Bryan Mann, PhD
Bryan Mann is an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Kansas. He received his Ph.D. in Educational Theory and Policy from Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Mann’s research centers on issues of geography and educational policy. This work revolves around a few simple questions with complex answers and profound implications: Where do children enroll in school, and what drives these trends? What policy mechanisms shape enrollment patterns to enhance educational and social equity? These motivating questions have led Dr. Mann to research several education policy areas, including enrollment patterns as they relate to segregation and diversity, school choice, and alternative models of education. Before joining the faculty at the University of Kansas, Dr. Mann was an assistant professor at the University of Alabama. He started his career as a high school English teacher at Communications High School in Monmouth County, New Jersey.
Annah Rogers, PhD
Annah Rogers received a PhD in Political Science with a concentration in public policy and administration at the University of Alabama. Her work focuses on the impacts of school choice on levels of school segregation. Her dissertation is titled Opening the Door? How Contemporary School Choice Policy in Alabama Operates in an Educational Landscape Marred by Historic Racial Tensions.
Kenneth Ekpetere, PhD Student
Kenneth Ekpetere is a PhD Geography student with passion in mapping technologies and data analytical tools such as ArcGIS, R, and Python. Kenneth obtained his bachelor’s degree in Geography from the University of Abuja, Nigeria in 2017, where he used mapping techniques to study urban population dynamics and concentrations. In 2021 summer, He obtained his master’s degree from KU Geography developing alternative methods for computing PMPs from IMERG satellite necessary for flood mapping. Kenneth’s hobbies are soccer, basketball, and traveling.
Chen Liang, PhD Student
Chen Liang is a PhD student in the Department of Geography and Atmospheric Science at University of Kansas. She received her MSc. in international planning and development from Cardiff University, UK. Liang’s research centers on combining remote sensing data with hydrologic model to monitor water quality through machine learning algorithms. In addition, she is interested in the application of geospatial technology, methods, and tools for the mapping of vegetation dynamics.
Titus, Maxwell, Master’s Student
Titus, Maxwell is a geographer specializing in geographic science with a focus on the integration of GIS in human and political geography. He is from Charlottesville, Virginia, received his bachelor’s degree from James Madison University (JMU), and will receive his master’s degree from the University of Kansas (KU). Since 2018, Titus’s professional background has primarily involved supporting the U.S. federal government as a contracted geospatial analyst and developer, and separately, his academic research has been centered on analyzing the United States urban-rural political divide. Outside of work, he is passionate about long-distance running, exploring new cultures, and playing strategy games. Titus is always eager to apply his GIS expertise and support geospatial projects that will help and improve society as a whole.