Brent Chamberlain

Field: Ecology and Ecosystems, Environmental Planning
Areas of Focus: Environmental Space Planning

Expertise

• Environmental Planning
• Landscape Planning
• Geospatial Science
• Geovisualization
• Environmental Psychology
• Cultural Ecosystem
• Services
• Virtual Reality
• Artificial Intelligence

Bio

Welcome and thank you for getting to knowing a bit more about my research and interests! I am an Associate Professor in Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning at Utah State University. Previously I was an Assistant Professor at Kansas State University in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional & Community Planning; a Postdoctoral Scholar at the University of British Columbia with joint appointments in the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, Computer Science and Faculty of Forestry (with a stint at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, EAWAG); and a UBC Liu Scholar. As a scholar with a diverse academic background, I identify primarily as a computational environmental planner. My research spans a variety of scales, topics and disciplines. However, my primary foci are along three areas of expertise:1. Visualization and spatial data science: I primarily focus on the development of geospatial techniques to analyze data, explain spatial phenomenon between human and natural systems, and develop software to facilitate planning (e.g. what-if analyses, multi-criterion decision analyses).2. Applied computational approaches (including optimization and artificial intelligence): As a computer scientist wrapped within planning and landscape architecture I apply and develop computational approaches toward planning and design problems both practically and theoretically.3. Environmental perception and affect related to built and natural environments: My inspiration for pursuing graduate school stemmed from a strong personal drive to better understand linkages between humans and our natural world – I attempt to understand and explaining these connections through psychological constructs.These three foci have enabled me to work on a number of different projects funded by:- National Science Foundation- National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research- U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences- Utah Department of Transportation, Aeronautics- Utah Agricultural Experiment StationThroughout these projects I have been fortunate to engage in the following research fields (and topics):Environmental Psychology (Spatial Memory, Wayfinding, Environmental Design, Nature and Affect); Landscape Perception (Visual Impact Assessment); Cultural Ecosystem Services (Aesthetics Methods of Forests and Public Lands); Geovisualization (Sea-Level Rise, Natural Disasters, Future Visioning, Urban Development, Virtual & Augmented Reality); Decision Making (Preference Elicitation, Information Visualization, Group Processes); Urban Form and Health (Smart Cities and applications of Machine Learning);I am passionate about science and planning and how we can use technology to increase our understanding of the world we live in and create. While this permeates my professional career, I think it is just as important that this ring true at a personal level. I ride a bike (or scooter) just about everywhere, love renewable energy (built my own 7.7 Kwh solar array), maintain a pollinator-friendly backyard garden topped off with a diverse breed of chickens, follow a vegeterian diet and I love building and designing (still play with Legos and working with my grandfather’s Shopsmith Mark V). I also have my partner to thank for a regular dose of artistic inspiration (http://andreachamberlain.org/) and my kids for reminding me that deep learning is hard and rewarding… and to strive to create a world better than was inherited!If you are interested in reading more, please use the link to my personal website.