Fangzheng Lyu

Fangzheng Lyu

Assistant Professor at Virginia Tech

Fangzheng Lyu, PhD

I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography at Virginia Tech and Director of GeoCompute Lab. I received a Ph.D. in Geography, an M.S. in Geography from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and a B.E. in Computer Engineering from the University of Hong Kong. I currently serve as Chair for the Cyberinfrastructure Specialty Group at the American Association of Geographers and on the editorial board for the Annals of the American Association of Geographers. My research program has been funded by United States National Science Foundation, Virginia Center for Health Innovation, NSF ACCESS and Virginia Tech; see my ongoing and past projects.

I develops scalable geospatial computing and AI methods to transform big spatial data into actionable knowledge for environmental, societal, and infrastructure challenges. Specifically, my research work focuses on: 1) Computational Urban Geography. I apply geospatial computing to understand how cities change and how urban environments affect people. Integrating geospatial computing, advanced modeling (e.g., AI, large-scale simulation) and heterogeneous geospatial urban big data (e.g., street view imagery, satellite observations, sensor networks, VGI data), we investigate different urban dynamics topics (e.g., urban changes, heat exposure, spatial accessibility); 2) Efficient and Scalable Geospatial Algorithm/Model. I develop and optimize algorithms for computational-intensive geospatial problems. By integrating spatial algorithm design, AI, and advanced cyberinfrastructure, I improve how geospatial data are processed, analyzed, and modeled; and 3) Geocomputing Infrastructure. I investigate the cyberinfrastructure and data infrastructure needed to support scalable geospatial research. My work examines how computing resources, data formats, storage systems, and software environments support the management and analysis of large, diverse geospatial datasets and develop open-source tools and reproducible workflows to make advanced geospatial computing more efficient and accessible.

I am actively recruiting undergraduate, Master’s, and PhD students to join my group. I am looking for motivated PhD students in Geospatial Data Science and GeoAI to join in Fall 2027 (fully funded by Research Assistantship) & master's students in Spring & Fall 2027 (fully funded by Teaching Assistantship). Please contact me at fangzheng@vt.edu if you are interested.

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