CV

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Education

Ph.D in Remote Sensing, GIS, and Machine Learning, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, 2019-2023
- Thesis: “Multi-spatial-temporal remote sensing and machine learning for mapping management impacts on peatlands in Ireland”
- Supervisor: Dr. John Connolly
- Funded by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Ireland (SmartBog project)
M.S. in Remote Sensing & GIS, Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand, 2016-2018
- CGPA: 3.90/4
- Thesis: “Machine learning for flood forecasting – A case study of Yom River sub-basin, Thailand”
- HM King Scholarship recipient
B.S. in Geomatics (Remote Sensing & GIS), University of Peshawar, Pakistan, 2011-2015
- CGPA: 3.90/4
- Research: “Flood hazard and vulnerability risk assessment – A case study of Islamabad, Pakistan”

Work Experience

2023-Present: Postdoctoral Researcher
- Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
- Leading development of ICONEEx model for upscaling Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE) of CO₂ across Irish ecosystems
- Integrating Sentinel-1/2, MODIS PAR, and flux tower data for national climate monitoring
- Supervisor: Dr. John Connolly
2019-2023: PhD Researcher
- Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
- Applied multi-temporal-spatial optical remote sensing and machine learning for peatland ecosystem assessment
- Developed deep learning models for artificial drainage mapping using VHR aerial imagery
- Conducted national-scale peatland land use change analysis (1989-2020)
- Supervisor: Dr. John Connolly
2023: Visiting Researcher
- INRAE, Occitanie-Montpellier, France
- Developed semantic segmentation models for peatland drainage mapping
- Collaborated with Orfeo Toolbox-TensorFlow development team
- French Research Residency Award recipient
2018: Research Assistant
- Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand
- Comparative risk assessment of hydrologic hazards in Jiulong River Basin (China) and Chao Phraya River Basin (Thailand)
- Conducted LULC change analysis using Landsat and MODIS imagery
- Built comprehensive geodatabase for regional hazard modelling
2014-2016: Research Assistant (GIS)
- University of Peshawar, Pakistan
- Developed GIS-based Decision Support System for FATA Secretariat
- Maintained online spatial planning and monitoring systems using GeoServer
- Processed field-collected GPS data and conducted spatial data QA/QC

Technical Skills

Programming & Scripting
- R (intermediate)
- ArcPy (intermediate)
- Google Earth Engine (JavaScript)
- Python
Machine Learning & Remote Sensing
- TensorFlow, Keras
- Semantic segmentation
- Time series analysis
- eCognition, ENVI, ERDAS IMAGINE, ER Mapper
GIS & Spatial Analysis
- ArcGIS Pro, QGIS, SAGA GIS
- IDRISI TerrSet, uDIG, JOSM
- Hydrological Modelling: HEC-RAS, HEC-HMS

Publications

Towards improved accounting and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions from ditches and canals

Silverthorn, T., Connolly, J., Habib, W., Kosten, S., Larmola, T., Paranaíba, J.R., Webb, J., Balathandayuthabani, S., Clarke, S.J., Tatariw, C., Cook, S.B., Williamson, J.L., Friday, L.E., Law, A., Andrews, L.O., van der Knaap, J., Evans, C.D., Fonvielle, J.A., Bryan, D., Yan, Z., Bieroza, M., van den Berg, M., Hill, M.J., Baugh, L., Evers, S., Mwanake, R.M., Baliña, S., Rahimi, H., Simpson, E., Struik, Q., Rissanen, A.J., & Peacock, M. (2026). "Towards improved accounting and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions from ditches and canals." Environmental Research Letters.

Peatland use and peat soil land cover types in Ireland: Implications for the calculation of GHG emissions in the context of climate action

Gilet, L., Habib, W., Aitova, E., Byrne, K.A., Farrell, C.A., Fenton, O., Flynn, R., O'Leary, D., Morley, T.R., Tuohy, P., Regan, S., Renou-Wilson, F., Wilson, D., & Connolly, J. (2025). "Peatland use and peat soil land cover types in Ireland: Implications for the calculation of GHG emissions in the context of climate action." Land Use Policy, 152, 107792.

Mapping internal farm roadways to identify runoff accumulation areas using an integrated GIS, aerial imagery and deep learning approach in grassland farms

Sifundza, L.S., Murnane, J.G., Adams, R., Daly, K., Habib, W., Tuohy, P., & Fenton, O. (2025). "Mapping internal farm roadways to identify runoff accumulation areas using an integrated GIS, aerial imagery and deep learning approach in grassland farms." International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation, 134, 104896.

Lines in the landscape

Clifford, C., Bieroza, M., Clarke, S.J. et al. (including Habib, W. & Connolly, J.) (2025). "Lines in the landscape." Communications Earth & Environment, 6, 699.

Mapping and monitoring peatland conditions from global to field scale

Minasny, B., Adetsu, D.V., Aitkenhead, M. et al. (including Habib, W.) (2024). "Mapping and monitoring peatland conditions from global to field scale." Biogeochemistry, 167(4), 383-425.

Mapping artificial drains in Peatlands – A national scale assessment of Irish raised bogs using sub-meter aerial imagery and deep learning methods

Habib, W., Cresson, R., McGuinness, K., & Connolly, J. (2024). "Mapping artificial drains in Peatlands – A national scale assessment of Irish raised bogs using sub-meter aerial imagery and deep learning methods." Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation.

Quantifying Peatland Land Use and CO2 Emissions in Irish Raised Bogs: Mapping Insights using Sentinel-2 Data and Google Earth Engine

Habib, W., Ruchita, I., Saunders, M., & Connolly, J. (2024). "Quantifying Peatland Land Use and CO2 Emissions in Irish Raised Bogs: Mapping Insights using Sentinel-2 Data and Google Earth Engine." Scientific Reports, 14, 1171.

A national-scale assessment of land use change in peatlands between 1989 and 2020 using Landsat data and Google Earth Engine—a case study of Ireland

Habib, W. & Connolly, J. (2023). "A national-scale assessment of land use change in peatlands between 1989 and 2020 using Landsat data and Google Earth Engine—a case study of Ireland." Regional Environmental Change, 23, 124.

Upscaling methane fluxes from peatlands across a drainage gradient in Ireland using PlanetScope imagery and machine learning tools

Ingle, R., Habib, W., Connolly, J. et al. (2023). "Upscaling methane fluxes from peatlands across a drainage gradient in Ireland using PlanetScope imagery and machine learning tools." Scientific Reports, 13, 11997.

Talks

From the Arctic tundra to temperate peatlands: Improving net ecosystem CO₂ exchange modelling for Irish peatland ecosystems

June 25, 2025

Conference presentation at ESA Living Planet Symposium, Vienna, Austria

Multi-spatial temporal remote sensing and machine learning for mapping land use on peatlands

June 26, 2024

Conference presentation at ML4EO, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK

Automated Mapping of Artificial Drainage in Peatlands Using Deep Learning and Very High-Resolution Aerial Imagery

April 17, 2024

Conference presentation at EGU General Assembly, Vienna, Austria

Satellite-driven model to upscale Irish CO2 Net Ecosystem Exchange (ICONEEx)

April 16, 2024

Conference presentation at EGU General Assembly, Vienna, Austria

Mapping artificial drainage on Irish Raised bogs using very high-resolution aerial imagery and deep learning methods

December 13, 2023

Conference presentation at AGU Fall Meeting, San Francisco, California (Online)

From pixels to peat: Discerning management practices and their implications in peatlands using machine learning and multi-temporal spatial remote sensing

August 30, 2023

Conference presentation at Royal Geographical Society (RGS-IBG) Annual International Conference, London, UK

Mapping vegetation communities across a drainage gradient in Irish raised bogs using PlanetScope Imagery

November 03, 2022

Conference presentation at 14th Irish Earth Observation Symposium, Technological University Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

Machine learning and deep learning for multi-temporal-spatial assessment of anthropogenic stressors on peatlands – A case study of Ireland

October 27, 2022

Conference presentation at Flow Country Research Conference, University of the Highlands and Islands, Thurso, Scotland

Teaching

Teaching Fellow/Assistant - GIS and Remote Sensing

Teaching Assistant - Free and Open-Source Software for Geospatial Analysis

Awards and Achievements

2025: Selected as Emerging Leader for Arctic Frontiers Conference, Tromsø, Norway (€5,000 funding)
2024: Travel grant by ICIMOD for Understanding Risk Field Lab, Kathmandu, Nepal ($1,200)
2024: Invited Reviewer, Natural England Technical Report on England Peat Map
2023: Eileen Reilly Award to attend Royal Geographical Society Annual Meeting, London (€500)
2023: French Research Residency Award, Embassy of France in Ireland (€1,250)
2022: Best overall oral presentation award, 32nd Irish Environmental Researchers Colloquium (€500)
2019-2023: EPA SmartBog PhD Scholarship (€93,600)
2019-2023: E3 Scholarship, Trinity College Dublin (€31,000)
2016-2018: HM King Scholarship for Master’s Degree, Thailand (THB 979,000)
2017: DAAD Scholarship for International Summer School (€1,500)

Certifications and Licences

IAA UAV Pilot Competency Certification
- A1/A3 Open subcategory
- A2 Open subcategory
- STS standard scenarios
- Specific category
BSAC Sports Diver Certification
- Advanced scuba diving skills, decompression techniques, underwater navigation and rescue drills

Professional Training

Maps and Geospatial Revolution (Coursera)
GIS for Humanitarian Mine Action (ESRI)
Getting Started with ArcGIS, Authoring Web Maps, Mobile GIS (ESRI Virtual Campus)
Spatial Analysis, Raster Data for Site Selection (ESRI)

Service and Leadership

2016-Present: URISA GISCorps Volunteer
- International humanitarian mapping missions
- Sri Lanka Flood Response mapping
- Global Polio Eradication Initiative support
- OpenStreetMap digitization and validation using JOSM and ArcGIS Online

CV