My Profile

I am a Professor of Ecosystem Modeling & Solon & Martha Dixon Endowed Professor at College of Forestry, Wildlife, and Environment (CFWE), Auburn University. I am a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and Fellow of the Association of American Geographers (AAG). I am the recipient of the 2023 Distinguished Scholarship Honors from the Association of American Geographers (AAG). I am recognized to be on the “World’s Top 2% Scientists list (2024)” by Stanford Elsevier. Currently I am the President of the International Association for Landscape Ecology (IALE–North America).

Research Interests

My research focuses on data science, applied spatial statistics, artificial intelligence, and applications in complex human-environment systems. Complexity theory, landscape ecology, geographic information science, and other relevant domain knowledge leverage theoretical, methodological, and empirical support toward this goal. My approach features digital visualization and representation, space-time analysis, and micro-level modeling and simulation.

Visit my Google Scholar Site , ResearchGate profile, or CHES Group website for more information. Inquiries can be sent to anli@auburn.edu. For other information visit Dr. An's website at CFWE.

Past honors and awards

Most Recent Honors and Awards

September 2024: I am recognized to be listed on Stanford University’s “World’s Top 2% Scientists list” in 2024. This list provides a prestigious ranking that brings forth the most influential researchers in the world in a broad range of scientific fields.

March 2023: I am honored to be elected to be President-Elect of the International Association of Landscape Ecology - North America (IALE-NA). I will be the president of IALE-NA during 2024-2026.

January 2023: I am honored to receive the 2023 Distinguished Scholarship Honors from the American Association of Geographers (AAG). SDSU Weekly Newsletter for Faculty and Staff announced this great news. Many leaders, colleagues, and students congratulated Dr. An for this recognition. More information from AAG is here.

Past honors and awards

More about my research

My work seeks to integrate multidisciplinary (e.g., ecological, geomorphological, sociopolitical, demographic, economic), type-varying (e.g., qualitative and quantitative), and multi-scale (time, space, organizational) data and models. Recent projects have focused on agent-based modeling, statistical methods and algorithms, modeling of human decisions, hazard (e.g., wildfire, invasive species) analysis, land change processes and mechanisms, and reciprocal human-environment relationships under the computational human-environment science framework. My research also features quantitative methods and metrics for space-time analysis and modeling.

The book published recently