Madelyn Willis
M.S. Graduate, University of Georgia, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences
Education
University of Georgia – Master of Science in Crop and Soil Sciences, Summer 2026
- Concentration in Soil Science
- GPA: 3.96
- Thesis: Exploring Agricultural Soils in the Southeastern Coastal Plain: An Analysis of Taxonomy, Management, and Sampling Strategy
- Major Advisor: Dr. Matthew Levi
University of Georgia – Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science, Fall 2023
- GPA: 3.7
- Certificate in Geographical Information Systems (GIS)
- Undergraduate research: Impact of soil erosion and community trails on an old-growth tree environment
Research Positions
- Undergraduate Research Assistant, Weed Science Lab - University of Georgia – 2023
- Conducted laboratory and field work, collaborated with land managers and farmers
- Undergraduate Research Assistant, Remote Sensing Lab – University of Georgia - Fall 2023 to Spring 2024
- Performed analytical and field work using R.S imagery and spatial data
- Graduate Research Assistant, Pedology Lab - University of Georgia - Fall 2024 to Summer 2026
- Conducted M.S. thesis research: Digital Soil Mapping in the U.S. Southern Coastal Plain
Skills & Expertise
Spatial Analysis & Modeling: Investigated spatial controls on weed emergence across fallow and cropland systems; evaluated soil sampling strategies (single-point vs. composite) at field to landscape scales; developed agricultural management zones integrating soil, topographic, and remotely sensed environmental covariates; conducted spatial modeling of soil properties using geostatistics (kriging, regression kriging) and machine learning.
Programming & Data Analysis: R, Python, HTML; statistical modeling; machine learning (random forest, XGBoost, UMAP clustering, classification); geostatistics (kriging, regression kriging); high-dimensional dataset analysis.
Geospatial & Remote Sensing: ArcGIS Pro, QGIS, Google Earth Engine, ENVI, ERDAS, SAGA GIS; spatial analysis; raster and vector processing.
Field & Laboratory Methods: Soil, plant, and water sampling; soil profile description; environmental monitoring; plant and weed identification; cover crop and cash crop field management; wetland fieldwork; lab protocol development; soil fertility metrics and amendment recommendations.
Teaching Positions
- Teaching Assistant (CRSS 2010/2010L), Crop Science – 2025
Student Organization Roles
- Lead Officer – Crop and Soil Science Student Society
- Member – Graduate Student Association of Crop and Soil Sciences
- Member – Integrative Precision Agriculture Student Club
- Volunteer – 4-H outreach events across Georgia
Relevant Coursework
Geospatial & Data Science:
- Remote Sensing of Environment I & II
- Programming for GIS
- Advanced Spatial Analysis
- Data Science & Statistical Programming
- Improving Nutrient and Energy Efficiency with GIS
- Environmental Ethics
- Natural Resource Economics
- Society and Natural Resources
Soil & Environmental Science:
- Pedology
- Soil Fertility & Plant Nutrition
- Soil Microbiology
- Advanced Soil Pedology
- Soils & Hydrology
- Hydrogeochemical Field Methods
- Experimental Methods in Natural Resources
Honors and Awards
- Zell Miller Scholarship, 2018 -2023
- First Place, Poster Presentation, Spring 2025 - Soil Science Society of Georgia
- First Place, Poster Presentation, Spring 2025 - 2nd Integrative Precision Agriculture Conference
- Crop and Soil Science Travel Award, Fall 2025
Memberships in Associations
- Soil Science Society of Georgia
- Soil Science Society of America
- International Association for Landscape Ecology