NYU Center for Urban Science & Progress Researcher Among 21st Century Science Initiative Award Winners

Gregory Dobler will receive $450,000 in grant funding for his project on remote imaging for urban systems

New York, NY – New York University’s Center for Urban Science & Progress (CUSP) researcher Gregory Dobler is one of the recipients of the 21st Century Science Initiative Awards. Funded by the James S. McDonnell Foundation, the award will provide funding for Dobler’s project, entitled ‘Understanding the Complex Urban System through Remote Imaging’.

The James S. McDonnell Foundation recently announced more than $14 million in grants for the 21st Century Science Initiative Awards, funding research in three program areas: Understanding Human Cognition, Mathematical & Complex Systems Approaches to Brain Cancer, and Studying Complex Systems. Dobler’s study, which was the recipient of a Scholar Award for the Study of Complex Systems, will receive $450,000 over the course of three years.

“My background in astrophysics led me to ponder whether the same techniques from fields like Astronomy and Computer Vision could be used to study the city as a complex system,” said Dobler. “Much like astrophysicists try to understand the Universe by taking pictures of it from a distance, the idea of understanding the urban environment by taking pictures of it from a distance has opened up a host of possibilities for the science of cities: from unique air quality monitoring to the quantification of energy efficiency to the interaction of people with the technology used in the built infrastructure.”

“My background in astrophysics led me to ponder whether the same techniques from fields like Astronomy and Computer Vision could be used to study the city as a complex system,” said Dobler. “Much like astrophysicists try to understand the Universe by taking pictures of it from a distance, the idea of understanding the urban environment by taking pictures of it from a distance has opened up a host of possibilities for the science of cities: from unique air quality monitoring to the quantification of energy efficiency to the interaction of people with the technology used in the built infrastructure.”

Dobler is an Associate Director for Physical Sciences at CUSP and a Research Assistant Professor of Physics at NYU. He specializes in image analysis, computer vision, time series, statistical analysis, and mathematical modeling of large data sets. Prior to joining CUSP, Greg was an astrophysicist specializing in multi-wavelength, full sky data sets from radio to gamma-ray energies, and led the discovery of one of the largest structures in the Milky Way.

“I am extremely honored to receive this award from the James S. McDonnell Foundation and excited about the avenues of research that it makes possible. With this award, we will be able to acquire state-of-the-art instrumentation for imaging New York from a distance and use the resultant data sets to generate unprecedented views of the city skyline. This data will be crucial to studying the interactions between the human, built, and natural environments of the city, resulting in a unique approach to the study of the city as a complex system,” said Dobler.

Founded in 1950 by the late aerospace pioneer and founder of what would become the McDonnell Douglas Corporation, James S. McDonnell believed that science and technology gives mankind the power to shape knowledge for the future while improving our lives. “Mr. Mac’s” vision continues to be realized through the research these grants are supporting. Since the inception of the program in 2000, more than $264 million in funding has been awarded.