Principal Investigator Dr. Jiakai Zhang, along with Co-Principal Investigators Dr. Jun Zheng and Dr. Suraj Ghimire, will lead the project “Harnessing AI for Spatial Environmental Risk Modeling and Mitigation” (NSF Award #2520791). The $250,000 grant will fund research from September 1, 2025, through August 31, 2028.

The award marks a historic milestone as the first NSF grant under the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE) program awarded to New Mexico Tech since the late 1980s. “Traditionally, research in SBE has relied on econometric, statistical, or structural models to address behavioral and economic problems,” Dr. Zhang explained. “This project demonstrates how AI can be a game-changing tool for forecasting and analysis, giving us new ways to understand complex, large-scale, and dynamic datasets.”

The research will focus on extreme weather events such as wildfires, droughts, flash floods, and heat waves. By integrating diverse spatial, hazard, and socioeconomic data, the team will create AI-driven models to help communities and policymakers better assess risks and strengthen resilience planning.

Students working on the project will gain hands-on experience in AI modeling, data integration, and cross-disciplinary teamwork, giving them the skills to pursue careers at the cutting edge of AI, environmental science, and economics.

“This project combines advanced AI with real-world data to help communities better understand and respond to extreme weather events. It also reflects the university’s strong commitment to advancing interdisciplinary applied AI research,” Dr. Zhang emphasized.