Hankui Zhang
Associate Professor, Research Scientist
Biography
Dr. Hankui Zhang is an associate professor in the Department of Geography and Geospatial Sciences and a scientist at the Geospatial Sciences Center of Excellence at ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ.
He earned his Ph.D. in 2013 from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, with a thesis focusing on satellite image fusion. His current research primarily involves developing global-applicable algorithms to make medium-resolution satellite data (e.g., Landsat and Sentinel-2) ready-for-easy, which includes cloud masking, BRDF correction and compositing. He also conducts research on advancing artificial intelligence applications for remote sensing, focusing on surface geophysical and biophysical parameter retrieval, as well as land cover mapping for environmental monitoring. He is a Landsat science team member.
Zhang has published over 70 SCI papers and serves as an editorial board member for Remote Sensing of Environment and Remote Sensing. He has also organized a Remote Sensing of Environment special issue on deep learning applications.
He earned his Ph.D. in 2013 from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, with a thesis focusing on satellite image fusion. His current research primarily involves developing global-applicable algorithms to make medium-resolution satellite data (e.g., Landsat and Sentinel-2) ready-for-easy, which includes cloud masking, BRDF correction and compositing. He also conducts research on advancing artificial intelligence applications for remote sensing, focusing on surface geophysical and biophysical parameter retrieval, as well as land cover mapping for environmental monitoring. He is a Landsat science team member.
Zhang has published over 70 SCI papers and serves as an editorial board member for Remote Sensing of Environment and Remote Sensing. He has also organized a Remote Sensing of Environment special issue on deep learning applications.
Education
- B.S. in geographic information systems | Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China | 2007
- M.S. in remote sensing | Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China | 2010
- Ph.D. in geography and resource management | Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China | 2013
Academic and Professional Experience
Academic Interests
- Deep learning
- Land cover mapping and surface dynamics monitoring
- Analysis ready data
- Landsat and Sentinel-2
Academic Responsibilities
Courses I teach:
- GEOG 741 – Quantitative Remote Sensory for Terrestrial Monitoring Credits: Three
- GEOG 480/580 – Satellite Remote Sensing Credits: Two
- GEOG 480L/580L – Satellite Remote Sensing Lab Credits: One
- GEOG 471/571 – Programming for Geospatial Data Analysis Credits: Three
Committees and Professional Memberships
- NASA and U.S. Geological Survey Landsat Science team member
- NASA review panel
- Manager guest editor for Remote Sensing of Environment (deep learning) | 2022-2023
- Editorial board member of Remote Sensing of Environment | 2019-present
- Guest editor for Remote Sensing | 2020-2023
- Editorial board member of Remote Sensing | 2017-present
- Top 20 reviewers for Remote Sensing of Environment | 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024
- Honorary coach for the SDSU football team | 2023
Work Experience
- Associate professor, August 2025-present, ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ, Brookings
- Assistant professor, August 2019-July 2025, ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ, Brookings
- Assistant research professor, November 2017-July 2019, Geospatial Sciences Center of Excellence, ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ, Brookings
- Postdoctoral fellow, February 2014-October 2017, Geospatial Sciences Center of Excellence, ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ, Brookings
- Research associate, November 2013-January 2014, Department of Geography and Resource Management, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Research and Scholarly Work
Awards and Honors
- ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ 2026 College of Natural Sciences Outstanding Researcher
- ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Wadsworth research award | 2020-2021
- ÃÛÌÒÓ°Ïñ Professional Staff Excellence Award: Excellence in Research and Scholarship | 2016-2017
- Global Scholarship for Research Excellence of Chinese University of Hong Kong | 2011-2012
Grants
- (Institutional PI): Roy, D.P., Zhang, H.K., Yan, L., Pathfinding the steps to ensure global analysis ready consistent reflectance from the Landsat MSS to the next Landsat era. U.S. Geological Survey-Landsat Science Team. Contract awarded under RFP 140G0125R0001. Five-year budget $1,047,993 for December 2025-December 2030
- (Institutional PI): Zhang, W, Zhang, H.K., Sun, Y., Ball, J., Supplementary to "sustaining maple syrup industry through expanding research and extension." USDA Acer Access and Development Program (FY2025), two-year budget $273,178 for October 2026-September 2028
- (PI): Zhang, H.K., Shen, Y., Quantifying and improving PlanetScope reflectance consistency under anisotropy effects by leveraging overpass time variations. NASA NNH24ZDA001N-CESRA, Commercial Satellite Data Earth Science Research and Applications. Two-year budget $340,992 for October 2025-September 2027
- (PI): Zhang, H.K., Fu, K., Zhang, X., Roberts, D., Time series multimodel foundation model for near-real-time land surface dynamics characterization in support of ESDT. NASA NNH23ZDA001N-AIST, Advanced Information Systems Technology, 1.5-year budget $462,517 for June 2025-December 2026
- (PI): Zhang, H.K.,Maimaitinjiang, M., Hoover, R.C., Tinant, C.J., Gehring, D., SMD: High spatial temporal resolution soil moisture retrieval using deep learning fusion of multimodal satellite. NASA NNH24ZHA001 C- Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), three-year budget $750,000 for August 2024-July 2027
- (Co-investigator) Korinek, J., Kovalsky, V. and Zhang, H.K., Exploring the potential of anonymization for data-driven innovation in agriculture. U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Producer Data Cooperative Convening Award program, one-year budget $79,702 for February 2024-January 2025
- (Principal investigator) Zhang, H.K., Maimaitijiang, M. and Zhang, X., Democratic Republic of the Congo swamp and peatland extent mapping demonstration in support of Wildlife Works Carbon LLC Reduction Emission Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) projects. Wildlife Works Carbon LLC, three-year budget $250,039 for February 2024-January 2027
- (Institutional principal investigator): Zhang, W., Zhang, H.K., Sun, Y. and Ball, J., Sustaining maple syrup industry under a changing climate through expanding research and extension. USDA Acer Access and Development Program (FY 2023), three-year budget $499,280 for October 2023-September 2026
- (Co-investigator): Fu, K. and Zhang, H.K., Spatiotemporal graph attention network for location representation learning. SDSU Office of Academic Affairs and Office of Research and Economic Development: Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Challenge Fund, one-year budget $10,118 for May 2024-August 2025
- (Co-investigator): Leigh, L., Zhang, H.K., Pinto C. and Kaewmanee M., Optical satellite harmonization and AI construction detection. Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity Space-based Machine Automated Recognition Technique (IARPA-BAA-19-04), three-year budget $1,412,746, January 2021-December 2023
- (Co-investigator): Zhang, X., Zhang, H.K., Maimaitijiang, M. and Yang, Z., Developing an enhanced geospatial tool for operationally monitoring species-specific crop progress and growth condition in near real time from Geostationary Satellite Observations and Harmonized Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2 Time Series. USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture – Foundational and Applied Science Program, four-year budget $759,272 for September 2023-August 2027
- (Co-investigator): Zhang, X., Zhang, H.K. and Gray, J., Development of near real-time land surface phenology product by fusing geostationary satellite and VIIRS observations in support of agriculture and land management. NASA NNH19ZDA001N – Earth Science Research from Operational Geostationary Satellite Systems, three-year budget $521,777 for August 2020-July 2023
- (Institutional principal investigator): Roy, D.P., Zhang, H.K., Egorov, H., Michaelis, A. and Nemani, R., Global long-term multisensor web-enabled Landsat data record – a continuation request. NASA NNH17ZDA001N-MEASURES – Making Earth System Data Records for Use in Research Environments, three-year budget $570,881 for June 2019-May 2022
- (Co-investigator): Roy, D.P., Yan, L. and Zhang, H.K., Pathfinding near real-time moderate resolution land surface monitoring, looking forward to an operational Landsat 9/10 Sentinel 2A/2B era. U.S. Geological Survey G17PS00256 – Landsat science team, five-year budget $1,173,581 for Jan. 2018-June 2023
