Jessica Besnier
PhD Candidate-Hydrologist-Environmental Engineer​
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Hello! I'm Jessica
I am currently a PhD candidate at the University of Virginia in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department. I am studying hydrology, remote sensing, and cyber-physical systems. The current goal of my research is to utilize different remote sensing and machine learning technologies to improve food and water security in times of hydrological extremes (droughts and floods).
I graduated from James Madison University in 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering with minors in Spanish, Math, and Honors Interdisciplinary Studies with an Area of Emphasis in Leadership. Thanks for checking out my site and hope you learn some more about me and my passions!
Research Interests:
Remote Sensing of Hydrological Extremes
Machine Learning
Food and Water Security
Water Allocation
Effects of the Changing Climate
Data Visualization and Science Communication
Data Visualization Presentation at EGU in Vienna, Austria (2023)
Poster presentation at AGU in Chicago, IL (2022)
NASA DEVELOP closeout presentation at NASA GSFC in Greenbelt, MD (2023)
Projects:
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Characterizing the 2019-2021 Drought in La Plata River Basin with GLDAS and SMAP
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Satellite gravimetry informs reservoir operation in the Upper Parana River Basin
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Predicting downstream flooding through machine learning hydrological modeling
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Analyzing Hydrological Transitions and Land Cover Dynamics in the Upper Parana River Basin using Remote Sensing and Earth Observation Data
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Enhancing Food Security Predictions in Drought-Prone Regions Using Earth Observations and Machine Learning Algorithms
In the news:
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