🎓 Education:
Somayeh Zahabnazouri is currently serving as a Visiting Scholar at Utah State University, where she contributes to cutting-edge research in Earth and Environmental Sciences. In 2022, she commenced her second Ph.D. in Earth and Environmental Science at the University of Bari Aldo Moro, Italy, to broaden her international expertise. She previously earned a Ph.D. in Physical Geography, specializing in Geomorphology, from the University of Tehran (2010–2014), graduating with a GPA of 18.16 out of 20. Her dissertation focused on a comparative study of morphodynamic processes on the Bidkhan and Masahem volcanic cones during the Quaternary period, supervised by Dr. Mansor Jafar Beglou. She also holds a Master’s degree in Physical Geography with a focus on Geomorphology and Environmental Management (GPA: 18.51/20) from the same institution, where her thesis involved wind-based sand transport analysis in the Kerman Plain. Her academic foundation was laid with a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Geography, where she specialized in Climatology and Geomorphology (GPA: 17.19/20).
👩🏫 Teaching Experience:
Somayeh has substantial academic experience, having served as a lecturer at Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (2014–2016) in the Faculties of Geography and Agriculture. She taught diverse courses such as Geology for Geography, Geography of Soils, Fundamentals of Geomorphology, Natural Hazards, Cartography, and Soil Geography. Earlier, she also taught at the University of Shahid Bahonar Kerman (2011–2012) in the Faculty of Geography and Urban Planning, where she led courses on Earth in Space, Geography of Tourism, and Research Methods.
🛰️ Research Focus:
Her research expertise lies at the intersection of geomorphology, climate science, and remote sensing. She is particularly interested in wildfire analysis, post-fire vegetation recovery, erosion modeling, fluvial geomorphology, and river restoration. She also focuses on paleoclimate reconstruction, land surface processes under climate change, and conservation modeling through geospatial tools. Somayeh actively integrates interdisciplinary methodologies, including experimental fieldwork, laboratory techniques, and statistical programming, to analyze environmental systems comprehensively.
🛠️ Skills:
Somayeh brings a robust technical background in geospatial analysis and environmental modeling. Her software proficiency includes ArcGIS, GISPro, Google Earth Engine, ENVI, and SNAP for satellite image processing. She is skilled in Python programming and data processing tools such as SPSS, WR Plot for wind analysis, Gradistat for grain size data, and HEC-RAS for hydrological modeling. She also uses watershed management systems (WMS) and the full Microsoft Office suite (ICDL certified).
🏆 Awards and Honors:
Somayeh has earned multiple academic distinctions, including scholarships for doctoral studies and visiting research appointments, in recognition of her strong academic background and research capabilities. Her work has been supported by institutions in Iran, Italy, and the United States, reflecting her global academic engagement and interdisciplinary approach.