Faculty Profiles

Colleges and Departments

Dr. Yongmei Lu

  • Professor - College of Liberal Arts
  • Professor - Dept of Geography & Environmntl Studies
Portrait of Dr. Yongmei Lu

Biography and education

Dr. Yongmei Lu is a Professor of Geography and the Associate Dean of Research at the College of Liberal Arts, Texas State University. Dr. Lu served as the Chair of the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies during August 2018 - December 2023. Dr. Lu received her PhD degree from University at Buffalo - The State University of New York in 2001. Both of her bachelor's degree and master's degree are from Peking University. Dr. Lu’s research and teaching interests center on the applications of GIScience and geospatial analysis and modeling to examine how population well-being is shaped by human-environment interaction. Specific topical areas include environmental exposure and health effects, urban gentrification and the related health and food security, crime and criminal behavior. Dr. Lu has published extensively, including ~100 peer-reviewed papers, edited book volumes, and special journal issues. Dr. Lu's research has been supported by federal, state, and local funding agencies.
  • Iyanda, Ayodeji Emmanuel (Principal), Lu, Yongmei (Co-Principal), Carrillo, Genny (Co-Principal), Chang, Chiung-Fang (Co-Principal), Han, Daikwon (Co-Principal), Huang, Xiao (Co-Principal), Jones, Christopher (Co-Principal), Lu, Tianjun (Co-Principal), Washington, Joyee (Co-Principal), Ye, Xinyue (Co-Principal). Community-driven Geospatial Approach to Improving Public Health Data Systems in Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine - Gulf Research Program and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Federal, $1488160. (Submitted: June 2023, Funded: October 2023 - August 2025). Grant.
  • Howard, Krista J (Principal), Ceballos, Natalie A (Supporting), Grimes, Thomas (Supporting), Dailey, Stephanie Layne (Supporting), Lu, Yongmei (Supporting), Lee, Hsun Ming (Supporting), Sharma, Shobhit (Supporting), Lawrence, Grayson B (Other). Does Social Media Make Us Sick? A Pilot Study on the Effects of Social Media on Physiological Reactivity and Mental Health, MIRG, Texas State University, $23784. (Funded: July 2018 - February 2020). Grant.
  • Lu, Yongmei (Principal). Coordinating between Beijing and its Surrounding Areas for the Development of National Main Functional Regions, Beijing Municipal Commission of Development and Reform, $80000. (Funded: 2008). Grant.
  • Lu, Yongmei (Principal). Spatial Pattern and Socio-economic Analysis of Juvenile Offense and Offenders’ Travel Behavior in Dallas and Surrounding Counties: One of the two components for the Risk Assessment Instrument Pilot Project, Office of the Governor, Criminal Justice Division, $8500. (Funded: 2005). Grant.
  • Lu, Yongmei (Principal). Urbanization in Socialist China: A planning process or a marketing process?, Texas State University Library Research Grants, $1300. (Funded: 2004). Grant.
View all grants
  • Ansah, H. A., Lu, Y., & Choi, Y. (2024). Recognizing Texas women in time and space: A Qualitative GIS inquiry into historical markers. Geographical Review. https://doi.org/10.1080/00167428.20
  • Lu, Y., Ekeanyanwu, C. V., & Blanchard-Boehm, D. (2024). Untangling the myth of flood risk and mitigation in affluent inland urban neighborhood – A case study of the Onion Creek Neighborhood in Austin, Texas. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 101, 104237-. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2023.104237
  • Guo, C., Ge, E., Lee, S., Lu, Y., ......, & Zhang, K. (2023). Impact of heat on emergency hospital admission in Texas: geographic and racial/ethnic disparities. Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, 2023, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-023-00590-6
  • Iyanda, A., Adeleke, R., Boakye, K., Temitope, A., & Lu, Y. (2022). Underage Tobacco Sales Violations and Neighborhood Crime Arrest in Philadelphia: A Multiscle GIS-based Analysis. GeoJournal, 87(6), 4455–4474. https://doi.org/DOI: 10.1007/s10708-021-10507-1
  • Jin, H. H., & Lu, Y. (2022). Multi-model Huff-based 2SFCA: Examining Geographical Accessibility of Food Outlets in Austin, Texas. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, 11, 579-. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi11110579
View all scholarly/creative works
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Spirit of Geography Award, Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, Texas State University. April 2024 - Present
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Member, Honors Committee, American Association of Geographers (AAG), American Association of Geographers (AAG). June 2023 - Present
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Board Member, University Consortium of Geographic Information Science (UCGIS), University Consortium of Geographic Information Science (UCGIS). July 2022 - Present
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Member, International Advisory Board, Graduate School of Creative Approaches to Public Spaces (CAPS), Rennes II University, France, Rennes II University, France. 2020 - Present
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Board Member, Race, Ethnicity and People Conference (REP), Race, Ethnicity and People Conference (REP). September 2018 - Present
View all awards
  1. Member

    Evaluation Team for TXST Selection of Grant Management Platform

  2. Other

    College of Liberal Arts

  3. Member

    Honors Committee of the American Association of Geographers

  4. Member

    Board of Directors, University Consortium for Geographic Information Science

  5. Member

    Internatonal Board, Graduate School of Creative Approaches for Public Spaces, University of Rennes 2, France

  6. Member

    Board of Directors, Race, Ethnicity and People Conference

  7. View all activities