GIS Faculty

Dillon Mahmoudi, Ph.D. | Graduate Program Director
Ph.D., Urban Studies and Planning, Portland State University
Graduate Certificate, GIScience, Portland State University
B.S., Computer Science, Georgia Institute of Technology

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Dillon’s research focuses on the nexus of regional economies, urban spatial structure, and the relational processes of accumulation and exploitation under capitalism. Methodologies combine advanced quantitative methods, critical GIS, and qualitative research. His research interests include Economic geography, critical GIS and counter-mapping, urban studies, labor markets, digital geography, youth & carceral geographies

Ron Wilson, M.A. | Assistant Graduate Program Director
M.A., Geography, Indiana University of Pennsylvania
B.A., Geology, Thiel College

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Ronald Wilson has been an instructor for the GIS program since 2008. Currently Mr. Wilson serves as a Social Science Analyst in the Office of Policy Development and Research with the Department of Housing and Urban Development. As a Social Science Analyst, he conducts spatial data analysis and research on crime and urban development issues, advises on the implementation of spatial statistical research methods and techniques, regularly publishes in various journals, and writes two recurring sections of the Cityscape journal on spatial analysis techniques. Previously, Mr. Wilson directed the Mapping and Analysis for Public Safety (MAPS) program at the National Institute of Justice that led the field of criminology to conduct more reasearch with spatial analysis and other geographical methods.

Mr. Wilson received his B.A. in Geology from Thiel College and his M.A. in Geography from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Earlier in his career, he developed spatial statistics software for crime analysis for several police departments. Throughout his career, Mr. Wilson has applied his education and skills in the area of criminology. He has been invited to numerous conferences and panel sessions and has presented and written on a variety of specialities to advance geographical analysis and thinking. He has also participated on a number of federal committees to bring geographical perspective to solving urban problems. Most notably, he was a member of the White House Urban Policy Neighborhood Revitalization Working Group while at the National Institute of Justice.

Mr. Wilson is currently leading several studies with the UMBC Psychology Department and the National Institute of Aging (NIA) in using spatial data analysis to explore the impacts of neighborhood violence on aging in Baltimore City. Mr. Wilson has additionally taught at the University of Maryland College Park and Summer Quantitative Program at the University of Michigan.

Qassim A. Abdullah, Ph.D., PLS, CP | Adjunct Instructor
Ph.D., Photogrammetry, University of Washington, Seattle
M.S., Photogrammetry, University of Washington, Seattle
B.S., Civil Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle

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Dr. Qassim Abdullah, chief scientist at Fugro EarthData, Inc., is an accomplished scientist with more than 30 years of combined industrial, research and development, and academic experience in analytical photogrammetry, digital remote sensing, and civil and surveying engineering. Over the course of his career, Dr. Abdullah has contributed significantly toward the advancement of digital aerial imagery and LiDAR acquisition, and production processes. Among his accomplishments, Dr. Abdullah developed proprietary software applications for use in digital orthophotography and DEM production; he developed and integrated a metric digital aerial camera for rapid image acquisition; he integrated airborne GPS into conventional aerotriangulation adjustments; he refined the integration of Inertial Navigation Systems (INS) and GPS technology for sensor positioning and orientation; and he participated in the development of the first high altitude topographic LiDAR system.

A civil engineer, ASPRS certified photogrammetrist, and professional surveyor in four states, Dr. Abdullah currently serves as Fugro EarthData’s chief scientist responsible for designing and managing strategic programs to develop and implement new remote sensing technologies that allow Fugro EarthData to meet the evolving needs of geospatial users. He was instrumental in streamlining Fugro EarthData’s photogrammetric mapping processes, and most recently, has been leading the technology transfer and process integration of Fugro EarthData’s new panoramic mapping and Aerial Thermal Infrared Sensing systems.

Dr. Abdullah obtained a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and master’s degree and doctorate degrees in Photogrammetry from the civil engineering department at the University of Washington in Seattle. He is affiliated with a number of national and international professional societies, is a published author of over 50 technical papers and reports, and is a sought-after professional speaker and educator. Besides publishing the monthly column “Mapping Matters”, which appears in the ASPRS journal PE&RS, he is involved in several national committees, and participates in discussions regarding the industry and technology forecast, future technologies, process improvement of LiDAR and digital photogrammetry, and accuracy standards.

View Dr. Abdullah’s public LinkedIn profile.

Alexander Din

Alexander Din, M.P.S. | Adjunct Instructor
M.P.S. Geographic Information Systems, (UMBC)
B.S. Metropolitan Studies; B.S. Geography and Sociology, Towson University

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Alex Din is a Social Science Analyst for the Office of Policy Development (PD&R) and Research at the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HIs duties include maintaining and publishing data to HUD’s GIS Open Data Storefront, managing Esri licenses and ArcGIS Online accounts for over 100 users across multiple offices, performing spatial analysis, managing the HUD Crosswalk Files, and working as Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) for multiple data purchase contracts. Mr. Din is the editor for the Graphic Detail department of Cityscape, HUD’s journal for academic and scholarly research.

Prior to working with HUD, Mr. Din began his professional career in GIS working at Dewberry while attending UMBC’s MPS in GIS program. At Dewberry, Mr. Din worked on multiple contracts supporting the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Mr. Din’s projects included floodplain mapping and disaster response for FEMA, supporting the Coastal Barrier Resource System (CBRS) for FWS, and LiDAR production for the USGS. Mr. Din also worked as a Housing Research and GIS Analyst for the Office of the Secretary at the Maryland Department of Housing Community Development (DHCD). View Mr. Din’s entire resume.

Cheryl Knott

Cheryl Knott, M.A. | Adjunct Instructor
M.A. Applied Sociology, UMBC
B.S. Geography and Environmental Systems, UMBC

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Cheryl Knott is the Assistant Director for the Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance-Jacob France Institute. Since 2007, she has worked to ensure the accuracy, consistency, and reliability of community indicators that describe the quality of life for Baltimore City communities. Ms. Knott is a proponent of open data and has an interest in making data accessible and meaningful to students, professionals, and the public.

She recently served two terms as the Data and Resources Subcommittee Chair for the Maryland State Geographic Information Committee (MSGIC) and in 2020 she was appointed to the Maryland Council on Open Data. In her spare time, she serve as a co-organizer for MaptimeBmore.

Ms. Knott studied at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), receiving her Bachelor’s degree in Geography and Environmental Systems and a certification in Cartography in 2007 and a Master’s degree in Applied Sociology in 2013. She received a graduate certificate in Organizational Leadership from the University of Baltimore in 2022.

Kevin May

Kevin F. May, M.P.S., M.A., GISP, CMS-GIS/LIS | Adjunct Instructor
M.P.S., Geographic Information Technology, Northeastern University, Boston
Graduate Certificate, Remote Sensing, Northeastern University, Boston 
M.A., Preservation Studies, Boston University, Boston
B.A., Ancient History, The Ohio State University, Columbus

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Kevin May is the GIS Director at R. Christopher Goodwin & Associates, Inc. in Frederick, MD. He has 27 years of experience in applying the field of geomatics to cultural resource management (terrestrial and maritime archaeology, architectural history, historic preservation). Mr. May is a certified GIS Professional (GISP), a Certified Mapping Scientist (CMS- GIS/LIS, ASPRS), and a certified Remote Sensing Technologist (RST, ASPRS). In addition, he has a remote pilot certificate (FAA) with a small unmanned aircraft system rating (sUAS).

He received his B.A. in Ancient History from the Ohio State University, his M.A. in Preservation Studies from Boston University, and his M.P.S. in Geographic Information Technology from Northeastern University. Additionally, he received a Certificate in GIS from Columbus State Community College and a Graduate Certificate in Remote Sensing from Northeastern University.

He is experienced with a wide range of geographic information systems (GIS), global positioning systems (GPS), and remote sensing software for processing, analyzing, and visualizing spatial data. He is proficient in the processing and analysis of airborne and spaceborne imagery, including multispectral, hyperspectral, LiDAR, and synthetic aperture radar data. Prior to joining R. Christopher Goodwin & Associates, Mr. May taught and developed graduate courses in Northeastern University’s remote sensing program (Remote Sensing for Archaeology, Photogrammetry and GPS, LiDAR and Radar). He also worked on multi-year contracts for the Space Archaeology Program of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Ohio Historic Preservation Office. For the latter agency, Mr. May helped implement a GIS program, developed an underwater archaeological preserve plan, and authored a maritime history resource guide. Mr. May has assisted law enforcement officers with cold case investigations (processing and analysis of declassified spaceborne imagery). Over the past decade, most of his work has been in support of maritime archaeology projects (GIS and underwater remote sensing data) associated with offshore wind farms, offshore pipelines and coastal restoration projects.

Nora Csanyi May, Ph.D., CP | Adjunct Instructor
Ph.D., The Ohio State University
M.S., The Ohio State University
M.S., Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary

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Dr. Nora Csanyi May is the Senior Mapping Technologist at Fugro EarthData, Inc. in Frederick, MD. Dr. May received an M.S. degree in Surveying and Geoinformatics Engineering from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary in 2001. She has also earned an M.S. degree and a Ph.D. from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Geodetic Science, The Ohio State University in 2007. Dr. May has over 10 years of experience working both within research as well as in a photogrammetric production environment. Her research interests include surface extraction and modeling, sensor fusion, calibration of multi-sensor systems, including LiDAR boresight calibration, and accuracy assessment for digital imagery and LiDAR. She has been awarded several prestigious awards for her research work, such as the 2005 BAE Systems Award for the best student paper, the 2005 Leica Geosystems Internship Award, the 2006 William A. Fischer Memorial Scholarship, and the 2007 Intergraph Scholarship, presented by ASPRS. Dr. May has an extensive list of publications in both scientific journals and conference proceedings.

Eli Pousson

Eli Pousson, M.P.H. | Adjunct Instructor
M.P.H., Master of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University
M.A.A., Applied Anthropology, University of Maryland, College Park
B.F.A., Industrial Design, Carnegie Mellon University

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Eli Pousson (he/him) is former Bloomberg Fellow in the Environmental Health focus area with a background in community planning, public health, and historic preservation. He originally completed his Bloomberg Fellowship with Baltimore Heritage, a citywide historic preservation advocacy organization. After completing the Masters of Public Health program in 2020, Eli worked as a planner with the Neighborhood Design Center and, in June 2022, joined the Baltimore City Department of Planning supporting the city’s INSPIRE Program. Outside of work, Eli is a local historian, cargo bike riding family cyclist, city schools parent, and a Harwood neighborhood resident. He is often seen picking up litter and enthusiastically encouraging friends and neighbors to use 311.

Camille Seaberry

Camille Seaberry | Adjunct Faculty
B.S., Physics, Yale University
Certificate, Data Science, Harvard University Extension School

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Camille Seaberry is a Senior Research Associate at DataHaven. In her role at DataHaven, Camille has created or co-authored reports and interactive data resources on issues related to demographics and health equity, including detailed profiles for cities, towns, and small population groups throughout Connecticut. Camille is a lead author of the organization’s Town Equity Reports and Community Wellbeing Index publications.

Camille has significant experience in data analysis, interactive data visualization development, and research and writing to support various government and non-profit initiatives. She also has a background in high-school mathematics and STEM education, a skill she has applied at DataHaven to develop data workshops for Connecticut non-profits and educators.

Camille received her B.S. in Physics from Yale University, and completed the Data Science Certificate program at Harvard University Extension School.

John Schlee

John Schlee, M.P.A., GISP | Adjunct Instructor
M.P.A., George Mason University
B.A., Geography, UMBC

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John Schlee has over 20 years of experience in the public and private sectors in GIS development and operations. Mr. Schlee manages the Enterprise Asset Management System for the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Montgomery County Planning Department as the I.T. Systems Manager. Additionally, he oversees GIS staff development and training, and is active in state and county geospatial projects.

Mr. Schlee began his career with Prince William County, Virginia as a GIS technician, and subsequently worked for a private contracting firm, developing and implementing major GIS projects for the Environmental Protection Agency. Mr. Schlee has taught GIS database seminars at Towson University and presented on a range of practical GIS applications and enterprise solutions.

Mr. Schlee received a B.A. in Geography from UMBC and an MPA from George Mason University. He holds the GISP certification and is a member of the American Association of Geographers.

View Mr. Schlee’s public LinkedIn profile.

Xiuzhu Yang, Ph.D. (ABA) | Adjunct Instructor
Ph.D., University of South Carolina
M.S., East China Normal University
B.S., East China Normal University

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Wells (Xiuzhu) was a Ph.D. candidate at University of South Carolina with a focus on remote sensing and GIS. He received his M.S. and B.S. from the Department of Geography, East China Normal University. His interest in GIS & remote sensing started in his college years and his career path remains in this area for more than 24 years.

Currently, Dr. Yang is the chief GIS architect of Lockheed Martin’s ITS-ESE program. Before joining Lockheed, he served as senior GIS professionals for several GIS consulting firms. He has led technical teams to design, develop, and deliver multi-million GIS projects for both federal and local governments. His 19 years of GIS programming experience witnessed a variety of dynamics in the GIS world.

Dr. Yang’s projects have hit CNN Headlines and other main media. One of his web site designs featured the “Web Site of the Day” of Transportation Communications Newsletter. His other application was showcased at a government press conference. One public work GIS project won URISA Exemplary Systems in Government. Wells was acknowledged as an Alien of Extraordinary Ability by US government.

View Dr. Yang’s public LinkedIn profile.