Will Kochtitzky, Ph.D.

I teach GIS at UNE including introductory and advanced courses, such as remote sensing and spatial analysis. In my teaching I seek to give students practical skills by training them to think spatially and make effective maps. Class work ranges from field work using GPS units to satellite image analysis to flying drones and always lots of data processing.

My research group is broadly interested in observing and quantifying the impacts of climate change on Earth. I have worked in equatorial and polar regions and from coastlines to some of the tallest mountains. My research efforts are focused on engaging and training undergraduates to illuminate the consequences of climate change. I work with my students on glaciers around the world and coastal landscapes in Maine.

My glaciology research is focused on quantify mass loss, area change, and dynamics of glaciers, mostly in polar regions. After coming to UNE in 2022, I initiated research on coastal landscapes (beaches and marshes) in southern Maine, most impacted by sea level rise. I enjoy collaborating on research projects with colleagues around the world. I use various computer science, geophysical, and geographic research methods to understand how our planet is changing.

I completed my B.S. in Earth Sciences at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania (2016). My thesis improved the record of ice cap change at Nevada Coropuna, Peru, to help better forecast future changes in tropical water supply. I went onto the University of Maine for my M.S. (2019), where my research focused on understanding surges (instabilities) of Donjek Glacier, Yukon, since the 1930s. At the University of Ottawa my PhD dissertation (2022) focused on quantifying the mass loss and area change of all glaciers that met or meet the ocean in the Northern Hemisphere from 2000 to 2020. My previous research expeditions have taken me to some of the most amazing places on this planet including Alaska, Arctic Canada, Svalbard, Peru, Iceland, Norway, Greenland, Nepal, and most amazing on all, coastal Maine.