Abhiram S.P. Pamula

Environmental Hydrologist Freshwater Systems Remote Sensing AI/ML

I am an Environmental Hydrologist and Earth-System Scientist and currently a Postdoctoral Researcher at Baylor University. My research focuses on interactions among hydrologic processes, water quality, physical habitat, and freshwater ecosystems across streams, reservoirs, watersheds, and managed landscapes.

My work integrates field observations, satellite and UAV/USV remote sensing, GIS, hydrologic and water-quality modeling, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and environmental data science to understand environmental change across spatial scales and develop scalable approaches for sustainable water and ecosystem management.

Research Areas

  • Freshwater Biodiversity & Physical Habitat
    Understanding relationships among stream geophysical diversity, aquatic habitat, hydrologic processes, and freshwater biodiversity across spatial scales.

  • Hydrology & Water-Quality Modeling
    Applying process-based and data-driven models to understand watershed processes, water-quality dynamics, and environmental responses to changing hydrologic conditions.

  • Harmful Algal Blooms & Reservoir Water Quality
    Integrating field measurements, remote sensing, unmanned systems, and predictive modeling for monitoring harmful algal blooms, turbidity, and other water-quality indicators.

  • Remote Sensing & Unmanned Systems
    Using satellite imagery, UAVs, USVs, multispectral sensors, and geospatial analysis for environmental monitoring across reservoirs, watersheds, and urban infrastructure.

  • Green Stormwater Infrastructure
    Developing remote sensing and machine-learning approaches for monitoring vegetation condition, invasive species, and maintenance needs in distributed stormwater systems.

  • Artificial Intelligence & Environmental Data Science
    Applying machine learning, explainable AI, unsupervised learning, and large environmental datasets to improve environmental monitoring, prediction, and decision support.

Education

  • Ph.D. in Civil Engineering
    Oklahoma State University, 2022

  • M.S. in Environmental Engineering
    Cleveland State University, 2018

  • B.Tech. in Civil Engineering
    Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar, 2014

Professional Experience

Postdoctoral Researcher | Baylor University | 2025–Present

  • Conduct freshwater quantity and water-quality modeling and remote sensing of water systems, aquatic habitats, and infrastructure.
  • Develop AI/ML, GIS, and large environmental dataset workflows for detecting macroinvertebrates and assessing freshwater ecosystem conditions.
  • Integrate field observations, satellite and UAV imagery, sensor measurements, and environmental databases across stream, reservoir, and watershed systems.
  • Support research through data QA/QC, instrument and data workflows, student mentoring, manuscript development, and proposal activities.

Postdoctoral Researcher | Marquette University | 2023–2025

  • Led remote sensing and AI-based analyses of green stormwater infrastructure, invasive vegetation stress, and urban water infrastructure condition.
  • Processed UAV and satellite imagery and applied supervised and unsupervised machine-learning approaches for infrastructure and vegetation classification.
  • Contributed to field monitoring, environmental data analysis, manuscript development, and national conference presentations.

Postdoctoral Researcher | Oklahoma State University | 2022–2023

  • Modeled harmful algal blooms in freshwater reservoirs using remote sensing, watershed modeling, and unmanned monitoring systems.
  • Integrated field water-quality observations with UAV/USV data and process- and data-driven modeling to support reservoir monitoring and forecasting.
  • Contributed to interdisciplinary grant writing, manuscript development, and water-quality research collaborations.

Publications

Manuscripts Under Review

  1. Abhiram S.P. Pamula, Mark J. Krzmarzick, David J. Lampert, Jamey Jacob, Keith Loftin, Saurav Kumar, and Walter McDonald.
    “Monitoring Harmful Algal Blooms in Freshwater Reservoirs Using a Multiscale Approach.”
    Journal of Hydroinformatics. Under review.

  2. Abhiram S.P. Pamula and Ryan A. McManamay.
    “Stream Geophysical Diversity as an Analogue of Freshwater Fish Biodiversity.”
    Global Ecology and Biogeography. Under review.

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

  1. Md Sakib, Omar Hegazy, Abhiram S.P. Pamula, and Walter McDonald. (2026).
    “Machine Learning in Urban Stormwater Management: A Review.”
    Environmental Modelling & Software.
    DOI

  2. Abhiram S.P. Pamula, Negin Zamani, Isael E. Gonzalez, Kalyani Reddy Mallepally, Sevda Akbari, and Mohammad Hadi Bazrkar. (2026).
    “Assessment of Non-Linear Lag Effects of Drought on Sectoral Stock Returns Using a Histogram Gradient Boosting Autoregressive Approach.”
    Climate, 14(2), 57.
    DOI

  3. Abhiram S.P. Pamula, Mark J. Krzmarzick, Muwanika Jdiobe, Jamey D. Jacob, and David J. Lampert. (2025).
    “Development of Low-Cost USV Operated with Open-Source Software for Bathymetry Mapping.”
    Journal of Hydrologic Engineering.
    DOI

  4. Yaser Sabzevari, Saeid Eslamian, Abhiram S.P. Pamula, and Mohammad Hadi Bazrkar. (2025).
    “Drought Trend Analysis Using Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index in Cold-Climate Regions.”
    Atmosphere, 16(4), 482.
    DOI

  5. Abhiram S.P. Pamula, Mark J. Krzmarzick, Hamed Gholizadeh, William E. Mausbach, and David J. Lampert. (2023).
    “A Remote Sensing Tool for Near Real-Time Monitoring of Harmful Algal Blooms and Turbidity in Reservoirs.”
    Journal of the American Water Resources Association.
    DOI

  6. Abhiram S.P. Pamula, David J. Lampert, and Hasan K. Atiyeh. (2021).
    “Well-to-Wake Analysis of Switchgrass to Jet Fuel via a Novel Co-Fermentation of Sugars and CO₂.”
    Science of the Total Environment, 782, 146770.
    DOI

  7. Abhiram S.P. Pamula, Yung-Tse Hung, and Howard H. Paul. (2021).
    “Utilization of Agro-Based Adsorbents in Binary Wastewater Treatment.”
    Journal of Environmental Science and Pollution Research.
    DOI

  8. Abhiram S.P. Pamula, Yung-Tse Hung, and Howard H. Paul. (2020).
    “Treatment of Combined Acid Black 48 and Coffee Wastewater by Low-Cost Adsorbents.”
    Environmental Research, Engineering and Management, 76(3), 47–61.
    DOI

  9. Abhiram S.P. Pamula, Yung-Tse Hung, and Howard H. Paul. (2020).
    “Treatment of Combined Disperse Yellow 3 and Coffee Wastewater by Low-Cost Agro-Based Adsorbents.”
    DOI

Book Chapters

  1. Vinila Vasam, Achyuth Ravilla, Saisanthosh Vamshi Harsha Madiraju, Abhiram S.P. Pamula, and Bhuvan Vemuri. (2026).
    “Membranes for Microbial Fuel Cells.”
    In Membrane Technologies for Biohydrogen Production and Purification, Chapter 13, pp. 357–399. Elsevier.
    DOI

  2. Saisantosh Vamshi Harsha Madiraju and Abhiram S.P. Pamula. (2021).
    “A Qualitative Examination of Applications and Treatment Technologies of Brackish Water.”
    In Removal of Pollutants from Saline Water. CRC Press.
    DOI

Conference Proceedings

  1. Saisantosh Vamshi Harsha Madiraju and Abhiram S.P. Pamula. (2026).
    “Modeling Long-Term Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recovery and Landfill Burden in the USA.”
    Environmental and Earth Sciences Proceedings, 45(1), 8.
    DOI

  2. Abhiram S.P. Pamula, Achyuth Ravilla, and Saisantosh Vamshi Harsha Madiraju. (2022).
    “Applications of the Internet of Things (IoT) in Real-Time Monitoring of Contaminants in the Air, Water, and Soil.”
    Engineering Proceedings, 27(1), 26.
    DOI

Selected Conference Presentations

  1. Abhiram S.P. Pamula and Ryan McManamay.
    “Do Geophysical Habitat Types and Their Network-Scale Diversity Predict Fish Species Richness Across Freshwater Ecoregions?”
    Society for Freshwater Science Annual Meeting, May 2026.

  2. Omar Hegazy, Walter McDonald, and Abhiram S.P. Pamula.
    “Remote Sensing and Machine Learning for Green Stormwater Infrastructure Condition Assessment.”
    AGU Fall Meeting, December 2025.

  3. Abhiram S.P. Pamula, Omar Hegazy, and Walter McDonald.
    “Classification of Green Stormwater Infrastructure Using Remote Sensing and Unsupervised Learning.”
    World Environmental & Water Resources Congress, May 2025.

  4. Abhiram S.P. Pamula, Omar Hegazy, and Walter McDonald.
    “Detection and Mapping of Invasive Plant Species in Urban Stormwater Infrastructure Using Remote Sensing.”
    CSDMS Annual Meeting: Exploring Earth’s Surface with Models, Data & AI, May 2025.

  5. Abhiram S.P. Pamula, Omar Hegazy, and Walter McDonald.
    “Data-Driven Monitoring of Green Stormwater Infrastructure Using Remote Sensing and AI Techniques.”
    AGU Fall Meeting, December 2024.

  6. Abhiram S.P. Pamula and Walter McDonald.
    “Assessment of Invasive Plant Stress on Green Urban Stormwater Infrastructure Using Remote Sensing and Machine Learning.”
    World Environmental & Water Resources Congress, May 2024.

  7. Abhiram S.P. Pamula, David J. Lampert, Jamey Jacob, and Mark J. Krzmarzick.
    “Understanding Harmful Algal Blooms Using Unmanned Systems and Water Quality Models.”
    December 2022.

  8. Abhiram S.P. Pamula and David J. Lampert.
    “Water Quality Monitoring and Modeling Using Unmanned Systems.”
    Virtual HAB Symposium, January 2022.

  9. Abhiram S.P. Pamula, Muwanika Jdiobe, David J. Lampert, Jamey Jacob, and Mark J. Krzmarzick.
    “Monitoring Harmful Algal Blooms in Marion and Grand Reservoirs Using Unmanned Systems.”
    AGU Fall Meeting, December 2021.

  10. Abhiram S.P. Pamula, David J. Lampert, and Hasan K. Atiyeh.
    “Life Cycle Assessment of Switchgrass to Jet Fuel via a Novel Co-Fermentation of Sugars and Gas.”
    ASABE Annual International Meeting, July 2021.

  11. Abhiram S.P. Pamula, David J. Lampert, and Hasan K. Atiyeh.
    “Well-to-Wake Analysis of Switchgrass to Butanol Via Co-Fermentation of Sugar and Gas with Subsequent Conversion to Jet Fuel.”
    AIChE Annual Meeting, November 2019.

Teaching & Mentoring

My teaching and mentoring interests bridge environmental engineering, hydrology, remote sensing, environmental data science, and artificial intelligence.

Teaching Experience

  • Environmental Chemistry for Engineers (CIVE 2081)
    Oklahoma State University, Spring 2022 and Fall 2022

Courses of Interest

  • AI and Data Science for Environmental Systems
  • Environmental Data Science
  • Remote Sensing for Natural Resources
  • Hydroinformatics
  • Water Quality Modeling
  • Machine Learning for Environmental Systems
  • Watershed Hydrology
  • Green Stormwater Infrastructure and Nature-Based Water Treatment
  • Environmental Chemistry

My mentoring experience includes remote sensing workflows, field water-quality monitoring, Python and GIS processing, sensor and UAV/USV data handling, and manuscript and presentation development.

Professional Service

Peer Reviewer

  • Advances in Space Research
  • Journal of the American Water Resources Association
  • Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment
  • Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances
  • Environmental Science & Technology

Editorial Activity

  • Handling Editor, International Journal of Environment and Waste Management
  • Handling Editor, International Journal of Environmental Engineering

Professional Memberships

  • American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
  • American Geophysical Union (AGU)

Research Profiles

Research at the intersection of hydrology, freshwater ecosystems, remote sensing, and environmental data science. ```