Somayeh Mollaee is a visiting scholar with the Geospatial Intelligence and Mapping (GIM) group at the University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ. She currently serves as the Remote Director of the RS/GIS Laboratory at the Offshore Fisheries Research Center in Iran.
Before joining the GIM group as a PhD student in 2014, she founded and co-founded several national and international initiatives, including the Khorramshahr Marine Science & Technology Union (Iran), Shakhes Sazan Consulting & Research Co. (Ahvaz, Iran), the À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ Institute for Disaster Management (WIDM) in Mississauga, Canada, Geo-information Technologies for Natural Disaster Management (GT4NDM), and the International Geo-Informatics Research and Development Journal (IGRDJ).
In 2018, in collaboration with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), she led the development of a satellite-powered platform for harmful algal bloom forecasting, leveraging Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-3 data.
In 2019, Somayeh joined the robotics team at Zebra Technologies, contributing to the development of autonomous robotic systems. This phase marked a deeper engagement with the principles of autonomy—where technology meets decision-making, movement, and safety.
This experience helped shape a clear vision for Somayeh’s professional journey: to contribute meaningfully to the future of autonomous vehicle safety. Drawing on her interdisciplinary expertise in robotics, geospatial intelligence, and data systems, she is focused on redefining the standards of reliability and resilience in intelligent mobility.
Her work is guided by the belief that autonomous vehicles should not only embody technical excellence—but also reflect ethical design, environmental awareness, and a deep commitment to human safety. She envisions a future where these systems serve not just as innovations, but as tools for building safer, smarter, and more inclusive societies.
Education
- M.Sc. degree in Geomatics, Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ, À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ, Ontario, Canada, 2018
- M.Sc. degree in environmental science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Seri Kembangan, Malaysia, 2014
- B.Sc. degree in marine resource engineering, Chamran University, Ahvaz, Iran, 2009
Publications
- Ziyi Chen; Hanhuang Chen; Lujuan Gao; Dilong Li; Cheng Wang; Linlin Xu; Somayeh Mollaee; Jonathan Li, 2024. SECBNet: Semantic Segmentation Enhanced Color Balance Network for Optical Satellite Images, IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, DOI: 10.1109/TGRS.2024.3509735.
- Saied Pirasteh, Somayeh Mollaee, Sarah Fatholahi, Jonathan Li, 2020. Estimation of Phytoplankton Chlorophyll-a Concentrations in the Western Basin of Lake Erie Using Sentinel-2 and Sentinel-3 Data, Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing, DOI: 10.1080/07038992.2020.1823825.
- Somayeh Mollaee, Saied Pirasteh, M. F. Ramli, Syed M.A. Rizvi, 2013. Identifying Effecting Factors and Landslide Mapping of Cameron Highland Malaysia, In: Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Geo-Information Technologies for Natural Disaster Management (GiT4NDM), DOI: 10.1109/GIT4NDM.2013.11.
- Bijan Nikouravan, Saied Pirasteh, Somayeh Mollaee, 2013. The effect of solar cycle’s activities on earthquake: A conceptual idea for forecasting (SAO/NASA ADS Index), Disaster Advances, 6(4): 14-21.