Agricultural and Life Sciences (IFAS)
Chang Zhao Lab
Led by Chang Zhao · Agronomy
What we study
The Zhao Lab studies how nature benefits human societies using machine learning, remote sensing, and GIS. They combine data from fields, satellites, and social media to assess ecosystem services like food and climate regulation.
What working here is like
- Computational
- No organisms (data only)
- Coding required
- Projects
- 3
- Papers
- 5
Current projects
Quantifying ecosystem services
Using AI and geospatial tools to track how nature supports human activities across urban and rural areas.
Socioeconomic drivers of ecosystem services
Analyzing census and social media data to understand how human behavior affects nature's benefits.
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Project Modelling spatial relationships and disparities in the supply and flows of aesthetic green views as a cultural ecosystem service
The project measures street‑level green views in Tampa, FL using Google Street View images and cell‑phone movement data. It finds that people’s access to green views differs by neighborhood and that visiting green spaces can reduce these disparities.
From the Spring 2025 UF Undergraduate Research Symposium · abstract book, p. 296
Summaries are written by AI in plain language from public symposium abstracts and may be imperfect.
Recent papers, explained
- Reverse-Time SAM2 Mask Propagation for Scalable Labeling and Early Detection of Wildfire Smoke
2026 · Remote Sensing
Uses AI to label wildfire smoke in videos for early detection.
- Event-Based Decentralized Approach of Root Zone Soil Moisture Increase Dynamics
2026 · Air Soil and Water Research
Models soil moisture increases after water events using an event-based approach.
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- Spatiotemporal controls on soil organic carbon stocks in subtropical grazing lands: An uncertainty-aware digital soil mapping approach
2026 · Geoderma
Maps soil carbon in Florida grazing lands using a new method that accounts for uncertainty.
- Beta-diversity of urban vegetation shapes microbial heterogeneity and maintains healthy environment
2026 · Nature Communications
Shows how tree diversity in cities affects airborne microbes and health.
- Generative AI for urban planning: Designing streetscapes from street-view imagery using diffusion models
2026 · Environment and Planning B Urban Analytics and City Science
Creates generative AI models to design streetscapes from street-view imagery.
Plain-language summaries are AI-written and reviewed by us; check the paper for details.
How to reach out
Chang Zhao hasn't set up this page yet. Their UF Scholars profile lists their publications.