Victoria L. Franklin is a doctoral researcher and data scientist specializing in geospatial analytics, artificial intelligence, environmental health, and critical infrastructure resilience. Her interdisciplinary research includes seven peer-reviewed conference papers accepted for publication, with contributions spanning energy justice, cybersecurity, infrastructure resilience and community preparedness, and wastewater epidemiology.
Education
Tennessee State University · HBCU Pride
Once a Tiger, always a Tiger. Three Tennessee State University credentials, each one building on the last.
Legacy · Excellence · Leadership · Impact
Recognition & features
Her work focuses on developing data-driven approaches and AI-enabled systems to address complex challenges in public health, critical infrastructure resilience and government operations. Through NWGS Grid™, she brings together wastewater surveillance data, geospatial analytics, genomic information and reference protein structures with curated functional regions to support a broader understanding of infectious-disease surveillance.
Awards & recognition
“Honoring those who served. Representing Meharry. Strengthening our community.”
Named Parade Grand Marshal of the 2026 Nashville Veterans Day Parade, representing Meharry Medical College during its 150th anniversary year (Meharry 150: Forever on the Path) as a published research scholar and Ph.D. data science student. Meharry students, faculty, staff, and alumni are invited to march with the delegation.
Flyer by Meharry Medical College, reproduced with credit.
Marched in the Tennessee State University 2026 Homecoming Parade with the team of Karen Johnson, Davidson County Register of Deeds, where Victoria serves as Data Analytics & Technology Fellow and Project Lead. A proud TSU alumna (PSM in Applied Geospatial Information Systems, B.S. in Urban Studies), she joined fellow alumni, students, and Nashville community members along historic Jefferson Street.
Clinical surveillance depends on people seeking care and testing, which delays outbreak reporting. This study proposed a framework that pairs campus wastewater sampling with metagenomic analysis in R and spatial mapping in ArcGIS to find pathogen hotspots earlier, with a real-time wastewater surveillance dashboard as the end goal.
Franklin, V.L.; Gary, T.; Sarker, B. (Meharry Medical College); Archer, R. (Tennessee State University). Also presented at the 2025 Wastewater Disease Surveillance Summit, June 3–4, 2025, Los Angeles, hosted by the Water Environment Federation in partnership with CDC; poster archived by the Network of Wastewater-Based Epidemiology.
“She also developed the NWGS Grid Platform, a real-time infectious disease surveillance and analytics system that fuses multiple data sources, wastewater genomic data, clinical results, and contextual population data into a unified ‘smart grid’ that public health teams can use to detect and monitor disease trends as they emerge.”
Kyler Moore, Exploring Wastewater Monitoring Research at HBCUs: A Q&A with a Doctoral Student, WastewaterSCAN ↗, the national wastewater monitoring program led by Stanford University and Emory University.
Cards published by WastewaterSCAN (@wwscan) as part of the Q&A. Cards and artwork are theirs, reproduced with credit.
“A dedicated scholar working at the intersection of data, public health, environmental justice, energy systems, and community impact. Victoria embodies leadership, scholarship, and service, driving meaningful, data-informed change across communities.”
From the Collaborative’s Women’s Month feature. Logo is theirs, used with credit.
Mentorship & teaching
I wrote curriculum for and co-mentored the Minority Serving-Cyberinfrastructure Consortium’s 10-week, paid summer research internship, which brings HBCU undergraduates from across the country to Nashville for two weeks of training at Fisk University followed by eight weeks of team research with Meharry. I also led one GIS workshop each summer: in 2025, mapping social determinants of health and the CDC Social Vulnerability Index for Davidson County, and in 2026, GIS Cyber Threat Mapping & Spatial Analytics.
GIS workshop · June 25, 2026GIS Cyber Threat Mapping & Spatial AnalyticsA hands-on workshop I designed and led for the 2026 cohort: research-ready GIS and cyberinfrastructure skills, spatial intelligence and cyber-threat mapping across Tennessee, and applying Python, AI, and data science to protect critical infrastructure and communities.
Speaking & presentations
Presented SEGDA, a multi-scale spatial framework for assessing energy justice and climate resilience, showing how census-tract analysis reveals grid and environmental vulnerability that county averages hide. Shared the evening with fellow Meharry Ph.D. researcher Tenicka Norwood.
Joined Dr. David A. Padgett, Dr. Tony Graham, and Kibri Everett on the national spotlight panel HBCUs in Environmental & Climate Justice, sharing how data science, genomics, and geospatial intelligence can support resilience and equity in frontline communities.
More talks, panels, and posters are listed in the Full CV.
Affiliations & memberships
A national network of HBCU faculty, researchers, and students advancing environmental and climate justice with frontline communities. As a member, Victoria contributes data science and geospatial expertise, served as a panelist for the Collaborative’s HBCU National Spotlight at the 11th Annual Environmental Justice & Health Disparities Symposium, and was honored in its Women’s History Month feature.
Serves on the branch leadership team. The branch connects SACS students in data science, computer technology, bioinformatics, and health research through professional development, research, virtual coffee talks, and networking with peers and industry, and Victoria leads its marketing and communications.
Student member of the professional society for the atmospheric, oceanic, and hydrologic sciences. Victoria was a selected speaker at the 106th AMS Annual Meeting (39th Conference on Climate Variability and Change, January 2026), presenting a geospatial, RAG-enabled digital twin approach to climate-resilient energy systems.
As a GDG On Campus Organizer, Victoria brings students together to learn Google developer technologies, AI, and data science through workshops, tech talks, and hands-on projects. Pictured at Tennessee State University’s Smart Innovation Technology Center.
Wastewater & water sector: Association of Public Health Laboratories, Professional Member, and APHL Wastewater Surveillance Community of Practice (2024–Present) · Water Environment Federation, Professional Member (2024–Present) · Student Member (2025–Present): Clean Water Professionals of Kentucky & Tennessee, Alabama Water Environment Association, Mississippi Water Environment Association, and Water Environment Association of South Carolina
Leadership & professional: Student Ambassador, SACS Student Ambassador Program, Meharry Medical College (selected by invitation) · National Society of Black Engineers · Coded Culture (Founder)
Research expertise
Machine learning, predictive modeling, explainable AI, multimodal analytics, and computational research frameworks.
GIS, spatial statistics, environmental vulnerability, geographic disparities, and energy justice.
Pathogen surveillance, respiratory-virus monitoring, wastewater-clinical analytics, and public-health intelligence.
Energy infrastructure, nuclear systems, digital twins, AI-enabled resilience, and cybersecurity research.
Federal laboratories & agencies
Government & public service
Academic research
SHIFT is a nationally recognized, highly competitive professional development program. It challenged me to grow as a researcher, leader, and lifelong learner, and connected me with a strong network of scholars and professionals.
Flagship platform
NWGS Grid™ shows what wastewater testing can detect across the United States, and which communities it cannot see.
Every Saturday, it gathers CDC wastewater results for six pathogens, along with emergency department visits, county health measures, social vulnerability, sewer service, and genomic records. It runs 28 validation checks and rebuilds the site from one snapshot. If any check fails, nothing is published and the previous week’s results stay up.
“Wastewater carries an early, community-wide signal of infection that doesn’t depend on who gets tested or who goes to the doctor. I have been building NWGS Grid™ since Fall 2024 so public-health teams, researchers, and residents can see where pathogens are rising and which communities surveillance misses. In Tennessee, where I live and study, 2 of 95 counties report wastewater data to CDC today.”
How to cite: Franklin, V. L. (2026). NWGS Grid™: National Wastewater Genomics Smart Grid [Software and web dashboard]. https://nwgsgrid.com/ · Cite the data-through date and run ID shown on the site. NWGS Grid™ is a trademark of Victoria Love Franklin.
Research & projects
How data science, AI, geospatial analysis, and systems thinking apply to cybersecurity, energy, environmental health, and public infrastructure.
An explainable, AI-enabled digital-twin framework for cyber-physical risk assessment and resilience in nuclear operational technology.
In development · Research repository ↗A public-facing website and data portal with Tableau dashboards and GIS property reporting that make government information easier to access.
In progress · Project LeadA geospatial framework examining electricity disruption, environmental conditions, social vulnerability, and energy resilience across California. The GridAI™ application is in development.
Accepted paper · GridAI™A geospatial digital twin connecting nuclear infrastructure resilience and community health preparedness.
Accepted paperA national wastewater genomic surveillance and public-health decision-support platform that combines geospatial, genomic, and clinical signals.
Explore the live dashboard ↗Geospatial and AI-enabled research on grid reliability, climate hazards, environmental vulnerability, and where infrastructure investments go; presented at the 106th AMS Annual Meeting.
Delivered · Research ScholarResearch & publications by domain
Research Credentials: Seven Peer-Reviewed Conference Papers Accepted for Publication (2026–2027)
ORCID iD 0009-0004-8883-767X ↗
First author on every paper, abstract, and poster listed.
AcceptedUnder reviewSubmittedPresented & published
Wastewater signals, genomic surveillance, machine learning, and forecasting that show where respiratory and other infections are rising, how wastewater relates to clinical burden, and which communities surveillance does not reach.
AI-enabled digital twins for nuclear operational technology, cyber-physical state characterization, and community health preparedness near nuclear facilities, connected to the Nuclear Sentinel AI dissertation research.
Spatial analysis of power-outage burden, grid disruption, climate stress, and energy infrastructure, and how they fall on socially vulnerable communities.
Foundational GIS research on urban ecosystems and cyberinfrastructure pathways that bring HBCU students into AI, data science, and geospatial intelligence.
| # | Conference / Event | Research Paper / Abstract Title | Format | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EAI SmartGIFT 2026 | BioGrid Sentinel AI: A Geospatial Digital Twin Framework for Nuclear Infrastructure Resilience and Community Health PreparednessNuclear & cyber-physical AI | Full Paper | AcceptedCamera-Ready Submitted — Publication Pending |
| 2 | EAI SmartGIFT 2026 | Socio-Environmental Grid Disruption Analysis (SEGDA): A Multi-Scale Spatial Assessment of Energy Justice and Climate Resilience Across California Census Tracts and Counties, 2018–2023Energy justice & climate | Full Paper | AcceptedCamera-Ready Submitted — Publication Pending |
| 3 | APHL 2027 ID Lab Con | Decoding Tennessee Wastewater Surveillance: A Multimodal Geospatial Assessment of Infectious-Disease Signals, Surveillance Coverage, and Public-Health EquityWastewater & infectious disease | Traditional Poster | Under Review |
| 4 | APHL 2027 ID Lab Con | From Wastewater Signals to Clinical Burden: A Multimodal Machine-Learning and Geospatial Evaluation of Respiratory Virus Surveillance Across United States JurisdictionsWastewater & infectious disease | Oral Presentation | Under Review |
| 5 | APHL 2027 ID Lab Con | Wastewater Genomic Surveillance Grid: A Multimodal Framework for Geospatial, Genomic, and Public Health IntelligenceWastewater & infectious disease | Digital Poster | Under Review |
| 6 | ICEPTP 2027 | Decoding Tennessee Wastewater Surveillance: A Multimodal Geospatial Assessment of Infectious-Disease Signals, Surveillance Coverage, and Public-Health EquityWastewater & infectious disease | Full Paper | AcceptedFinal Version Uploaded · Paper ID 117 |
| 7 | ICEPTP 2027 | NWGS Grid: A Multimodal Wastewater Genomic Surveillance Framework for Geospatial, Genomic, and Public Health Intelligence, United States, October 2022–September 2026Wastewater & infectious disease | Full Paper | AcceptedFinal Version Uploaded · Paper ID 134 |
| 8 | ICEPTP 2027 | From Wastewater Signals to Clinical Burden: A Multimodal Machine-Learning and Geospatial Evaluation of Respiratory Virus Surveillance Across United States JurisdictionsWastewater & infectious disease | Full Paper | AcceptedFinal Version Uploaded · Paper ID 133 |
| 9 | ICEPTP 2027 | Beyond Point Accuracy: Probabilistic Evaluation of Wastewater-Informed Respiratory Hospitalization Forecasts in Fifteen U.S. StatesWastewater & infectious disease | Full Paper | AcceptedFinal Version Uploaded · Paper ID 135 |
| 10 | ICEPTP 2027 | Two Ceilings on Wastewater-Based Surveillance: Observable Population Worldwide and Operational Lead Time in the United StatesWastewater & infectious disease | Full Paper | AcceptedFinal Version Uploaded · Paper ID 136 |
| 11 | M&C 2027 | Evaluating Multimodal AI and Digital-Twin Context for Cyber-Physical State Characterization in Nuclear Operational TechnologyNuclear & cyber-physical AI | Full Paper | Under ReviewSubmission 12911 |
| 12 | NPIC&HMIT 2027 (with ISOFIC 2027) | Digital-Twin Residuals for Accident Diagnosis on a Simulated Pressurized-Water ReactorNuclear & cyber-physical AI | Paper (Abstract Submission) | Under ReviewI&C 1b · Submission 14229 |
| 13 | NPIC&HMIT 2027 (with ISOFIC 2027) | Does Digital-Twin Evidence Carry Over between Plants? Threshold Calibration and Seed Robustness in Cyber-Physical Anomaly Detection for Nuclear Instrumentation and Control SecurityNuclear & cyber-physical AI | Paper (Abstract Submission) | Under ReviewI&C 1e · Submission 14338 |
| 14 | NPIC&HMIT 2027 (with ISOFIC 2027) | A Digital Twin Driven Operator Display with Verified Language-Model Explanations for Reactor Accident DiagnosisNuclear & cyber-physical AI | Paper (Abstract Submission) | Under ReviewHuman Factors 2i · Submission 14339 |
| 15 | Dr. Clifton K. Meador 4th Annual Poster Session & Lectureship 2026 | SEGDA: Environmental Justice, Power Outage Burden, and Climate Stress Across California Census Tracts and Counties (2018–2023): Implications for Public Health EquityEnergy justice & climate | Virtual Poster | Under ReviewSubmission Status Unconfirmed |
| Conference | Year | Submissions | Accepted | Under review | Submitted / unconfirmed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EAI SmartGIFT | 2026 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| APHL ID Lab Con | 2027 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| ICEPTP | 2027 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| M&C | 2027 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| NPIC&HMIT | 2027 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Meador Poster Session | 2026 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total | 15 | 7 | 7 | 1 |
Conference websites
Research portfolio summary: Fifteen conference submission records across six events: seven accepted papers (five at ICEPTP 2027 with final versions uploaded and two at EAI SmartGIFT 2026 with camera-ready versions submitted), seven submissions under review (three APHL ID Lab Con 2027 abstracts, three NPIC&HMIT 2027 paper abstracts, and one M&C 2027 full paper), and one submission awaiting status confirmation. Eight of the fifteen records are in wastewater epidemiology and infectious disease surveillance, and five are in nuclear infrastructure resilience and cyber-physical AI.
Contact
Available for data science, GIS, web development, and technology projects; research collaborations; and roles in public-sector and federal research.