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Mirza Waleed

VISITING RESEARCHERS

Visiting PhD Student, Geography (Sep 2024 - Feb 2024)

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Biography

Waleed is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Geography at Hong Kong Baptist University, specializing in geospatial data analytics, cloud computing (Google Earth Engine), and AI-driven models (ML/DL) for disaster risk management, with a particular focus on flood hazards. He is also a Google Developer Expert (GDE) in Google Earth Engine and is currently a visiting research scholar at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). His research aims to analyze climate-driven environmental challenges, such as flooding and urban heat stress, using cutting-edge Geo-AI modeling techniques. He focuses on scaling geospatial models through cloud computing platforms (Google Earth Engine) and high-performance computing (Shaheen 3 Supercomputer) to enhance global-scale disaster risk assessment and mitigation.


 

Research Interests

Waleed’s research focuses on leveraging geospatial data science, cloud computing, and machine learning to tackle critical environmental and disaster management challenges, with a primary emphasis on flood risk assessment and mitigation. His work integrates multispectral and SAR remote sensing data with open-source tools and Google Earth Engine to develop scalable, automated workflows for environmental monitoring and hazard modeling. His Ph.D. research advances flood susceptibility and exposure analysis by integrating big data and Geo-AI approaches, optimizing cloud-based platforms for real-time, high-resolution flood mapping. Additionally, his research extends to urban environmental dynamics, land cover change impacts, and climate resilience, providing insights into the complex interactions between human and natural systems under increasing climatic stressors


Selected Publications

  • Waleed, M., & Sajjad, M. (2025). Advancing flood susceptibility prediction: A comparative assessment and scalability analysis of machine learning algorithms via artificial intelligence in high‐risk regions of Pakistan. Journal of Flood Risk Management, 18(1), e13047.
  • Waleed, M., Sajjad, M., & Shazil, M. S. (2024). Urbanization-led land cover change impacts terrestrial carbon storage capacity: a high-resolution remote sensing-based nation-wide assessment in Pakistan (1990–2020). Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 105, 107396.

Education

  • PhD in Geography, Hong Kong Baptist University (2022–2026)
  • BS in Environmental Sciences, 2021, COMSATS University Islamabad, Pakistan.

Professional Profile

 

Awards

  • Selected as Google Developer Expert (GDE) by Google in the Google Earth Engine category (2025)

  • Selected as Google Developer Expert (GDE) by Google in the Google Earth Engine category (2024)

  • Appointed as RPg Student Representative for Faculty of ARTS and SOSC at HKBU-HK (2023)

  • 2nd runner-up in Oral Poster Presentation, Hong Kong Geography Day (2022)

  • Top 5% Student Honor, COMSATS University Islamabad, Pakistan (2020)

KAUST Affiliations

  • Climate and Livability Initiatives
  • Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering
  • Urban Lab

Non-KAUST Affiliations

  • Department of Geography, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong
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