Faculty & Staff

Dena Aufseeser, a person with dark hair pulled back sits indoors against a light-colored wall, wearing a dark top and looking toward the camera

Dena Aufseeser

Ph.D., Associate Professor, GES Undergraduate Program Director

Research Interests: Critical Poverty Studies, Urban Geography, International Development, Children’s Geographies and Children’s Rights

Matthew E Baker, a person with short dark hair wearing a dark blue collared shirt, standing outdoors in soft natural light with a blurred background of greenery and a brick wall

Matthew E. Baker

Ph.D., Professor

Research Interests: Watershed/Riparian Ecology, Landscape Ecology, Hydrology and Fluvial Geomorphology, Urban Forestry, GIS and Remote Sensing

Dawn Biehler, with straight, shoulder-length light brown hair stands outdoors in front of a blurred green background, wearing a red top, a teal cardigan, a floral-patterned necklace, and small hoop earrings

Dawn Biehler

Ph.D., Associate Professor

Research Interests: Urban and Feminist Political Ecology, Urban Environmental History, Environmental Justice, Urban Green Space, Housing Justice, Human-animal Relationships, Health Geography, Climate Change

Suzanne Braunschweig, a person with light-colored hair, glasses, a green top, and a multicolored scarf stands indoors against a softly blurred, warm-toned background, looking toward the camera

Suzanne Braunschweig

Ph.D., Principal Lecturer, Associate GES Department Chairperson

Research Interests: Science Education, Plant Physiological Ecology, Shale Barren Endemic Plant Species, Long-Term Forest Community Dynamics

Sophie Comer-Warner, a person with short, curly hair on one side and shaved hair on the other wears a patterned shirt with swirling blue, pink, and white designs, standing indoors against a softly blurred background

Sophie Comer-Warner

Ph.D., Assistant Professor

Research Interests: Aquatic Biogeochemistry, Rivers/Estuaries, Coastal Wetlands, Environmental Pollution (Legacy and
Emerging Contaminants), Global Environmental Change


Mia Karisa Dawson

Ph.D., Postdoc

Research Interests: Urban Geography, Race, Housing, Policing and Incarceration, Violence Prevention, Environmental Justice, Social Movements

Erle C. Ellis, a person with short hair, a trimmed beard, and round eyeglasses wears a blue shirt and sits against a plain light gray background, looking toward the camera

Erle C. Ellis

Ph.D., Professor

Research Interests: Global Ecology, Landscape Ecology, Biogeochemistry, Land-Use Change and Sustainable Land Management

Matthew Fagan, a person with short gray hair wearing a gray collared shirt sits indoors against warm wooden paneling, looking toward the camera

Matthew E. Fagan

Ph.D., Associate Professor

Research Interests: Causes and Consequences of Habitat Fragmentation, Landscape Ecology, Remote Sensing and GIS, Conservation Biology, and Sustainable Land-Use

Jeffrey B. Halverson wearing academic regalia—including a black velvet doctoral tam, a dark gown with blue accents, and a gold hood—stands in front of a blurred banner with university colors, looking toward the camera

Jeffrey B. Halverson

Ph.D., Professor, Associate Dean of Graduate School

Research Interests: Severe Storms, Meteorology & Climatology of the Mid-Atlantic Region

Margaret Buck Holland, smiling and wearing a black blouse and green necklace, pictured in front of a mosaic

Margaret B Holland

Ph.D., Associate Professor, GES Department Chair

Research Interests: Land tenure security & land relations; Forest conservation & governance; Community livelihood strategies; Climate change policy implementation

Charles Ichoku, a person wearing glasses, a dark suit jacket, a white dress shirt, and a striped tie stands in front of a metallic indoor background, looking directly at the camera

Charles Ichoku

Ph.D., Professor, Director of GESTAR II

Research Interests: Earth Observation and Climatology, Wildfires and Emissions, Atmospheric Composition and Radiation, African Environment and Water Cycle

Charles Kaylor, smiling and wearing a dark blue shirt, pictured in front of a dark grey background

Charles Kaylor

M.S., Lecturer & Director of GIS and Cartography Labs

Ellen Kohl, smiling and wearing a grey shirt with a dark teal jacket, with a foggy cityscape in the background

Ellen Kohl

Ph.D., Assistant Professor

Research Interests: Environmental Justice, Environmental Governance, Intersectional Geographies, Science-Policy Interface

David Lansing wearing a light blue dress shirt and a gray textured blazer stands outdoors with trees and a building in the sunlit background, looking toward the camera

David Lansing

Ph.D., Associate Professor

Research Interests: Environmental Governance, Economic Geography, Political Ecology, Agriculture, Ecosystem Services

Dillon Mahmoudi, a person with short light brown hair and a trimmed beard faces slightly left, wearing a black shirt, standing against a textured concrete wall with a visible vertical cable

Dillon Mahmoudi

Ph.D., GES & GIS Graduate Program Director, Associate Professor

Research Interests: Economic Geography, Critical GIS and Counter-Mapping, Urban Studies, Labor Markets, Digital Geography

Michele Masucci, smiling, wearing glasses and a black coat with white, vertical stripes, pictured in front of a blurred background of trees

Michele Masucci

Ph.D., University System of Maryland Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development

Nancy McAllister, smiling, wearing glasses along with a blue blazer, an orange collared shirt, and a flowery ascot, pictured in front of a brick wall

Nancy McAllister

M.S., Lecturer

Research Interests: Avian Conservation, Community-based Watershed Restoration, Science Education

Andrew J. Miller, a person with short light brown hair and a trimmed beard kneels inside a large concrete tunnel, wearing a light-colored shirt over a T‑shirt with an Earth graphic, blue jeans, and green rubber boots, with daylight illuminating the tunnel entrance behind them.

Andrew J. Miller

Ph.D., Professor

Research Interests: Hydrology, Geomorphology, Water Resources, Urban Environment

Colin Studds, a close-up portrait of a person with short hair outdoors, with a bright, light-colored background behind them, showing their face and upper shoulders

Colin Studds

Ph.D., Associate Professor

Research Interests: Animal Migration, Biogeography, Population Ecology, Quantitative Ecology

Christopher Swan, smiling and wearing a red-and-blue checkered, collared shirt standing in front of some trees

Christopher Swan

Ph.D., Professor

Research Interests: Stream Ecology, Benthic Macroinvertebrates, Consumer-Resource Dynamics, Food Webs

Yolanda Valencia, a person with long dark hair wearing a dark coat and a blue‑green multicolored scarf stands outdoors on a pathway lined with buildings and trees, with the background softly blurred

Yolanda Valencia

Ph.D., Assistant Professor

Research Interests: Geographies of Latinx Migration, Critical Geographies of Race, Latinx Feminist Methods and Theory

Ron Wilson, pictured with a neutral expression, wearing a white collared shirt and black blazer, standing in front of a blurred building

Ron Wilson

M.S., GIS Associate Graduate Program Director

J. Alan Yeakley, smiling and wearing a yellow, checker-patterned collard shirt

Alan Yeakley

Ph.D., Professor, Associate Dean – CAHSS

Research Interests: Ecosystem Ecology, Watershed Hydrology, with emphases on Urban Ecology and Riparian Ecosystems

Administrative Staff

Donna Dwayer

Administrative Assistant II
Office: 211 Sondheim Bldg.
410-455-2002
ddwayer@umbc.edu

Hasnain Ali

Program Mgmt. Specialist
Office: 211 Sondheim Bldg.
410-455-2002
hali6@umbc.edu

Emeritus and Retired Faculty and Staff

Sari J. Bennett, smiling and wearing a black shirt, with a bright blue background

Sari J. Bennett

Ph.D.

Research Interests: Economic Geography, Geographic Education

Roger Dubois, wearing a cream-colored collared shirt and red, striped tie, standing towards the camera with an arm pointing behind towards a chalkboard

In Memoriam:

Roger Dubois

Ph.D.

Research Interests: Geomorphology, Coastal Morphology, Fluvial Morphology
Remembering Dr. Roger Dubois

Robert Earickson, wearing glasses and a blue and white shirt, smiling and standing in front of a city skyline at sunset

Robert Earickson
Ph.D.
Research Interests: Urban Geography, Geography of Disease, Health Care

Keith Harries, smiling and wearing a power-blue collared shirt, in front of an off-white background

Keith Harries

Ph.D.

Research Interests: Geographical Aspects of Social Issues, Geography of Crime

Sandy Parker, pictured with a subtle smile and wearing a brown coat, with a light blue background

Sandy Parker

Ph.D.

Research Interests: Environmental Conservation, Public Lands, Amazonia

Thomas D. Rabenhorst, smiling and wearing a black shirt, pictured with a light blue background

In Memoriam:

Thomas D. Rabenhorst

M.A.

Research Interest: Cartography

Joseph School, a person with short brown hair, glasses, and a mustache sits in an office setting, wearing a green collared shirt, with a filing cabinet and papers visible in the background

Joseph School

M.A., Professional Staff Emeritus
Former Director of Cartographic Services Laboratory

Research Interest: Production Cartography

Robin Schmidbauer Heckathorn, smiling and wearing a black shirt, with a light blue background behind her

Robin Schmidbauer Heckathorn

Office Supervisor, Retired