I am a geography professor at Old Dominion University. I’m fortunate to follow my passion conducting research and teaching in coastal geography, environmental management and resilience, applied Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and remote sensing.

I have directed various GIS/remote sensing laboratories at ODU and East Carolina University, developed educational certificate programs in coastal and GIS applications, led the ECU Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI) Engagement Center, GIScience Center, and the ECU Coastal and Marine Studies Interdisciplinary Minor (COAS.) At Old Dominion, I led the creation of our Certificate in Geographic Information Science, Certificate in Spatial Analysis of Coastal Environments (SpACE), and the M.S. in Data Science and Analytics’ Geospatial Analysis Concentration.  I have also crafted the new general education courses such as GEOG 102T Digital Earth: Geospatial Science, Technology and Society.

My research and management experiences include service to the American Association of Geographers (AAG) Coastal and Marine Specialty Group and Remote Sensing Specialty Groups.  I chaired the Policy Board and currently co-chair the Citizens Advisory Committee of the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership (APNEP.)  I am Program Head for Sea Level Rise and Climate Science in the ODU Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience (ICAR) and senior fellow with the Commonwealth Center for Recurrent Flooding Resiliency (CCRFR.) In 2023 colleagues in the College of Arts and Letters honored me by awarding the Charles O. and Elizabeth C. Burgess Award for faculty research and creativity.

Besides being a professor, I am also an ODU alum (Bachelor of Science in Geography with Geology minor) and UNC-Chapel Hill (Ph.D. in Geography), and I studied abroad (undergrad exchange to the University of the South Pacific, Fiji Islands, School of Social and Economic Development.) In 2003, I was a Fulbright Faculty Scholar to the Department of Geography, University of Turku, in Finland.  My environmental interests are wide, spanning mountain and subarctic forest environments, beaches and barrier islands, estuaries and coastal hazards, and geospatial technology to foster environmental sustainability.  I enjoy learning on the frontiers of technology applications, whether it is drones and sensors, cloud-based GIS computation, or quantitative and mixed methods approaches to sustainability. I am keen on student-centered learning and public participatory research and citizen science.

My pastimes include surfing, windsurfing, hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, and swimming. I am also a part-time wind forecaster for WeatherFlow.com, specializing in the in sailing and recreational wind sports interests in the USA. I hope to see you in the the classroom, along a forest trail, or on the water….

Sincerely,

Tom Allen

Professor of Geography

Program Head for Sea Level and Climate Science, Institute for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience (ICAR)