University of Florida Homepage
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Liberal Arts and Sciences Liberal Arts and Sciences

Geography
Make a Gift
Make a Gift

Dr. Jane Southworth – Department Chair

Dr. Jane Southworth

Department Chair and Professor

Co-Chair, AI Across the Curriculum

Research Lab: NASA Lab

jsouthwo@ufl.edu

(352) 294-7512

OrcID: 0000-0002-7246-7879

Curriculum Vita

Educational Background

  • PhD in Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, 2000
  • M.S. in Geography, Specialization in Meteorology & Climatology, 1996
  • B.S. in Geography, Leicester University, 1992

Focus Areas

Jane Southworth is Full Professor and current Department Chair at the University of Florida, Department of Geography. She holds a BSc degree in Geography, from Leicester University in the UK, an MSc in Geography, with a Specialization in Meteorology & Climatology from Indiana University, and a PhD in Environmental Science, also from Indiana University. Professor Southworth’s research interests are based on the study of social-ecological systems within the field of Land Change Science, Geospatial Science and GeoAI. Her particular foci are: remote sensing of vegetation dynamics with a focus on time-series and AI approaches to remotely sensed analyses and linkages with climatic drivers; linking changes in land use and land cover change to their respective drivers with a focus on land change modeling; the implications of scale and scaling in remote sensing and modeling analyses; addressing linkages and drivers of change as they relate to people and parks; and modeling of the impacts of climate change and changing climate variability on human-environment systems and vegetation dynamics. Since her arrival at UF in 2002, Dr. Southworth has been part of over $18 million in funded interdisciplinary research projects, published 2 books, over 95 peer-reviewed journal articles, and has successfully advised 23 PhD and 8 Masters students, with another 7 graduate students currently in progress.

Research Statement

The globe is currently undergoing a range of alarming changes related to social and environmental systems, and the links between the two. Our ability as researchers to study the dynamics of these ongoing processes is essential for real-world understanding and application of management strategies that can mitigate potentially negative outcomes. The scale of change and its associated impact generated by natural and anthropogenic drivers varies across the landscape, such as local degradation of ecosystem services, regional deforestation, large scale urbanization, and widespread yet geographically specific changes yielded by vagaries in climate. Understanding such critical changes is of paramount importance for the future wellbeing of the coupled human-natural systems that we are all a part of and on which we all depend. The tremendous amount of data now available for remote sensing research cannot be efficiently utilized with traditional methodologies of analysis, creating a need for new approaches and techniques. Use of artificial intelligence (AI), specifically related to issues of big data and machine learning, including deep learning, are all possible innovations within this field. As such, we are now on the cusp of being able to effectively investigate some of the most pressing environmental concerns of our time at a temporal scale relevant to climatological, ecological, and social systems. The coming decade will surely present landmark innovations, introduce novel approaches, and yield breakthroughs in understanding our world. Such advances will undoubtedly be facilitated by the enhanced accessibility of remotely sensed datasets with greater temporal range, which will enable more effective monitoring and detection of GEC. Not only is such research of paramount importance, but training this next generation of students and scholars, to make them ready to engage in these arenas, with the real-world skills they need to tackle these problems, is of paramount concern, and one where AI training and understanding is front and center. UF is currently placing itself as a leader with its exciting and transformational concept of AI across the curriculum. What a wonderful time to join the Gator Nation!

-Jane Southworth

Recent Publications [Current – 2020]

Southworth, J., Smith, A., Safaei, M., Rahaman, M., Alruzuq, A., Tefera, B.B., Muir, C.S., and Herrero, H.H. (2024). Machine Learning versus Deep Learning in Land System Science: A Decision-Making Framework for Effective Land Classification. Frontiers in Remote Sensing, 5, 1374862.

Dewald, Julius; Southworth, Jane; Moise, Imelda. (2024) The Role of People, Parks, and Precipitation on the Frequency and Timing of Fires in a Sub-Saharan Savanna Ecosystem. International Journal of Wildland Fire, 33, WF23020. https://doi.org/10.1071/WF23020

Dewald, J.R.; Southworth, J.; Szapocznik, J.; Lombard, J.L.; Brown, S.C. (2024). Greening the Urban Landscape: Assessing the Impact of Tree-Planting Initiatives and Climate Influences on Miami-Dade County’s Greenness. Remote Sens. 2024, 16, 157. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs16010157

2023

Jane Southworth & Kati Migliaccio. (2023) Developing Career-Ready Graduates: The Importance of AI Literacy Across the Curriculum. Media & Learning Newsletter, https://media-and-learning.eu/type/featured-articles/developing-career-ready-graduates-the-importance-of-ai-literacy-across-the-curriculum/

Yang, Di, Chiung-Shiuan Fu, Hannah Victoria Herrero, Jane Southworth, and Michael Binford. (2023). “Linking forest management to surrounding lands: a citizen-based approach towards the regional understanding of land-use transitions.” Frontiers in Remote Sensing 4: 1197523.

ÖZDEŞ, Mehmet, and Jane Southworth. (2023) Land Change Science: Understanding the complexity of monitoring protected areas in savanna ecosystems of Sub-Saharan Africa. Türk Coğrafya Dergisi (82), 63-76. https://doi.org/10.17211/tcd.1211634

Southworth J, Ryan SJ, Herrero HV, Khatami R, Bunting EL, Hassan M, Muir CS and Waylen P (2023), Latitudes and land use: Global biome shifts in vegetation persistence across three decades. Front. Remote Sens. 4:1063188. doi: 10.3389/frsen.2023.106318

Hannah V. Herrero, Jane Southworth, Reza Khatami, Stephanie Insalaco, and Carly Muir. (2023) Examining the relationship between vegetation decline and precipitation in the national parks of the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area during the 21st century. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 11, 335. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2023.1106849

Southworth, J., Migliaccio, K., Glover, J., Glover, J., Reed, D., McCarty, C., Brendemuhl, J., & Thomas, A. (2023). Developing a model for AI Across the Curriculum: Transforming the Higher Education Landscape via Innovation in AI Literacy. Computers & Education: Artificial Intelligence, 4: 100127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2023.100127

2022

Mohammad Mehedy Hassan, Matthew Duveneck, and Jane Southworth. (2022). The role of the refugee crises in driving forest cover change and fragmentation in Teknaf, Bangladesh. Ecological Informatics, 74, 101966 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2022.101966

Julius R. Dewald1, Jane Southworth, Scott C. Brown, Jose Szapocznik. (2022) Comparison of NDVI Values from Multiple Satellite Sensors to Monitor for Public Health in an Urban Sub-tropical Setting. American Journal of Geographic Information System, 11(2): 33-40. DOI: 10.5923/j.ajgis.20221102.01

Mohammad Mehedy Hassan, Ikramul Hassan, Jane Southworth, Tatiana Loboda. (2022). Mapping fire-impacted refugee camps using the integration of field data and remote sensing approaches. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, 115: 103120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2022.103120

Southworth, J., V. Seufert, K. Seto, and D.K. Munroe, (2022). Editorial Introduction: Women in Land Science. Journal of Land Use Science, 17 (1): 1-11.

Tyler Schaper, Reza Khatami, Mohammad Mehedy Hassan, Gregory Glass, Jane Southworth. (2022). Monitoring Major Crop Coverage Change Trends in Agricultural in Florida American Journal of Geographic Information System. 11(1): 23-31. doi:10.5923/j.ajgis.20221101.03

2021

Southworth, Jane and Muir, Carly, (2021). Specialty Grand Challenge: Remote Sensing Time Series Analysis. Frontiers in Remote Sensing, 2, 10.3389/frsen.2021.770431

Xavier Haro-Carrión, Peter Waylen & Jane Southworth. (2021). Spatiotemporal changes in vegetation greenness across continental Ecuador: a Pacific-Andean-Amazonian gradient, 1982–2010, Journal of Land Use Science, 16 (1): 18-33. DOI: 10.1080/1747423X.2020.1866705

Muir, C., Southworth, J., Khatami, R., Herrero, H., and Akyapi, B. (2021). Vegetation Dynamics and Climatological Drivers in Ethiopia at the Turn of the Century. Remote Sensing, 13 (16): 3267, https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13163267

2020

Herrero, Hannah Victoria and Southworth, Jane. (2020). Special Issue on Dynamics of the Global Savanna and Grasslands Biomes. . Applied Sciences. 10 (22), 8043. Editorial. https://doi.org/10.3390/app10228043

Herrero, H. V., Southworth, J., Muir, C., Khatami, R., Bunting, E., and Child, B. (2020). An evaluation of vegetation persistence in and around southern African national parks during the 21st century. Applied Sciences, 10(7), 2366. Special Issue: Dynamics of the Global Savanna and Grasslands Biomes. https://doi.org/10.3390/app10072366

Khatami, R., Southworth, J., Muir, C., Caughlin, T., Ayana, A., Brown, D.G., Liao, C., & Agrawal, A. (2020). Operational large-area land cover mapping: an Ethiopia case study. Remote Sensing, 12, 954.

Hassan, M. M., Ash, K., Abedin, J., Paul, B. K., & Southworth, J. (2020). A Quantitative Framework for Analyzing Spatial Dynamics of Flood Events: A Case Study of Super Cyclone Amphan. Remote Sensing, 12(20), 3454; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12203454

Khatami, R., Southworth, J., Muir, C., Caughlin, T., Ayana, A., Brown, D.G., Liao, C., Agrawal, A. (2020). Operational large-area land-cover mapping: Ethiopia case study. Remote Sensing, 12(6), 954; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12060954

Herrero, H., P. Waylen, J. Southworth, R. Khatami, D. Yang, and B. Child. (2020). A healthy park needs healthy vegetation: The story of Gorongosa National Park in the 21st century. Remote Sensing, 12(3), 476; https://doi.org/10.3390/rs12030476

Current Graduate Students

PhD

Master’s

Postdocs

Recent Graduate Students

PhD

  • Dr. Carly Muir
    • Graduated Spring 2023
    • Researcher, William and Mary
  • Dr. Ryan Good
    • Graduated Spring 2022
    • Lecturer, SNRE, University of Florida
  • Dr. Leandra Merz  (Co-Chair with Dr. Brian Child)
    • Graduated Spring 2022
    • Postdoc at University of Michigan
  • Dr. Mehedy Hassan
    • Graduated Summer 2021
    • Postdoc, University of Florida
  • Dr. Hannah Herrero
    • Graduated Summer 2019
    • Assistant Professor, University of Tennesse
  • Dr. Meshari Alenezi
    • Graduated Summer 2019
    • Assistant Professor, University of Kuwait
  • Dr. Xavier Haro-Carrion
    • Graduated Summer 2019
    • Assistant Professor, Macalester University
  • Dr. Mehmet Ozdes
    • Graduated Spring 2018
    • Assistant Professor, Namik Kemai University, Turkey
  • Dr. Forrest Stevens
    • Graduated December 2015
    • Associate Professor, University of Louisville
  • Dr. Erin Bunting
    • Graduated Summer 2014
    • Assistant Professor and Director of Remote Sensing Institute, Michigan State University
  • Dr. Tim Fullman  (Co-Chair, Dr. Brian Child)
    • Graduated Summer 2014
    • Senior Ecologist, The Wilderness Society
  • Dr. Jessica Steele
    • Graduated Summer 2014
    • Senior Enterprise Fellow, University of Southamptom
  • Dr. Likai Zhu
    • Graduated Summer 2014
    • Associate Professor, Linyi University, China
  • Dr. Jing Sun
    • Graduated Summer 2013
    • Professor, Institute of Agriculture Resource and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
  • Dr. Muhammad Almatar
    • Graduated Fall 2012
    • Associate Professor & Chair, University of Kuwait
  • Dr. HuiPing Tsai
    • Graduated Fall 2012
    • Faculty member, NCH University, Taiwan
  • Dr. Cerian Gibbes
    • Graduated Spring 2011
    • Associate Professor, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
  • Dr. Sanchayeeta Adhikari
    • Graduated Spring 2011
    • Associate Professor, University of California, Northridge
  • Dr. Pinki Mondal
    • Graduated Fall 2010
    • Assistant Professor, University of Delaware
  • Dr. Claudia Stickler
    • Graduated December 2009
    • Scientist, Earth Innovation Institute
  • Dr. Jaclyn Hall
    • Graduated Summer 2009
    • Research Scientist, Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics, University of Florida
  • Dr. Amy Daniels
    • Graduated Summer 2009
    • Research Scientist
  • Dr. Matt Marsik (Co-Chair, Dr. Peter Waylen)
    • Graduated Fall 2008
    • Data Management Analyst, UF Health
  • Dr. Joel Hartter (Co-Chair, Dr. Abe Goldman)
    • Graduated Fall 2007
    • Professor & Director of MENV Program, University of Colorado, Boulder

Masters

  1. Tyler Schaper
    • Graduated Spring 2021
    • Works in Foreign Affairs, US Government
  2. Audrey Smith
    • Graduated Spring 2017
    • Continued on to PhD [see above]
  3. Hannah Herrero
    • Graduated Spring 2015
    • Continued on to PhD [see above]
  4. Mariano Gonzalez
    • Graduated Fall 2009
    • Continued on to PhD at Duke University
    • Country Director, Wildlife Conservation Society, Argentina
  5. Forrest Stevens
    • Graduated Spring 2009
    • Continued to PhD [see above]
  6. Muhammad Almatar
    • Graduated Spring 2008
    • Continued on to PhD [see above]
  7. Cerian Gibbes
    • Graduated Fall 2006
    • Continued on to PhD [see above]
  8. Rob Lopez
    1. Graduated Spring 2006
    2. Geospatial Analyst, US Department of Defense

–top–

,,,,