Featured member, September 2025: Mohammad Kakooei
Hi Mohammad! Tell us about yourself and your work.
I am a researcher at the AI and Global Development Lab with a background in Electronics and Computer Engineering, where I specialized in Machine Learning (ML). Over time, I defined my research path by applying ML to Earth Observation (EO), using AI and satellite data to address societal and environmental challenges such as poverty estimation, disaster management, large-scale time-series analysis, and urbanization studies.
One of the aspects of my research is developing scalable and trustworthy AI models for EO applications, with a particular focus on addressing uncertainties caused by survey data, satellite acquisition, and environmental factors. Recently, I have been working on integrating deep learning with EO data to improve mapping of urban and rural areas in Africa and to better understand the socio-economic impacts of climate change.
Before joining Linköping University, I worked at KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Chalmers University of Technology, and have also collaborated internationally with partners including Harvard University. My long-term vision is to establish a research lab dedicated to advancing AI-EO applications for sustainability and supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Any opportunities or collaborations you’re looking for at the moment?
I am eager to collaborate on projects that integrate deep learning, EO, and socio-economic research to better understand and predict the impacts of climate change. Working with interdisciplinary teams is very valuable as it bring together climate scientists, policy makers, and AI researchers to ensure that technology effectively supports informed decision-making. Specifically, I see great opportunities in (a) Developing AI-driven frameworks for climate resilience and disaster risk reduction. (b) Advancing methods for uncertainty quantification in EO-based ML models. (c) Expanding time-series EO studies, for example in monitoring wetlands, croplands, and urban growth, to capture long-term environmental and socio-economic dynamics.
Where can people reach you?
Please feel free to reach out through my email and LinkedIn.
Email: mohammad.kakooei@liu.se