Pankaj Kanti Jodder

Pankaj Kanti Jodder

PhD Student

Urban and Regional Systems Analysis Lab (URSAL) McEniry 443

Advisor’s Name: Dr. Jean-Claude Thill

RESEARCH AREAS

GIScience | GeoAI & Spatial Data Science | Remote Sensing & Earth Observation | Urban & Regional Analytics | Urban Morphology & Land-Use Change | Spatial Statistics & Predictive Modeling | Environmental & Climate Risk | Sustainable Urban Systems

Pankaj Kanti Jodder is a Ph.D. candidate in Geography at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he works with Dr. Jean-Claude Thill. His research focuses on GIScience, GeoAI, spatial data science, and urban and environmental systems, with particular interest in how the physical structure of cities shapes environmental and socioeconomic patterns. His doctoral research examines three-dimensional urban morphology, metropolitan structure, environmental variation, and future urban development using geospatial analysis, spatial statistics, remote sensing, machine learning, and simulation. His broader work integrates large-scale geospatial and Earth-observation data to investigate urban change, accessibility, land-use dynamics, and environmental risk. Before joining UNC Charlotte, he worked as an urban planner and GIS analyst in Bangladesh. His research aims to develop data-driven approaches that improve understanding of complex urban systems and inform more effective planning and decision-making.

PUBLICATIONS

Manuscripts In Progress

  1. Jodder, P. K., Iddrisu, Z., & Thill, J.-C. From Global Association to Local Inequality: Urban Vegetation and Socioeconomic Patterns Across Space and Time in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. Manuscript under review at Sustainable Cities and Society.
  2. Jodder, P. K., Thill, J.-C., & Jung, P. H. Healthcare Accessibility, Transportation Networks, and Socioeconomic Disparities in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. Manuscript in preparation.

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

  1. Miah, M. T., Fariha, J. N., Jodder, P. K., Hasan, M. R., Hossain, M. Z., & Rahaman, K. R. (2026). Remote sensing-based spatiotemporal modeling of land use land cover changes and associated risks in coastal ecosystems: Stochastic approach to sustainable and climate-resilient urban development. Journal of Urban Planning and Development, 152(2), 04026025.
  1. Jodder, P. K., Hossain, M. Z., & Thill, J.-C. (2025). Urban livability in a rapidly urbanizing mid-size city: Lessons for planning in the Global South. Sustainability, 17(4), 1504.
  1. Miah, M. T., Fariha, J. N., Al Kafy, A., Mukarram, M. M. T., Altuwaijri, H. A., Jodder, P. K., Biswas, N., Michel, O. O., & Hasan, M. M. (2025). Geostatistical assessment of spatial climate dynamics using mono window machine learning algorithm for decoding land cover and demographic shifts influence on thermal environment. Theoretical and Applied Climatology, 156(10), 544.
  1. Miah, M. T., Raiyan, R., Mishu, R. A., Hasan, M. R., Islam, R., Jodder, P. K., & Rahaman, K. R. (2025). Decoding climatic variability and ecosystem impact: Integrating satellite-derived data and geospatial techniques for holistic air quality assessment in Nova Scotia. Theoretical and Applied Climatology, 156(10), 523.
  1. Altuwaijri, H. A., Al Kafy, A., Rahaman, Z. A., Miah, M. T., Raiyan, R., Nath, H., & Jodder, P. K. (2025). Predicting spatiotemporal dynamics of land use influenced thermal patterns using remote sensing-based machine learning algorithms. Rangeland Ecology & Management, 103, 8-27.
  1. Miah, T., Fariha, J. N., Jodder, P. K., Raiyan, R., Limon, Z. A., Usha, S. A., Hossain, Z., & Rahaman, K. R. (2025). Unravelling the spatio-temporal relationship between land use and land surface temperature through longitudinal geospatial modelling in South-Eastern Bangladesh. Earth Systems and Environment, 9(4), 3447-3478.
  1. Miah, M. T., Hasan, M. R., Fariha, J. N., Tammi, J. J., Raiyan, R., Jodder, P. K., Mishu, R. A., Usha, S. A., Hossain, M. Z., & Rahaman, K. R. (2025). Modelling cyclone-induced flood impact assessment and quantifying the effect on biophysical dynamics employing geospatial techniques in South-West of Bangladesh. Natural Hazards, 121(10), 11731-11771.
  1. Miah, M. T., Raiyan, R., Hasan, M. R., Limon, Z. A., Sarkar, B., Fariha, J. N., Jodder, P. K., & Rahaman, K. R. (2025). Unravelling the ecological disparities observed after the Hurricanes Milton and Helene in Florida employing remote sensing and geospatial techniques.
  1. Ovi, R. P., Rana, M. S., Jodder, P. K., & Sarkar, B. (2024). Performance evaluation of e-service delivery of union digital centers at the local level using composite indexing method: A study of Batiaghata Upazilla in Khulna district. Information Development, 40(4), 620-634.
  1. Miah, M. T., Fariha, J. N., Jodder, P. K., Al Kafy, A., Raiyan, R., Usha, S. A., Hossan, J., & Rahaman, K. R. (2024). Urban heat island and environmental degradation analysis utilizing a remote sensing technique in rapidly urbanizing South Asian cities. World, 5(4), 1023-1053.
  1. Salim, M. Z., Al Kafy, A., Altuwaijri, H. A., Miah, M. T., Jodder, P. K., & Rahaman, Z. A. (2024). Quantitative assessment of Hurricane Ian’s damage on urban vegetation dynamics utilizing Landsat 9 in Fort Myers, Florida. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts A/B/C, 136, 103750.
  1. Jodder, P. K., Leya, R. S., Rahaman, K. R., Kafy, A.-A., Rahaman, Z. A., & Almulhim, A. I. (2023). Modeling the impacts of residential, commercial, and industrial land use on carbon footprints using kernel density function in an urban setting. Earth Systems and Environment, 7(1), 237-254.
  1. Leya, R. S., Jodder, P. K., Rahaman, K. R., Chowdhury, M. A., Parida, D., & Islam, M. S. (2022). Spatial variations of urban heat island development in Khulna City, Bangladesh: Implications for urban planning and development. Earth Systems and Environment, 6(4), 865-884.
  1. Jodder, P. K., Leya, R. S., Rana, M. S., & Sarkar, B. (2022). Generation and characteristics of household solid waste in Khulna City, Bangladesh. Khulna University Studies, 105-115.
  1. Jodder, P. K., & Leya, R. S. (2021). Estimation of carbon storage capacity of different wards through major carbon absorbing sinks using remote sensing and GIS techniques: A case study on Khulna City, Bangladesh. Plan Plus, 11(1), 41-58.
  1. Jodder, P. K., Kabir, N. E., Bashit, S., & Islam, M. (2020). Proposing major BRT routes for Rajshahi city towards increasing public transport demand and alleviation of congestion level to achieve a sustainable urban public transport system. American Journal of Engineering and Technology Management, 5(4), 61.

Peer-Reviewed Book Chapters 

  1. Bhardwaj, L. K., Upadhyay, D., Rath, P., Rahman, F., Jodder, P. K., Thakur, S., & Purohit, S. (2025). Envisioning tomorrow: Exploring the future of smart wastewater systems. In M. Choudhury, S. Majumdar, S. Goswami, & M. Sillanpää (Eds.), Smart wastewater systems and climate change: Innovations through spatial intelligence (pp. 272–283). Royal Society of Chemistry. doi:10.1039/9781837676880-00272.
  1. Agarwal, S., Darbar, S., Deb, T., Jodder, P. K., Sajid, M., & Adhikari, A. (2025). Resilience under pressure: Challenges in adapting wastewater systems to climate change. In M. Choudhury, S. Majumdar, S. Goswami, & M. Sillanpää (Eds.), Smart wastewater systems and climate change: Innovations through spatial intelligence (pp. 215–230). Royal Society of Chemistry. doi:10.1039/9781837676880-00215.
  1. Bhardwaj, L. K., Rath, P., Gupta, U., Shukla, S., Jodder, P. K., & Thakur, S. (2025). Bio-based enzymes from food and agro-industrial wastes. In M. Sillanpää, M. Choudhury, & S. Goswami (Eds.), Food and agro-industrial wastes: Sustainable impacts, transformation and added value of by-products (pp. 263–274). Academic Press. doi:10.1016/B978-0-443-31654-8.00035-7.
  1. Roy, S., Bhattacharjee, S., Biswas, S., Bose, A., Agarwal, S., Jodder, P. K., & Nguyen, H. (2025). Case study on bio-based enzymes derived from food and agro-industrial wastes. In M. Sillanpää, M. Choudhury, & S. Goswami (Eds.), Food and agro-industrial wastes: Sustainable impacts, transformation and added value of by-products (pp. 349–358). Academic Press. doi:10.1016/B978-0-443-31654-8.00032-1.
  1. Rath, P., Rahman, F., Jain, H., Bhardwaj, L. K., Jodder, P. K., Sharma, B., Choudhury, M., Soares, C., & Padoin, N. (2026). Insights into hazardous and special wastes: A case study of Latin America. In M. Choudhury, S. Majumdar, & A. Chauhan (Eds.), Data analytics and smart technologies in solid waste management: Advancing sustainability (pp. 165–178). Apple Academic Press. doi:10.1201/9781779640833-14.
  1. Bala, K., Anshul, Verma, S., Dogra, A., Jodder, P. K., & Nalluri, A. (2026). Burning bright: Incineration processes, energy recovery, and emission control. In M. Choudhury, S. Majumdar, & A. Chauhan (Eds.), Data analytics and smart technologies in solid waste management: Advancing sustainability (pp. 179–195). Apple Academic Press. doi:10.1201/9781779640833-15.
  1. Bhardwaj, L. K., Jodder, P. K., Priya, R., Rath, P., Jain, H., Thakur, S., Yadav, P., Purohit, S., & Sharma, B. (2025). Resilience in the digital age: Emerging technologies for climate adaptation. In M. Choudhury, G. Dixit, & S. Majumdar (Eds.), Sustainable synergy: Harnessing ecosystems for climate resilience (pp. 165–175). Springer Nature Switzerland. doi:10.1007/978-3-031-77957-2_11.
  1. Bhardwaj, L. K., Rath, P., Choudhury, M., Metzdorff, A., & Jodder, P. K. (2025). Electronic wastes and contamination of water. In S. Goswami, M. Choudhury, & S. Agarwal (Eds.), Electronic waste: Impact on health, animals, and the environment (pp. 48–57). CRC Press. doi:10.1201/9781003582311-6.
  1. Jodder, P. K., Leya, R. S., Rana, M. S., & Sarkar, B. (2024). Municipal solid waste management of different socioeconomic groups toward sustainable development goals. In A. Rajpal, M. Choudhury, S. Goswami, A. Chakravorty, & V. Raghavan (Eds.), Waste management and treatment: Advances and innovations (pp. 84–100). CRC Press. doi:10.1201/9781003258377-6.

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

  1. Jodder, P. K., Iddrisu, Z., Kefayat, E., & Thill, J.-C. (2026). Unequal Greening: A Time Series Analysis of Vegetation Change and Socio-Demographic Disparities in Mecklenburg County (2010–2022). American Association of Geographers (AAG) Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA, March 17–21, 2026.
  2. Jodder, P. K., & Thill, J.-C. (2025). Unraveling COVID-19 Disparities by Assessing the Influence of Demographic and Comorbidity Factors Using Machine Learning Technique: A Case Study of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. American Association of Geographers (AAG) Annual Meeting, Detroit, MI, March 24–28, 2025.
  3. Jodder, P. K., Hossain, M. Z., & Thill, J.-C. (2024). Assessing Livability in a Mid-size Global South City with Mixed Methods. American Association of Geographers (AAG) Annual Meeting, Honolulu, HI, April 16–20, 2024.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

University of North Carolina at Charlotte – Charlotte, NC
Graduate Teaching Assistant | Fall 2024 – Spring 2026

  • GEOG 8120 – Spatial Statistics | Spring 2026 
  • GRAD 6101 – Linear Regression | Spring 2026 
  • GRAD 6103/8103 – Classificatory Methods & Time Series | Fall 2025 
  • GRAD 6102/8102 – Logistic Regression & Categorical Outcomes | Fall 2025 
  • GEOG 2110 – Introduction to Geographic Research | Spring 2025 
  • GEOG 2155 – Geography of the U.S. and Canada | Fall 2024 

Teaching responsibilities: 

  • Managed grading for large undergraduate and graduate courses.
  • Held office hours and provided individual support and project consultation to students.
  • Attended laboratory and class sessions to assist the course instructor and support students during exercises and applied coursework.

Teaching Development & Professional Training: 

Flipped Learning & Active Learning Training, UNC Charlotte Center for Teaching and Learning | [2025]

Completed professional development focused on flipped-classroom design, active-learning strategies, and student-centered instruction.

FELLOWSHIPS AND AWARDS

  • Graduate School Summer Fellowship (GSSF) – UNC Charlotte | 2026
  • 2nd Place, Presentation Competition – GIS Day at UNC Charlotte | 2024
  • Wayland H. Cato Jr. First-Year Doctoral Fellowship – UNC Charlotte | 2023
  • 2nd Place, Presentation Competition – GIS Day at UNC Charlotte | 2023
  • National NST Fellowship – Ministry of Science and Technology, Bangladesh | 2022
  • Local Pathways Fellow – UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) | 2021

LINKEDIN: www.linkedin.com/in/pankaj-kanti-jodder-45b47811a