Current MA and PhD Students

The following are select graduate degree candidates.

PhD, Dylan Beatty, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Dylan Beatty

Email: beattyd@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD

Research Interests: Political Geography, the Philippines, China, Maritime Southeast Asia, South China Sea, Geopolitics of Fishing, Critical Cartographic Studies, Territoriality of Ocean-space, Colonial Samoa

Advisor: Reece Jones

Aron Boettcher, Graduate Student, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Aron Boettcher

Email: aronab@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD

Research Interests: Forests, Carbon, Biomass, Lidar, Imagery, Satellite, Photosynthesis, Machine Learning

Advisor: Qi Chen

PhD, Will Cecil, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Will Cecil

Email: wececil@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD

Research Interests: Marine Conservation, Protected Areas Management, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Environmental Policy

Advisor: Brian Szuster

Shannon Chambers, Graduate Student, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Shannon Chambers

Email: smchamb@hawaii.edu

Program: MA

Research Interests: Human-Environment Relations, Political Ecology, Agriculture, Food Security, Sustainability, Indonesia

Advisor: Krisna Suryanata

Grace Chun, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Grace Chun

Email: gychun@hawaii.edu

Program: MA

Research Interests: Migration, Spaces of Sanctuary, Citizenship, Transnationalism

Advisor: Reece Jones

MA, Richard Frost, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Richard Frost

Email: rfrost@hawaii.edu

Program: MA

Research Interests: Remote Sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Emergency Management

Advisor: Qi Chen

PhD, Gollan Geronimo, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Rollan C. Geronimo

Email: rollan@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD

Research Interests: Ecosystem Approaches to Fisheries Management, Climate and Ocean Change Impacts on Marine Resources, GIS, Remote Sensing, Data Visualization, Spatial Pattern Analyses

Advisor: Camilo Mora

Jocelyn Grandinetti, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Jocelyn Grandinetti

Email: jwgrand3@hawaii.edu

Program: MA

Research Interests: Biocultural Restoration, Political Economy, Community-Based Resource Management, Indigenous Knowledge Systems, Human-Environment Relationships, Socioecological Systems

Advisor: Krisna Suryanata

Michelle Harangody, Graduate Student, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Michelle Harangody

Email: msharan@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD

Research Interests: Political Ecology, STS, Marine Policy and Conservation, Corals, Tourism, Thailand, Hawaiʻi

Advisor: Mary Mostafanezhad

Meagan Harden, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Meagan Harden

Email: mharden@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD

Research Interests: Feminist Geopolitics, Critical Border Studies, Migration and Mobility, Imperialism, Gender and Embodiment

Advisor: Reece Jones

PhD, Hunter Heaivilin, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Hunter Heaivilin

Email: huntersh@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD

Research Interests: Political Ecology, Agro-food Systems, Land Use Change and Planning, Climate Change, Pacific Islands

Advisor: Krisna Suryanata

Sasha Helfner, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Sasha Helfner

Email: helfner@hawaii.edu

Program: MA

Research Interests: Water Access, Protection, & Conservation, Medical Geography, Climate Change, Environmental Justice, Cesspools in HI

Advisor: Krisna Suryanata

Tatsuki Kohatsu, MA, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Tatsuki Kohatsu

Email: kohatsut@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD

Research Interests: Cultural Geography, Critical Tourism Studies, Militarization, Discourse and Practice of Development, the Pacific Islands, Okinawa

Advisor: Mary Mostafanezhad

PhD, Dalilah Laidin, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Dalilah Laidin

Email: dalilahn@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD

Research Interests: Cultural Geography, Heritage Landscapes, Critical Tourism Studies, Southeast Asia

Advisor: Krisna Suryanata

PhD, Keolohilani Lopes, Jr, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Keolohilani Lopes, Jr

Email: khlopes@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD

Research Interests: Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, Remote Sensing, UAS, Marine Ecology, Spatial Statistics, Mesophotic Coral Reef Ecosystems

Advisor: Qi Chen

PhD, Borjana Lubura-Winchester, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Borjana Lubura

Email: borjana@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD

Research Interests: Geopolitics, Borders, Sovereignty, Humanitarian Intervention,The European/Balkan Refugee/Migration Crisis, Human Trafficking/Human Rights, Area: Serbia, Croatia, Hungary, Bulgaria

Advisor: Reece Jones

Amiti Maloy, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Amiti Maloy

Email: amiti@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD

Research Interests: Blue Economy, Tourism, Feminist Geographies, Ocean and Coastal Studies, Geopolitics, Political Ecology, Marine Conservation, Social Change

Advisor: Marina Karides

PhD, Gina McGuire, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Gina McGuire

Email: mcguire2@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD

Research Interests: Geospatial Analysis, Narrative Research, Marine Ecosystems, Indigenous Methodologies, Cultural Geography of Rural Areas, Oceania: Hawai’i, Australia & Atoll Ecosystems

Advisor: Lisa Kelley

Olivia Meyer, Graduate Student, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Olivia Meyer

Email: oliviacm@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD

Research Interests: Political Ecology, Feminist Geographies, Southeast Asia, Plastic Waste, Climate Justice, Feminist Theory, Social Movements, Thailand

Advisor: Mary Mostafanezhad

MA, Heidi Needham, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Heidi Needham

Email: hneedham@hawaii.edu

Program: MA

Research Interests: Ecological Climatology, Climate Change, Climate Models, Natural Resource Management, Science Education, Outreach Activities with Underrepresented Groups

Advisor: Tom Giambelluca

PhD, Christopher OʻNeal, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Christopher O'Neal

Email: coneal@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD

Research Interests: Cultural Geography, Place-based Identity, Japanese and East Asian Regional Geography, Living Systems and Systems Analysis, Political Economy, Peace and Conflict

Advisor: Hong Jiang

PhD, Joan Pan, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Joan Pan

Email: jpan@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD

Research Interests: Cultural Geography, Tea, Health, Well-Being, Social Media

Advisor: Hong Jiang

PhD, Foley Pfalzgraf, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Foley Pfalzgraf

Email: foleycp@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD

Research Interests: Cultural and Political Ecology, Feminist Geography, Resilience and Adaptation, Traditional Knowledge and Climate Change, South Pacific, Vanuatu

Advisor: Mary Mostafanezhad

MA, Liat Portner, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Liat Portner

Email: lportner@hawaii.edu

Program: MA

Research Interests: Ecohydrology, Land Use Changes, Restoration Ecology, Ecosystem Services, Science Communication and Education

Advisor: Tom Giambelluca

LiEllen Rhame, Graduate Student, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

LiEllen Rhame

Email: lrhame@hawaii.edu

Program: MA

Research Interests: Human and Nonhuman Animal Interaction, China, Cultural Geography, Terror Management Theory, Environment

Advisor: Hong Jiang

Kristen Sanfilippor, Graduate Student, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Kristen Sanfilippo

Email: ksanfili@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD

Research Interests: Climate Change, Climate Modeling, Statistical Downscaling, Rainfall, Hawaiʻi Climate

Advisor: Tom Giambelluca

MA, Edward Serrano, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Edward Serrano

Email: eos@hawaii.edu

Program: MA

Research Interests: Environmental Mapping (trees and mountains), Remote Sensing for City Analysis, Historical Geography, Geoarchaeology

Advisor: Qi Chen

Renee Setter, Graduate Student, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Renee Setter

Email: rsetter@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD

Research Interests: Marine Ecology, Climate Change, GIS, Remote Sensing, Big Data Analysis

Advisor: Camilo Mora

PhD, Desiree Simandjuntak, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Desiree L. Simandjuntak

Email: dlsim@hawaii.edu

Research Interests: Political Ecology, Marine Policy, Fishery, Conservation and Ecology, Resource Management, Poverty and Development

Advisor: Krisna Suryanata

PhD, Yuko Stender, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Yuko Stender

Email: ystender@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD

Research Interests: Responses of Coral Communities to Human-Induced Environmental Changes, Coral Reef Recovery from Impacts of Land-Derived Material, Landscape Ecology, Spatial Statistics, GIS

Advisor: Ross Sutherland

PhD, Henryk Szadziewski, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Henryk Szadziewski

Email: henryksz@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD

Research Interests: Political Geography, Economic Marginalization, Geoeconomics, Globalization, Academic Freedom, Sport and Identity, Oceania, China, Uyghurs, Overseas Chinese

Advisor: Mary Mostafanezhad

PhD, Katie Taladay, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Katie Taladay

Email: taladay@hawaii.edu · Taladay on ResearchGate

Program: PhD

Research Interests: Remote Sensing, Coastal Ecosystems, Benthic Habitat Mapping, Carbon Cycling, UAS Technologies, Participatory Science

Advisor: Qi Chen

PhD, Han Tseng, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Han Tseng

Email: tsenghan@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD

Research Interests: Ecohydrology, Forest Environment and Ecology, Watershed Hydrology, Cloud Forest (TMCF), Tropical Ecosystems, Climate Change and Land Cover Change

Advisor: Tom Giambelluca

Hannah von Hammerstein, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Hannah von Hammerstein

Email: hfvh@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD

Research Interests: Coastal & Marine Ecosystems, Effects of Climate Change on Organisms, Climate-driven Species Range Shifts and Their Ecological & Societal Consequences, Eastern Tropical Pacific

Advisor: Camilo Mora

Kira Webster, MA, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Kira Webster

Email: kiramw@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD

Research Interests: Climate Change Effects, Native Hawaiian Plant Populations, Reforestation, Island Biodiversity Conservation

Advisor: Camilo Mora

PhD, Laura Williams, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Laura Williams

Email: lauralw@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD

Research Interests: Political Ecology, Tourism, Popular Geopolitics, Cultural Studies, Nature and Society, Agro-Food Initiatives

Advisor: Mary Mostafanezhad

PhD, Kawēlau (Michelle) Wright, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Kawēlau (Michelle) Wright

Email: kawelau.wright@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD

Research Interests: Hawaiʻi, Pacific Islands, Oceania, Political Geography, Political Ecology, Indigenous Geographies, Imperialism

Advisor: Reece Jones

PhD, Qian Zhang, Department of Geography, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Qian Zhang

Email: qzhang7@hawaii.edu

Program: PhD

Research Interests: Remote Sensing Technologies, Geographical Information System (GIS), Carbon Sequestration and Carbon Cycle, Forest Biomass

Advisor: Qi Chen