Xuechun Li, a doctoral student in the Department of Civil and Systems Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, has been selected to receive the 2025 Natural Hazards Graduate Research Award from the American Geophysical Union, known as AGU. The achievement is in recognition of her contributions to the field of natural hazards research.
The AGU is an international, nonprofit scientific association dedicated to promoting discovery in Earth and space science for the benefit of humanity. The Natural Hazards Section focuses on the studies of geophysical hazards, including droughts, earthquakes, fires, floods, and other catastrophic events.
Advised by Assistant Professor Susu Xu, Li’s research aims to advance natural hazard response by using advanced machine learning techniques. By integrating satellite scans of the earth with novel causal Bayesian frameworks and deep learning algorithms, she has enhanced disaster assessments that reduce emergency response times from several days to just hours, all while significantly improving the location accuracy of disasters to support response efforts.
The Natural Hazards Graduate Research Award is presented annually to up-and-coming scientists who are studying natural hazards and risks. The award is based on the individual’s exceptional contributions in understanding and mitigating the effects of these hazards, and their potential impact to the field.
Among her key achievements is Li’s development of DisasterNet, which models cascading disasters—subsequent disasters following the initial natural hazard event—with unprecedented precision. Li’s research methods also enable targeted emergency response strategies, achieving accuracy rates greater than 95%. These advancements have already demonstrated considerable real-world impact—they were instrumental in life-saving measures and prudent distribution of resources during the 2023 Turkey-Syria Earthquake and Hurricane Ian.
As part of the award, Li will receive a cash prize and her achievements will be highlighted in Eos, AGU’s award-winning science news magazine. She will also have the opportunity to present her research findings during AGU’s annual meeting in New Orleans this December.
Li’s research is supported by NSF CAREER-2442712, CMMI- 2242590 and USGS Earthquake Hazard Program.