Cordula Robinson

College of Professional Studies Teaching Professor, spatial science with an emphasis on applications pertaining to the human-condition and welfare

Cordula Robinson is a professional in the geospatial field offering extensive research experience in spatial science with an emphasis on applications pertaining to the human-condition and welfare. She serves as lead-by-example with prowess in machine learning to extract information from remote sensing datasets at scale. Her ability to adapt to newly emerging technologies, necessary to handle ever-increasing amounts of data, greatly contributes to her success. Cordula is armed with competitive edge and qualifications in analyzing not only Earth, also the surfaces of Mars and Venus. Such innovative work experience enabled her to thrive throughout her career.

As a visionary and trusted colleague in the geospatial circle, Cordula continues to serve as lead faculty while a full teaching professor at Northeastern University, living by her principles and perspective based on objectivity. In this role, she devises an original curriculum for the geospatial analytics master’s programs while allowing room for creativity, critical thinking, and integrative thought. Valuing what her experiences have taught her, Cordula strives to support and lead students toward academic success. With the years of experience in experiential learning integration, she believes these approaches also challenge and encourage students to move out of their comfort zones. Cordula is dedicated to empowering students to be independent scholars and well-informed citizens all while the world is driven by constant change.

Her strong understanding of complex technical scenarios enables her to be continually productive and original. To cite an example, Cordula uses her skills in designing and implementing spatial infrastructures that support unique needs with realistic goals (currently to address the opioid crisis in MA through spatial data-driven analysis and community resilience). From 2015 to 2018, Cordula gained a nationally-recognized geospatial sciences center of excellence designation from the NGA-USGS. She also gained student nominations for the Excellence in Teaching Award in 2011, 2015, and 2018.

Cordula has hosted 2 Fulbright scholars from Lebanon at Northeastern University and is a faculty affiliate of Northeastern University’s Global Resilience Institute and Kostas Research Institute