Dissertation: Knowledge-informed Simulated Annealing for Generating Prescribed Spatial Patterns in Resource Allocation

My research aims to derive analytical understanding of simulated annealing (SA) as a solution to spatial pattern optimization problems and, based on such understanding, to design, implement, and evaluate a new spatial optimization technique called knowledge-informed simulated annealing (KISA).

Dissertation committee:

• Dan Brown (Chair), SEAS (SNRE)
• Joan Nassauer, SEAS (SNRE)
• Scott Campbell, CAUP
• Rick Riolo, CSCS

USDA Forest Service: Developing GIS simulation for integrating landscape ecological knowledge into landscape designs. (Co-PI with Dan Brown, SNRE)

This project uses state-of-the-art GIS simulation techniques and research in landscape ecology and landscape design to develop a landscape simulation software tool landscape architects and urban planners can run on their desktop PC. This tool provides landscape architects and urban planners a platform on which to develop and test ecologically beneficial designs of future developments.