Area(s) of Expertise: Geography and GIS, Hazards, Meteorology, Climatology, Earth Science, Emergency Management
Dr. Mitchem's research interests include hazards geography, disasters, GIS, meteorology, climatology, climate change, emergency management, social vulnerability, risk communication, and tornadoes. His interests focus on the complex interactions between society and nature.
He has recently worked on a UNG Presidential Innovation Award analyzing UNG students' attitudes about climate change. Dr. Mitchem has been elected as Chari of Faculty Senate for 2019-2020. He is currently working on an EPA grant, Educating Georgia Citizens on Native Forest Ecosystems and Sustainable Practices, with Dr. Allison Bailey, and he has previous grants from NASA, U.S. Department of Justice, EPA, FEMA, and the Center for Rural Pennsylvania. He also is collaborating with Emory University, UGA, and Georgia Tech as part of the Georgia Climate Project.
Dr. Mitchem has also presented at more than 40 professional conferences, provided multiple workshops on GIS and emergency management at FEMA's Higher Eucation Conferences, and he has authored multiple research reports to summarize the results from grant work and white papers to advise on best practices.
Dr. Mitchem began his career volunteering in the South Carolina State Climate Office and interning with the Southeast Regional Climate Center. He served as a Research Assistant in the Hazards and Vulnerability Research Institute at the University of South Carolina and the Mesoscale Meteorology Research Lab at NC State University. He has taught at the university level for over 15 years. Dr. Mitchem was awarded the first HAZUS User of the Year award by FEMA for the first quarter of 2007.