Publications & Research Papers

Peer-reviewed publications in top-tier venues

Research Impact & Recognition

Publications spanning climate science, AI, and interdisciplinary research

2013-2025

Publication Timeline

25+ peer-reviewed papers across 13 years of active research

779

Total Citations

h-index: 11 • i10-index: 13

Top-Tier

Journal Publications

Science

Nature

PNAS

+ Nature Ecology & Evolution, Climate Dynamics

Key Research Themes

Climate Science

Butterfly Conservation

Machine Learning

Computer Vision

Ecological Forecasting

Atmospheric Modeling

Financial Systems

YOLO Detection

Population Dynamics

2025

1 publications

Rapid butterfly declines across the United States during the 21st century

High Impact Publication

C.B. Edwards, E.F. Zipkin, E.H. Henry, N.M. Haddad, M.L. Forister, K.J. Burls, S.P. Campbell, E.E. Crone, J. Diffendorfer, M.R. Douglas, R.G. Drum, C.E. Fallon, J. Glassberg, E.M. Grames, R. Hatfield, S. Herschovich, S. Hoffman Black, E.A. Larsen, W. Leuenberger, M.J. Linders, T. Longcore, D.A. Marschalek, J. Michielini, N. Neupane, L. Ries, A.M. Shapiro, A.B. Swengel, S.R. Swengel, D.J. Taron, B. Van Deynze, J. Wiedmann, W.E. Thogmartin, C.B. Schultz

Science

Journal

0 citations

Comprehensive analysis of butterfly population trends across the United States during the 21st century, revealing rapid declines in butterfly diversity and abundance with implications for ecosystem health and conservation strategies.

2024

3 publications

Rising minimum temperatures contribute to 50 years of occupancy decline among cold‐adapted Arctic and boreal butterflies in North America

V. Shirey, N. Neupane, R. Guralnick, L. Ries

Global Change Biology

Journal

15 citations

Analysis of 50 years of butterfly occupancy data showing how rising minimum temperatures are driving declines in cold-adapted Arctic and boreal butterfly species across North America.

Ecological forecasts of insect range dynamics: a broad range of taxa include winners and losers under future climate

Invited Paper

N. Neupane, E.A. Larsen, L. Ries

Current Opinion in Insect Science

Journal

8 citations

An invited review examining ecological forecasts for insect species under climate change, identifying both species that may benefit and those at risk from future climate scenarios.

Artificial intelligence correctly classifies developmental stages of monarch caterpillars enabling better conservation through the use of community science photographs

Open Access Publication

N. Neupane, R. Goswami, K. Harrison, K. Oberhauser, L. Ries, C. McCormick

Scientific Reports

Journal

4 citations

Rapid technological advances and growing participation from amateur naturalists have made countless images of insects in their natural habitats available on global web portals. We developed a computer vision model utilizing the YOLOv5 algorithm to accurately detect monarch butterfly caterpillars in photographs and classify them into their five developmental stages (instars). Our best trained model demonstrates excellent performance on object detection, achieving a mean average precision score of 95% across all five instars. In terms of classification, the YOLOv5l version yielded the best performance, reaching 87% instar classification accuracy for all classes in the test set.

2023

1 publications

Satellite-based environmental variables complement traditional variables in spatio-temporal models of purple martin migration

J. R. Courter, Z. Liu, N. Neupane, A. Arab, J. Siegrist

Wildlife Research

Journal

8 citations

As advanced satellite-based environmental data become widely accessible, emerging opportunities exist to understand avian lifecycle events at continental scales. Using 2001–2018 purple martin first arrival dates from the Purple Martin Conservation Association, we develop a predictive model for their first arrival dates on the basis of traditional temperature and precipitation values from ground-based meteorological stations, the MODIS satellite-based greenness index, and a more sophisticated growing degree-day metric. We used a Bayesian framework to construct 10 spatio-temporal candidate models on the basis of different combinations of predictor variables and our best model included a combination of both traditional and customised MODIS-based variables.

2022

2 publications

Grappling with uncertainty in ecological projections for the migratory monarch butterfly using tailored climate models

N. Neupane, E. Zipkin, S. Saunders, L. Ries

Ecosphere

Journal

39 citations

Development of tailored climate models to address uncertainty in ecological projections for monarch butterfly populations, providing improved forecasting capabilities for conservation planning.

A novel model to accurately predict continental-scale timing of forest green-up

N. Neupane, M. Peruzzi, A. Arab, S.J. Mayor, J.C. Withey, L. Ries, A.O. Finley

International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation

Journal

22 citations

Novel modeling approach for predicting continental-scale forest phenology timing, with applications to understanding ecosystem responses to climate change.

2021

4 publications

Towards a rigorous understanding of societal responses to climate change

High Impact Publication

D. Degroot, K. Anchukaitis, M. Bauch, J. Burnham, F. Carnegy, J. Cui, K. de Luna, P. Guzowski, M. Hambrecht, J. Huhtamaa, H. Izdebski, K. Kleemann, E. Moesswilde, N. Neupane, T. Newfield, Q. Pei, R. Xoplaki, N. Zappia

Nature

Journal

189 citations

Comprehensive framework for understanding societal responses to climate change throughout history, providing insights for contemporary climate adaptation and resilience strategies.

Changes in climate drive recent monarch butterfly dynamics

E.R. Zylstra, L. Ries, N. Neupane, S.P. Saunders, M.I. Ramírez, E. Rendón-Salinas, K.S. Oberhauser, M.T. Farr, E.F. Zipkin

Nature Ecology & Evolution

Journal

78 citations

Comprehensive analysis of how climate change is driving recent monarch butterfly population dynamics, providing insights into the mechanisms behind population fluctuations.

Spatio-temporal modeling for confirmed cases of lyme disease in Virginia

N. Neupane, A. Goldbloom-Helzner, A. Arab

Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases

Journal

18 citations

Spatio-temporal modeling approach for understanding Lyme disease distribution patterns in Virginia, with applications to public health surveillance and prevention strategies.

Ecological mechanism of climate-mediated selection in a rapidly evolving invasive species

A. Mushegian, N. Neupane, Z. Batz, M. Mogi, N. Truno, T. Toma, I. Miyagi, L. Ries, P. Armbruster

Ecology Letters

Journal

15 citations

Investigation of ecological mechanisms underlying climate-mediated selection in invasive species, revealing rapid evolutionary responses to environmental change.

2019

1 publications

Multi-scale seasonal factors drive the size of winter monarch colonies

S.P. Saunders, L. Ries, N. Neupane, M.I. Ramirez, E. Garcia-Serrano, E. Rendon-Salinas, E.F. Zipkin

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Journal

133 citations

Analysis of multi-scale seasonal factors that influence the size of overwintering monarch butterfly colonies, providing insights into population dynamics and conservation strategies.

2018

1 publications

Flying through hurricane central: impacts of hurricanes on migrants with a focus on monarch butterflies

L. Ries, N. Neupane, K.A. Baum, E.F. Zipkin

Animal Migration

Journal

24 citations

Investigation of how hurricanes impact migratory species, with particular focus on monarch butterfly migration patterns and survival strategies during extreme weather events.

2016

1 publications

The Congo basin zonal overturning circulation

N. Neupane

Advances in Atmospheric Sciences

Journal

27 citations

Analysis of the Congo basin zonal overturning circulation and its role in regional climate dynamics, providing insights into atmospheric circulation patterns over Central Africa.

2014

1 publications

Assessment of uncertainties in the response of the African monsoon precipitation to land use change simulated by a regional model

S. Hagos, L.R. Leung, Y. Xue, A. Boone, F. De Sales, N. Neupane, M. Huang, J.H. Yoon

Climate Dynamics

Journal

39 citations

Comprehensive assessment of uncertainties in regional climate model simulations of African monsoon precipitation responses to land use changes, with implications for climate prediction and adaptation strategies.

2013

2 publications

Projections of a wetter Sahel in the twenty-first century from global and regional models

Highly Cited Paper

E.K. Vizy, K.H. Cook, J. Crétat, N. Neupane

Journal of Climate

Journal

133 citations

Analysis of global and regional climate model projections indicating a wetter Sahel in the 21st century, with implications for water resources, agriculture, and regional development planning.

A nonlinear response of Sahel rainfall to Atlantic warming

N. Neupane, K.H. Cook

Journal of Climate

Journal

27 citations

Investigation of the nonlinear relationship between Atlantic Ocean warming and Sahel rainfall patterns, revealing complex climate dynamics and feedback mechanisms.

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