Dr. Jennifer Koch

EPSCoR Research Focus: 
EPSCoR Research Focus: Forecasting System * Decision-Support System
Assistant Professor
Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability
University of Oklahoma
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Education: 
Diplom (Univ.) | Geoecology | University of Bayreuth, Germany | 2005
Ph.D. | Environmental Systems Engineering | University of Kassel, Germany | 2010
Research Interests: 

Dr. Jennifer Koch’s primary research interest is in the development of integrated approaches for modeling and analysis of coupled human-natural systems with applications for natural resource management, conservation planning, and sustainability solutions.  Within the Oklahoma NSF EPSCoR project she works on spatially explicit, integrated modeling of land-use and land cover change in Oklahoma under climate variability and change.

Dr. Koch received her Ph.D. in Environmental Systems Engineering from the University of Kassel, Germany, where she advanced an application of the LandSHIFT land-use and land-cover change model for the Jordan River region. Dr. Koch also holds a Diplom (Univ.) in Geoecology from the University of Bayreuth, Germany, where she studied ecological modeling and agricultural ecology. Before joining the University of Oklahoma, she was involved in several interdisciplinary research projects such as the Forest, People, Fire project, which focused on interactions, dynamics and adaptation in fire-prone landscapes of the eastern Cascades of Oregon or the GLOWA Jordan River project, which provided scientific support for sustainable water management in the Jordan River region. 

Photo credit: Becky Kirkland, NCSU

Research Assistants Funded by EPSCoR: 

Claude Buerger (Graduate Student)
Dept. of Geography and Environmental Sustainability, University of Oklahoma 
Research Focus:  Developing a land-use and land-cover change model for Oklahoma.
Email:  [email protected]

Key Publications: 
  • Koch, J., Schaldach, R. & Köchy, M. (2008). Modeling the impacts of grazing land management on land-use change for the Jordan River region. Global and Planetary Change64(3), 177-187.
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  • Lapola, D. M., Schaldach, R., Alcamo, J., Bondeau, A., Koch, J., Koelking, C. & Priess, J. A. (2010). Indirect land-use changes can overcome carbon savings from biofuels in Brazil. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences107(8), 3388-3393.
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  • Schaldach, R., Koch, J., Aus der Beek, T., Kynast, E. & Flörke, M. (2012). Current and future irrigation water requirements in pan-Europe: An integrated analysis of socio-economic and climate scenarios. Global and Planetary Change94, 33-45.
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Curriculum Vitae: