Department of Human Ecology

• Research Interest

As a transdisciplinary landscape researcher and designer, I study changes in urban and agricultural watersheds across space and time, with the goal to drive positive change with environmental planning and landscape design strategies. Combining technologies such as machine learning, remote sensing, and GIS with social science methods, my research focus on how the interplay of climate change, watershed development, and socioeconomic factors influence surface water quality and the associated ecosystem service.  I categorize my research into three primary topics: (1) I use big data and machine learning to create large-scale (regional or continental scales) water quality models; (2) I explore effective green stormwater infrastructure design to address urban runoff and pollution; (3) I study the interactive effects of urban development, agricultural practices, and climate change on water ecosystem services (e.g., fish communities, harmful algae blooms)

• Teaching

LDA 50: Site Ecology

LDA 150: Intro to GIS

• Major Publication (* indicates corresponding authors)

Zhou, Y., Liu, X.*, Zhao, G., Zuo, C., Alofs, K., & Wang, R.* (2024). Pathways Linking Watershed Development and Riparian Quality to Stream Water Quality and Fish Communities: Insights from 233 Subbasins of the Great Lakes Region. Water Research, 121964.

Chen, Z. U. O., Wang, R.*, Hong, Y., Zhou, Y., He, Y., & Gronewold, A. D. (2024). The influence of road network topology on street flooding in New York City—A social media data approach. Journal of Hydrology, 131471.

Guan, J., Wang, R*., Van Berkel, D., & Liang, Z. (2023). How spatial patterns affect urban green space equity at different equity levels: A Bayesian quantile regression approach. Landscape and Urban Planning, 233, 104709.

Wang, R., Ma, Y., Zhao, G.*, Zhou, Y., Shehab, I., & Burton, A. (2023). Investigating water quality sensitivity to climate variability and its influencing factors in four Lake Erie watersheds. Journal of Environmental Management, 325, 116449.

Guzman, C. B., Wang, R.*, Muellerklein, O., Smith, M., & Eger, C. G. (2022). Comparing stormwater quality and watershed typologies across the United States: A machine learning approach. Water Research, 216, 118283.

Wang, R.*, Kim, J. H., & Li, M. H. (2021). Predicting stream water quality under different urban development pattern scenarios with an interpretable machine learning approach. Science of The Total Environment, 761, 144057.

Song, Y., Wang, R.*, Fernandez, J., & Li, D. (2021) Investigating sense of place of the Las Vegas Strip using online reviews and machine learning approaches. Landscape and Urban Planning, 205, 103956.

Wang, R.*, Zhang, X., & Li, M.-H. (2019). Predicting bioretention pollutant removal efficiency with design features: A data-driven approach. Journal of Environmental Management, 242, 403–414. 

• Education

Ph.D. in Planning, Design and Construction, Michigan State University, 2020

Master of Science in Landscape Architecture (MSLA), Peking University, 2013

Bachelor of Engineering in Architecture, Shandong University, 2011