenges related to Earth system science that we will face in the coming decades. My work has practical applications for improving the quantity and quality of satellite- and model-based data to more accurately predict natural disasters and to provide a better understanding of the role played by hydrometeorological factors.
(2022) Ph.D. in Civil Engineering, University of Virginia, VA, USA (NASA and Bicentennial Fellowship)
(2021) M.S. in Data Science, University of Virginia, VA, USA (NASA Fellowship)
(2012) B.S. in Civil Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul, South Korea
(2023 - present) Assistant Professor, School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST)
(2022-2023) Postdoctoral Fellow, USDA, Hydrology and Remote Sensing Laboratory, MD, USA
(2019 - 2023) NASA Future Investigator
(2019) (Summer) Visiting Scholar, NASA, Hydrological Sciences Laboratory, MD, USA
(2018/19) (Summer) Visiting Scholar, USDA, Hydrology and Remote Sensing Laboratory, MD, USA
(Present) Associate Editor, Vadose Zone Journal (link)
(Present) Associate Editor, Frontiers in Remote Sensing (Terrestrial Water Cycle) (link)
Review Panel
(2023) NOAA Climate Variability and Predictability Program
(2023) NASA ROSES A.43/CSDA New Vendor Onramp Evaluation
Reviewer Board
Remote Sensing of Environment
Water Resources Research
IEEE Transactions onGeoscience and Remote Sensing
IEEE Geoscience and RemoteSensing Letters
IEEE Journal of SelectedTopics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing
Geophysical Research Letters
Environmental ResearchLetters
Journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences
Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmosphere
Scientific Report
Journalof Meteorological Research
Remote Sensing Letter
Advances in Space Research
Satellite Navigation
International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation
Journal of Hydrology
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
Radio Science
Theoretical and Applied Climatology
Research Interests
1. Deep learning with satellite data set
2. Climate change
3. Impact of human activities on water source
Publications
[1] S. Kim, H. Nguyen, Y. Kwon, H. Kim*, A Stand-Alone Framework for Predicting Spatiotemporal Errors in Satellite-Based Soil Moisture Using Tree-Based Models and Deep Neural Networks, GIScience & Remote Sensing (under review)
[2] S. Lee, J. Kang, S. Kim, J. Jeong, G. Moon, and H. Noh, "Magnetic-field enhanced modulation transfer spectroscopy: theory and experiment", Opt. Express, 29(21), 34770-34780 (2021).
Conference Papers
[1] S. Kim, H. Kim*, and Yonghwan Kwon, Spatial-temporal continuous error maps for satellite-based soil moisture data using deep learning approach, KWRA, 2024
Research Interests
1. Remote sensing of flood
2. Water resource prediction and management
3. Exploring the impact of urban and transportation system of water disaster
Conference Papers
[1] S. Lee and H. Kim*, Water quality trend analysis using Landsat and Sentinel series based on machine learning/deep learning methods, KWRA, 2024
Research Interests
1. Floods and Droughts Predictions using Machine Learning Approaches
2. Data Error Characterizations
3. Satellite Image Disaggregation with Machine learning
Conference papers
[1] K. Park, S. Do, K. Kim, V. Lakshmi, and H. Kim, Flood Detection in East Asia in the 2023 Monsoon Season with Satellite-based Earth Observations, AGU Fall Meeting 2023, San Fransisco, USA
Research Interests
1. Analyzing the relationship between wildfires and water cycle
2. Wildfire Detection and Burn Severity mapping
3. Predicting natural disasters with Machine learning
Experiences
[1] (Jun 2022 - May 2024) Korea Aerospace Research Institute, Department of Satellite Operation, Jeju Island, Republic of Korea
[2] (Oct 2024 - Mar 2022) Asian Disaster Preparedness Center, Bangkok, Thailand
[3] (Nov 2018 - Feb 2019) Space Science Laboratory on Campus, Yongin, Republic of Korea
Conference Papers
[1] [-]
Research Interests
1. Use of remote sensing for drought monitoring.
2. Agricultural drought monitoring using satellite-based indices particularly focused on soil moisture (SM) and vegetation health (VH).
3. Drought trends and characteristics.
Awards
[1] Asia Oceania Geosciences Society (AOGS) 2024 Best Student Poster Award winner
Conference Papers
[1] A. Bolatbekkyzy and H. Kim*, Comparative Analysis of the 2021-2022 Droughts in Kazakhstan, South Korea, and the USA using Remote Sensing and Reanalysis Data, 2024 Asia Oceania Geosciences Society (AOGS)
• Currently participating in a summer program at UC Berkeley (June 2024 - Aug 2024)
Research Interests
1. NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) and VHI (Vegetation Health Index)
2. Monitoring cacao tree health change caused by the climate change
3. Statistics and trend analysis method
Conference Papers
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Research Interests
1. L-band microwave systems
2. Analysis of marine ecosystems using satellite data
3. Mathematical modeling of ecosystems
4. Regression analysis of ecological data
5. CanSat
Conference Papers
-
Research Interests
1. Digital Twin Earth
2. Long short-term memory networks for prediction of ungauged basins
3. Climate Change
Holding a Ph.D. degree with a +8-year Research and Development (R&D) experience in academia and industry for hydrometeorology and climate sectors, focusing on applications of AI and high-quality geospatial remote sensing data specialized for these sectors.
Research Interests
[1] AI for 3H Improvement of Satellite-based Hydro-climatic Data XAI for Coupled Hydro-climatic Variables & Interactions from Space
• AI-based Error Characterization and Correction of Multi-Satellite Data (High-Accuracy)
• AI-based Spatio-Temporal Downscaling of Coarse Satellite Data (High-Resolution)
• AI-based Long-Term Fusion of Global Multi-Satellite Data (High-Coverage)
[2] XAI for Coupled Hydro-climatic Variables & Interactions from Space
• Explainable AI (XAI) for Statistical Land-Atmosphere Coupling Metrics from 3H Satellite Data
• Satellite-based Land-Atmosphere Coupling and Ocean Teleconnection Explained with XAI
• Satellite-based Greenhouse Gas Emissions (XCO2, XCH4) Retrieval using AI
[3] XAI for Improvement of Hydro-climatic Extremes & Hazards Predictability
• XAI-enhanced Short-Term Predictability of Hydro-climatic Extremes (Flash Drought/Flood)
• Air Quality Monitoring & Dust Storm Forecasting from Space with XAI
• XAI-assisted Geo-Health Risk Forecasting under Weather/Climate Extremes
(2020) Ph.D. in Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Republic of Korea
(2014) B.Sc. in Civil Engineering, Water Resources University (ThuyLoi University), Vietnam
(Sept. 2021 - Jan. 2024) Senior Researcher, Sejong Rain Co., Ltd.
(Mar. 2020 - Aug. 2021) Postdoctoral Researcher, Sungkyunkwan University, Republic of Korea
Projects joined:
• Consultation for Improvement of Water Resources Management in Uzbekistan using Satellites System (International Cooperation between KARI and Uzbekistan government)
• Development of IoT Smart Rain Gauge System with AI-based Automated Quality Control
• Development of Integrated Satellite Rainfall Estimation System
• AI-based Real-time Monitoring and Early Warning System of Harmful Algal Blooms using Multispectral Satellite Images in Small Inland Waters
• 7th Mekong-Republic of Korea Cooperation Fund (MKCF) Project Proposal (Design of Low-Cost Smart Agriculture System Adapting to Mekong River Countries)
I hold a Ph.D. degree in Geophysical Exploration with aspecialization in natural hazards and disaster risk management. My researchfocuses on leveraging AI-based approaches and analyzing remote sensing data toaddress global-scale environmental challenges such as floods, landslides, landsubsidence, drought, and wildfires.
ResearchInterests
[1] Natural Hazard Monitoring and AI-Based Risk Assessment
• Utilizing AI models to assess and predict risks from naturalhazards, enhancing early warning systems and disaster preparedness.
[2] Development of Machine and Deep Learning Models for DisasterPrediction
• Developing and optimizing GIS-based machine and deep learningalgorithms to improve the accuracy and efficiency of multi-hazardsusceptibility mapping and environmental risk analysis.
[3] Analyzing Big Data and Remote Sensing Images
• Leveraging large-scale geospatial datasets and remote sensing informationto analyze environmental changes and their impacts on disaster risks, focusingon climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies.
(2024) Ph.D. in Geophysical Exploration, University of Science andTechnology (UST), Republic of Korea
(Sep 2020-Feb 2024) Researcher at Korea Institute of Geoscience andMineral Resources (KIGAM), focusing on natural hazard management and disasterrisk reduction.
(Sep 2023-Feb 2024) Researcher at University of Hawaiʻi, developingAI-based tools for wildfire risk analysis and management.
Analyzing remote sensing images to detect natural hazardoccurrences and assess disaster risk.
Research Interests:
Publications:
• Bakar S., Kim, H., Basara, J., Lakshmi, V. “Observational Analysis of Streamflow Response to Flash Drought Events in the Mississippi River Basin” Submitted to Weather and Climate Extremes (September 2024) (in revision)
• Bakar S., Kim, H., Basara, J., Lakshmi, V. “Investigating the vulnerability and resilience of different land cover types to flash drought: A case study in the Mississippi River Basin” Submitted to Journal of Environmental Management (September 2024) (in revision).
• Bakar, S., Kahler, D., Lakshmi, V. “Assessment of groundwater resources in the Sand River catchment, South Africa using hydrological modeling and catchment water balance approaches” Submitted to Journal of Environmental Management. (July 2024) (under review)
Kim KY, Scanlon T, Bakar S, Lakshmi V. Decoupling of Ecological and Hydrological Drought Conditions in the Limpopo River Basin Inferred from Groundwater Storage and NDVI Anomalies. Hydrology. 2023; 10(8):170. https://doi.org/10.3390/hydrology10080170
(2021 - current) Ph.D. Candidate, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Universit of Virginia
Hometown:
Roanoke, Virginia, USA
If you have a keen interest in the intersection of climate change and its impact on hydrological research fields, I encourage you to consider pursuing a Master's, PhD, or postdoctoral position. By delving deeper into this critical area of study, you can play an essential role in addressing the world's most pressing environmental challenges and help safeguard our water resources, ecosystems, and communities. Your dedication and expertise can significantly contribute to the development of sustainable solutions and innovative approaches to hydrological research. Embark on this exciting journey and become part of the passionate community of scientists working towards a more resilient and environmentally responsible future.
