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Azad Rasul

Assistant Professor

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About Me

Driven by a passion for understanding global and local environmental issues, I bring over 16 years of experience in remote sensing, GIS, and programming to my research and teaching. I hold a PhD in Geography from the University of Leicester and have published over 50 peer-reviewed articles in journals like The Lancet and The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

At Soran University, I serve as an Assistant Professor, specializing in teaching and mentoring students in remote sensing and GIS. Additionally, I collaborate on research with the Global Burden of Disease at IHME (UW). I hold certifications in forest mapping and air pollution monitoring from NASA. Moreover, I instruct e-learning courses in Python and R programming.

Seeking new opportunities in academia or industry that align with my expertise and mission to advance environmental knowledge and solutions.

Experience

Soran University

Assistant Professor of Remote Sensing

• Revamped the lectures and syllabus, enhancing student engagement and learning outcomes.

• Taught postgraduate and undergraduate courses in Applied Programming in Remote Sensing, Remote Sensing, Climate, and Applied Climatology.

• Supervised ongoing PhD projects (2 monitoring and harvesting water), completed PhD (2 agriculture and drought monitoring), and completed Master projects (3 about precipitation, temperature, and water).

• Developed the Soil Moisture and Evapotranspiration Revealed Drought Index.

Udemy

E-learning Instructor (Freelance)

• Created courses like "Python for Scientific Research: From Beginner to Advanced" and "How To Use R Programming for Research."

• Courses have been successful with over 22,000 students from 166 countries enrolled.

University of Leicester and Copernicus Global Land Service

Project Assistant (part-time)

• Assessed the quality of a global burned area product.

• Handled data, coded in Google Earth Engine, and wrote technical reports.

University of Leicester

PhD Student Researcher

• Developed three remote sensing indices (Dry Built-up Index, Dry Bare-soil Index, Normalized Ratio Scale).

• Published four papers derived from the thesis in high-impact journals.

Education

University of Leicester

September 2013 - December 2016

PhD in Geography (Remote Sensing)

Relevant Coursework: Remote Sensing, GIS, R Programming.

Luhansk Taras Shevchenko National University

September 2008 - June 2009

Master in Geography (Climate)

Relevant Coursework: Using computer technology in scientific and educational activities, Thematic cartography and computer map manufacture, Natural resources use and preservation.

Salahaddin University

September 1996 - July 2000

BA in Geography

Relevant Coursework: Geographical statistics, Cartography, Remote sensing, Agricultural geography.

Projects

pylst project image

pylst

A Python Package for processing Land Surface Temperature (LST) data.

Features: Comprehensive processing tools for Landsat LST data. Flexible visualization methods for analyzing temperature data. Easy-to-use functions to compute and manipulate temperature-related indices.

View Project
Python and R for researchers project image

Python and R for researchers

Learn how to use Python and R for scientific research in this practical tutorial. You'll discover how to apply Python to your research projects with hands-on exercises and real-world examples.

View Project

Publications

2024

A GIS-Based Method for Identifying Rainwater Harvesting: A Case Study of Sulaimanyah Governorate, Iraq

Authors: Faqe Ibrahim, Khzr, Rasul, Saed, Hamid, Galalaey

Journal: Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management

2023

Global burden of cardiovascular diseases and risks, 1990-2022

Authors: George, and Global Burden of Cardiovascular Diseases and Risks Collaborators

Journal: Journal of the American College of Cardiology

Assessment of Surface Runoff and Suitability for Rain Water Harvesting in the Greater Zab Basin Using the NRCS-CN and AHP Methods

Authors: Omar, Rasul, Ali

Journal: Polytechnic Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

Improving crop classification accuracy with integrated Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 data: a case study of barley and wheat

Authors: GR Faqe Ibrahim, A Rasul, H Abdullah

Journal: Journal of Geovisualization and Spatial Analysis

Assessing how irrigation practices and soil moisture affect crop growth through monitoring Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 data

Authors: GRF Ibrahim, A Rasul, H Abdullah

Journal: Environmental monitoring and assessment

Sentinel-2 accurately estimated wheat yield in a semi-arid region compared with Landsat 8

Authors: GR Faqe Ibrahim, A Rasul, H Abdullah

Journal: International Journal of Remote Sensing

2022

Global mortality associated with 33 bacterial pathogens in 2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Authors: KS Ikuta, GBD 2019 Antimicrobial Resistance Collaborators

Journal: The Lancet

Meteorological drought in semi-arid regions: A case study of Iran

Authors: H Hamarash, R Hamad, A Rasul

Journal: Journal of Arid Land

Experimental Study of Ambient Air Quality Assessment During Oil Well Drilling

Authors: RR Hamadamin, LW Omer, A Rasul

Journal: Aerosol Science and Engineering

Adolescent transport and unintentional injuries: a systematic analysis using the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Authors: AE Peden, P Cullen, KL Francis, A Rasul et al.

Journal: The Lancet Public Health

Remote sensing of tropical vegetation properties in response to fire return time

Authors: R Ningthoujam, N Prestes, Andrade, Carniello, Coetsee, M Harrison, A Rasul

Journal: EGU General Assembly 2022

Injury burden in individuals aged 50 years or older in the Eastern Mediterranean region, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Authors: S Al-Hajj, SH Farran, AM Sibai, RR Hamadeh, V Rahimi-Movaghar, A Rasul et al.

Journal: The Lancet Healthy Longevity

Spatial distribution modeling of the wild boar (Sus scrofa) under current and future climate conditions in Iraq

Authors: NR Khwarahm, K Ararat, BA HamadAmin, PM Najmaddin, A Rasul

Journal: Biologia

2021

Dramatically increase of built-up area in Iraq during the last four decades

Authors: A Rasul, HM Hameed, GRF Ibrahim

Journal: Advanced Remote Sensing

Comparing the accuracies of forecasting models from the time series data of COVID-19 infection in Nigeria

Authors: I Sa’ad, A Rasul, MS Ozigis, B Adamu

Journal: European Journal of Public Health Studies

Snow cover and vegetation greenness with leaf water content control the global land surface temperature

Authors: A Rasul, R Ningthoujam

Journal: Environment, Development and Sustainability

Evaluating the accuracy of spectral indices from Sentinel-2 data for estimating forest biomass in urban areas of the tropical savanna

Authors: B Adamu, A Rasul, SJ Whanda, P Headboy, I Muhammed, IA Maiha

Journal: Remote Sensing Applications: Society and Environment

A GIS-based Boolean logic-analytical hierarchy process for solar power plant (case study: Erbil Governorate—Iraq)

Authors: GRF Ibrahim, AA Hamid, UM Darwesh, A Rasul

Journal: Environment, Development and Sustainability

Optimal site selection for landfill using the boolean-analytical hierarchy process

Authors: KW Mahmood, BO Khzr, RM Othman, A Rasul, SA Ali, GRF Ibrahim

Journal: Environmental Earth Sciences

2020

Land Surface Temperature Anomalies Detection for the Strong Earthquakes in 2018

Authors: A Rasul, LW Omar

Journal: ARO-The Scientific Journal of Koya University

A trend of increasing burned areas in Iraq from 2001 to 2019

Authors: A Rasul, GRF Ibrahim, HM Hameed, K Tansey

Journal: Environment Development and Sustainability

Effects of Land Cover Change on Surface Runoff Using GIS and Remote Sensing: a Case Study Duhok Sub-Basin

Authors: HH Hameed, G Ibrahim, A Rasul

Journal: in: Environmental Remote Sensing and GIS in Iraq

2019

An investigation into the location of the crashed aircraft through the use of free satellite images

Authors: A Rasul

Journal: PFG–Journal of Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Geoinformation Science

Multi-model tourist forecasting: case study of Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Authors: A Rasul, A Dewana, N Saed

Journal: Tourism and Travelling

Suitable site selection for rainwater harvesting and storage case study using Dohuk Governorate

Authors: GRF Ibrahim, A Rasul, A Ali Hamid, ZF Ali, AA Dewana

Journal: Water

Water quality effects on kidney diseases in the slums area of Erbil city, Iraq

Authors: SMN SAED, GR FAQE, A RASUL

Journal: lnternational Journal of Geography and Geography Education

2018

Applying built-up and bare-soil indices from Landsat 8 to cities in dry climates

Authors: A Rasul, H Balzter, GRF Ibrahim, HM Hameed, J Wheeler, B Adamu, S Ibrahim, P Najmaddin

Journal: Land

Urban land systems: an ecosystems perspective

Authors: M Kopecká, H Nagendra, A Millington, A Rasul

Journal: Land

2017

A review on remote sensing of urban heat and cool islands

Authors: A Rasul, H Balzter, C Smith, J Remedios, B Adamu, JA Sobrino

Journal: Land

2016

2015

Skills

  • JavaScript
  • Python
  • R
  • GIS
  • Remote Sensing
  • Climate
  • Programming
  • Research
  • Science
  • Data Analysis
  • Statistics
  • Cartography
  • Sustainability
  • Spatial Analysis
  • Anaytics
  • Environmental Science
  • Google Earth Engine
  • Microsoft Office
  • Problem Solving
  • Time Management
  • Lecturing
  • Qualitative Research
  • Teamwork
  • Management
  • Critical Thinking
  • Innovation
  • Creativity
  • Adaptability
  • Collaboration
  • Deal with Complexity
  • Earth Observation
  • Image Analysis
  • ENVI
  • Precision Agriculture
  • Agriculture Monitoring

Get in Touch

You can reach me at: azad.rasul(at)soran.edu.iq