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About

Dr. Duong Cao Phan is a Research Scientist at University College Dublin, working at the intersection of AI, Earth observation, geospatial science, and climate resilience. His work focuses on building practical, deployable solutions for environmental monitoring, ecosystem conservation, and sustainable agriculture, especially in Vietnam and other climate-vulnerable contexts. His current profile combines technical leadership, applied research, and stakeholder engagement across government, NGOs, academia, and local field partners. He has 15+ years of experience in sustainable environmental science, applied AI, and geospatial technology, with a track record spanning remote sensing, land-cover mapping, disaster risk reduction, carbon-related ecosystem assessment, and climate adaptation. He has contributed to major high-impact initiatives, including JAXA land-cover mapping, AIMVIE on AI-enabled mangrove monitoring and blue carbon, and AiRRVie on AI-based climate-resilient rice farming. My work is not limited to model development: he helps multidisciplinary teams, translate user needs into product and research requirements, guide MVP development, and help align technical systems with operational realities and adoption pathways. Recent work has especially strengthened my profile as a research-to-deployment leader. In AIMVIE, he helped the technical development and stakeholder engagement workflow for an AI-enabled mangrove monitoring solution, including an automated satellite-data pipeline and a web-based monitoring platform for mangrove extent, change, and hotspot visualization. In AiRRVie, he helps the technical development and stakeholder engagement for an AI advisory solution for climate-resilient rice farming, translating farmer and institutional needs into practical decision-support tools around weather and salinity risk, pests and diseases, fertilizer and water management, and inclusive deployment design. Alongside project leadership, he is a published researcher with 25+ peer-reviewed papers, an experienced mentor and supervisor, and a collaborator with international institutions including JAXA. He is particularly interested in roles where he can lead applied AI and geospatial innovation from scientific concept to real-world impact.


Education

YearDegreeInstitutionGrade/Programme
2022Ph.D. in Environmental SciencesUniversity of Tsukuba, JapanHigh Distinction (Dual programme in Sustainability Science, Technology and Policy and Sustainable Environmental Studies; minors in remote sensing and machine learning)
2018M.S. in Environmental SciencesUniversity of Tsukuba, JapanHigh Distinction (Dual programme in Sustainability Science, Technology and Policy and Sustainable Environmental Studies; minors in remote sensing and machine learning)
2010B.S. in Civil EngineeringThuy Loi University, VietnamDistinction

Appointments

PeriodPosition
2023-presentResearch Scientist, Ireland’s Centre for Applied AI, School of Computer Science, University College Dublin
2016-2022Teaching/Research Assistant & Collaborator at University of Tsukuba and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), Japan
2010-2015National/International Consultant and Researcher, Vietnam Academy for Water Resources, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam