Education
- M.S. in Geography – GIS Specialization, South Dakota State University , May 2026
- B.E. in Geomatics Engineering, Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University, 2020
Work experience
Graduate Research Assistant — Remote Sensing & Digital Agriculture
South Dakota State University (SDSU), Brookings, SD · Aug 2024 – Present
I build production-grade Earth observation and computer vision systems for high-throughput wheat phenotyping, turning UAV, close-range, and satellite imagery into validated traits used directly in breeding workflows.
- Built and deployed a cloud-native phenotyping platform (wheatai.net) on GCP, converting multi-source imagery into quantitative phenotypes; utility patent under consideration.
- Developed satellite-based wheat tiller density mapping using HLS via the GEE Python API, benchmarked against field measurements for the USDA NCR-SARE Wheat-TDM project.
- Trained vision models in PyTorch (YOLO-OBB, RT-DETR, SAM) robust to variable illumination and canopy variability.
- Designed high-throughput RGB/multispectral pipelines with QA/QC; two manuscripts under review.
- Engineered Dockerized PyTorch inference on GCP for asynchronous ingestion and scalable delivery.
- Led validation with breeders, translating outputs into operational decisions and funding proposals.
Tech stack: PyTorch · YOLO-OBB · RT-DETR · SAM · GEE · HLS · GCP · Docker · UAV phenotyping
Research Associate — Remote Sensing Analyst
Geoinformatics Center, Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand · Feb 2022 – Aug 2024
Led large-scale Earth observation analytics and operational remote sensing workflows supporting vegetation monitoring, disaster response, and land-productivity assessment across multiple countries.
- Led country-scale EO analytics using Landsat and Sentinel-1/2 to quantify vegetation dynamics and surface water trends.
- Built production SAR and optical processing pipelines, reducing processing latency from ~1 week to under 24 hours.
- Authored reproducible Python-based multi-temporal optical and SAR workflows with QA/QC for rapid disaster-response deployment.
- Designed and maintained PostgreSQL/PostGIS geospatial data infrastructure and ETL pipelines with clean metadata and traceability.
- Delivered Google Earth Engine training for FAO-affiliated technical staff to operationalize vegetation and land-productivity monitoring.
- Executed GEE-based vegetation and groundwater analytics for FAO (Afghanistan) and SAR post-disaster reconstruction monitoring for ADB.
Internships
GIS Developer Intern
Geoinformatics Center, Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand · May 2021 – Sept 2021
Supported operational disaster-response and environmental monitoring systems through applied machine learning and scalable geospatial workflows.
- Built and deployed a U-Net–based SAR flood-mapping workflow, delivering validated flood-extent layers into operational GIS platforms.
- Integrated model outputs into production disaster-response systems supporting Sentinel-Asia initiatives.
- Developed automated geospatial ETL and validation routines ensuring CRS consistency and reproducible outputs.
Geospatial Intern (Remote)
SkyTruth, Shepherdstown, WV, USA · Sept 2020 – Feb 2021
Applied deep learning and multi-sensor satellite analytics for environmental monitoring and investigative reporting.
- Developed U-Net segmentation workflows in Google Earth Engine using Sentinel-2 imagery for road detection and surface-change analysis.
- Conducted SAR-based detection of illegal oil dumping using rapid screening pipelines in GEE.
- Performed PlanetScope-based change analysis for environmental monitoring, producing decision-ready maps and concise technical reports.
Skills
- Skill 1
- Skill 2
- Sub-skill 2.1
- Sub-skill 2.2
- Sub-skill 2.3
- Skill 3
Publications
Your Name, You. (2024). "Paper Title Number 3." GitHub Journal of Bugs. 1(3).
Your Name, You. (2024). "Paper Title Number 3." GitHub Journal of Bugs. 1(3).
Your Name, You. (2015). "Paper Title Number 3." Journal 1. 1(3).
Your Name, You. (2010). "Paper Title Number 2." Journal 1. 1(2).
Your Name, You. (2009). "Paper Title Number 1." Journal 1. 1(1).
Talks
- Thapa, S., Singh, M., Ghimire, H., Koupal, D., Kaushal, S., Halder, J., Maimaitijiang, M., Sehgal, S.K.* (2025). Advancing Wheat Disease Phenotyping through YOLOv11 and YOLOv12: Automated Detection of FHB Severity and Damaged Kernels. — 2025 CANVAS, November 9-12, 2025 , Salt Lake City, UT
- Kaushal, S., Sehgal, S.K.*, Maimaitijiang, M., Billah, M.M., Singh, M., Koupal, D., Gill, H., Thapa, S., Halder, J., Ghimire, H., Subedi, S. (2025). Integrating Genomics and High-Throughput Phenotyping with Machine Learning for Predictive Breeding in Winter Wheat. — 2025 CANVAS, November 9-12, 2025 , Salt Lake City, UT
- Maimaitijiang, M., Sehgal, S.K., Kaushal, S., Billah, M.M., Janjua, U.U.R., Subedi, S., Ghimire, H., Thapa, S., Halder, J. (2025). From Image to Insight: AI-Driven Wheat Monitoring and Yield Prediction with Multi-Scale Sensing. — 2025 CANVAS, November 9-12, 2025 , Salt Lake City, UT
- Ghimire, H., Maimaitijiang, M*., Kaushal, S., Koupal, D., Poudel, K., Thapa, S., Singh, M., Subedi, S., Janjua, U. U. R., & Sehgal, S. K*. (2025). Deep Learning-Assisted Wheat Yield Estimation Through Spike and Spikelet Counting from High-Resolution Imagery. — 56th Annual SDSU Geography Convention, April 3-4 , Brookings, SD, USA
- Ghimire, H., Maimaitijiang, M*., Kaushal, S., Koupal, D., Poudel, K., Subedi, S., Janjua, U.U. R., & Sehgal, S. K*. (2025). Deep learning-based detection and counting of wheat spikes and spikelets using high-resolution field imagery for improved yield estimation. — 2025 McFadden Symposium, March 3 , Nebraska, USA
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Service and leadership ======
- Currently signed in to 43 different slack teams