Jiaguo Qi
Chair, Future Earth Nexus Knowledge-Action Network; MAIRS
Dr. Jiaguo Qi (pronounced Chee) is Director of the Center for Global Change and Earth Observations, and Professor at Michigan State University’s Department of Geography. As a professor, Dr. Qi has a broad interest in global change with a focus on complex interactions among land, water, climate and society using process-based models, geospatial technologies, and in-situ and remote observations. His research includes: remote sensing and geospatial technologies; environmental monitoring, assessment and modeling; land use and land cover change dynamics; and decision support systems for agriculture and rangeland. Over the past two decades, he: developed geospatial modeling tools to guide rangeland and cropland management; incorporated satellite-based biophysical attributes to improve climate modeling and predictions; integrated land use and land cover information in biogeochemical models to better understand the role of land in global change processes; applied geospatial technologies to characterize landscape patterns for large scale ecological assessment; and developed innovative ways of using geospatial technologies for improved cropland change detection and production estimation. His recent research efforts center on a WEF (water-energy-food) Nexus framework to integrate land, humans, environment and climate change for sustainable development in developing countries in Southeast Asia, Central Asia and East Africa. As director, Dr. Qi has led the Center for Global Change & Earth Observations in several large-scale research efforts to assess the impacts of climate change and human activities on ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration, food production, and water resources. By integrating physical processes, human interventions and ecosystem services, the Center generates innovative ways to understand coupled natural and human systems. As the director of the Office of China Programs at Michigan State University, Dr. Qi is leading a major effort to establish an Asia Hub initiative in China to promote innovative international partnerships and collaboration with institutions in China, Central Asia and Southeast Asia. He obtained funding from Nanjing Agricultural University to implement the Asia Hub on the WEF Nexus and Agricultural Science, organized a series of workshops in Southeast Asia and built a regional network focusing on interactions and synergies among water, energy and food systems in the region. Internationally, Dr. Qi is the co-director of the North American Nodal Office of Global Land Programme, located at Michigan State University. At the same time, he serves in numerous international programs and projects, including: MAIRS Project Scientist of the NASA’s LCLUC Program, liaison for the NEESPI program for China, lead scientist of the Central Asia Regional Information Network (CARIN) and MekRIN (Mekong Regional Information Network) under the GOFC-GOLD program.