Chandana Mitra, PhD
Short Bio
Dr. Mitra is a professor and director of the Earth System Science Ph.D. program at Auburn University. A climatologist and physical geographer by training, she teaches courses in weather and climate, physical geography, urban climatology and sustainability.
She leads the urbanPRism Lab, where her research focuses on the effects of land-use and land-cover change on microclimates, urban sustainability, climate change, environmental change, remote sensing, geospatial science and community engagement. She uses computational models, geospatial techniques and urban growth models to predict future growth and weather anomalies and to better understand the dynamics of human-environment interactions.
The urbanPRism Lab conducts research ranging from neighborhood-scale urban environmental analysis using tools such as ENVI-met to mesoscale climate modeling using systems such as the Weather Research and Forecasting model. This work examines land-atmosphere interactions and their impacts.
Dr. Mitra has received numerous federal grants supporting education and outreach initiatives that communicate scientific concepts to K-12 students, community members, stakeholders and practitioners. Her extramural funding has come primarily from NASA, the National Science Foundation, the Gulf Research Program, the CDC Foundation, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, the Alabama Office of Water Resources and Auburn University research programs.
Education
PhD University of Georgia, Georgia, USA 2011
MA University of Calcutta, India 1994
BA University of Calcutta, India 1992
Professional Experience
Chandana Mitra’s teaching responsibilities reflect her interests in urban growth, GIS and climate science. Her courses include weather and climate, physical geography, urban climatology and sustainability.
Innovation
Chandana Mitra’s teaching responsibilities reflect her interests in urban growth, GIS and climate science. Her courses include weather and climate, physical geography, urban climatology and sustainability.
Dr. Mitra is a climatologist and physical geographer by training. Her research focuses on urban climate, urban land-cover and land-use change, growth dynamics in developing countries, urban growth modeling, mesoscale weather processes, climate change, satellite remote sensing and GIS. She uses geospatial techniques and urban growth models to better understand the dynamics of human-environment interactions.
Her urbanPRism Lab conducts research ranging from neighborhood-scale urban environmental analysis using tools such as ENVI-met to mesoscale climate modeling using the Weather Research and Forecasting model. This work examines land-atmosphere interactions and their impacts.
Her funded work has addressed urban microclimates, the detection and local effects of land-use and land-cover change, communication with stakeholders and broader communities, K-12 education, and the co-production of climate-change knowledge in the United States and South Asia.
Engagement
Alabama Environmental Awareness Channel
Established in 2020, the Alabama Environmental Awareness Channel was created as part of the USGS-funded AmericaView grant. Dr. Mitra and her undergraduate and graduate students produce videos exploring environmental and sustainability issues across Alabama, often using geospatial techniques. The videos are designed to increase public awareness and expand knowledge among communities throughout the state.
Mother Earth as Art Exhibition
Dr. Mitra organized the Mother Earth as Art exhibition at Auburn University’s Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art in spring 2020. The exhibition opened in March and was originally scheduled to run for one month. When the museum closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the exhibition transitioned to a virtual format.
