G. Narayanaraj
267 19th Ave S
Minneapolis,
MN
55455
I was raised in the Western Ghats of India, a mountainous tropical forest region and global biodiversity hotspot. Like his father before him, my father served as a forester at the Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve. For more than six decades, my family has contributed to forest management, wildlife research, conservation, and sustainable resource stewardship in this landscape. Inspired by this legacy, combined with my academic training in ecology, biology, and geospatial sciences and my research and teaching experiences in the United States, India, and Central America, I developed a strong interest in the intersections of forestry, wildlife conservation, Indigenous communities, and environmental sustainability.
Providing outstanding classroom instruction, immersive field and laboratory experiences, and meaningful opportunities for applied environmental and geospatial research are hallmarks of my teaching philosophy. I strive to create an intellectually stimulating learning environment that empowers students to become ethically responsible citizens, scientists, and professionals. I am deeply committed to advancing the core values of leadership, engagement, diversity, and sustainability through my teaching and mentorship. My fifteen years of experience teaching and conducting research at colleges and universities have reinforced my belief in the transformative value of experiential learning and its ability to foster both intellectual growth and practical problem-solving skills.
My research integrates traditional field-based ecology with advanced geospatial technologies to address complex environmental and natural resource management challenges. This approach leverages the analytical power of geospatial science while grounding research within the ecological realities of natural systems and the dynamic interactions between humans and the environment. My work spans a broad range of environmental topics, including the biogeography of eastern hemlock forests, the spatial dynamics of wildland fire, climatic influences on infectious diseases, and habitat suitability modeling for butterfly biodiversity conservation. Central to my research is a strong commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration, bringing together biological, environmental, geographical, and social sciences to better understand and address pressing environmental challenges.
Educational Background
- Postdoctoral Fellow: Organismic and Evolutionary Biology , Harvard University.
- Ph.D.: Geospatial Science & Engineering (Specialization: Remote Sensing Geography & Forest Fire Ecology) , South Dakota State University.
- Master's of Geographic Information Science: Biogeography, University of Minnesota.
- Master's of Arts in Biological Sciences: Forest Insect - Plant Interactions, Smith College.
- Bachelor of Science: Field Ecology (self-designed), University of Vermont.
Specialties
- Research and teaching integrate a wide range of field‑based biology and ecology with geospatial technologies to address challenges in natural resource conservation and the wildland–urban interface.
- Fundamentals of Field Science
- Forest Fire Ecology
- Geographic Information Science (GISc)
- Behavioural Ecology - Animal Behaviour
- Satellite Remote Sensing
- Landscape Ecology
- Experiential Learning