Doctoral Researcher · Data Scientist · Geospatial Scientist · Peer-Reviewed Published Scientist

Experience across local, state, and federal missions.

My work spans local government, national laboratories, federal research, and academia. Across all of it, I use data, geospatial analytics, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity to support public service, protect critical infrastructure, and turn complex information into decisions people can use.

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Ph.D. StudentData Science · Nuclear Cybersecurity, expected 2027
Local to FederalMetro Nashville & Davidson CountyU.S. Department of EnergyU.S. Department of DefenseU.S. Forest ServiceU.S. Department of the Navy
5 Federal LabsIdaho National Laboratory (INL)Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL)Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL · ORISE)U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL · ONR)U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine (USAFSAM)
Nashville, TNHome base

Professional experience

Government, national laboratory, research, and industry roles, most recent first.

Oct – Dec 2026
Federal Laboratory

NREIP Fall Engagement Participant

U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC (virtual) · Office of Naval Research · Naval STEM Coordination Office

  • Selected for the Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program (NREIP) Fall Engagement, a 40-hour Department of the Navy research engagement (October 1 – December 31, 2026) that includes at least 10 hours of mentoring with Navy STEM professionals.
  • Data Visualization
  • Human–Data Interaction
  • Situation Awareness
  • 3D Simulation
  • User Research
Sep – Nov 2026
Public Service

Data Analytics & Technology Fellow

Metropolitan Government of Nashville & Davidson County · Register of Deeds

Project Lead · Data Analyst · Project Coordinator & IT Support

Supporting the Register of Deeds Office’s technology modernization by analyzing operational data, building visualizations, and turning complex information into insights that improve decisions and public service.

  • Project Lead: leading the design of a new public-facing Register of Deeds website and interactive data portal that opens property-recording information and office performance data to residents.
  • Data Analyst: analyzing operational and public-records data to find trends, performance indicators, and process improvements, and building interactive Tableau dashboards on property transfers, recording volumes, processing times, and digital-service use.
  • Cleaning, validating, and managing datasets to improve reporting accuracy, and developing GIS-enabled property analytics with ZIP-code mapping and geographic filtering.
  • Working with fellows, office staff, and leadership to interpret findings and produce reports, dashboards, and written narratives for technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Project Coordinator & IT Support: supporting technology infrastructure and digital modernization projects, researching emerging government technology and best practices, and helping departments define reporting needs.
  • Government Technology
  • Tableau
  • Business Intelligence
  • Performance Measurement
  • Web Development
  • GIS
  • Open Data
  • IT Support
Jul – Sep 2026
National Laboratory

Post-PhD Candidacy Technical Intern, Nuclear Cybersecurity

Idaho National Laboratory · Material Minimization, Security & International Safeguards

  • Built and readied secure cyber-physical training infrastructure, migrating and configuring virtual machines in Proxmox across roughly 25 workstations and technical assets.
  • Conducted vulnerability scanning, asset inventories, and intrusion-detection monitoring for ICS/OT training environments, and integrated HMI, PLC, SCADA, and biometric access systems.
  • Updated International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) cybersecurity training materials and presented to an international nuclear-security audience.
  • Nuclear Cybersecurity
  • ICS/OT
  • Vulnerability Assessment
  • Proxmox
  • Kali Linux
  • Docker
2026
Research Training

mNGS Wet-Lab & Dry-Lab Research Trainee

Chan Zuckerberg Biohub · Meharry Medical College

  • Completed intensive training in metagenomic next-generation sequencing, pathogen surveillance, bioinformatics workflows, and environmental pathogen detection.
  • Metagenomics
  • Next-Generation Sequencing
  • Bioinformatics
  • CZ ID
2025 – 2026
Research Training

SHIFT Scholar

NIH-Supported Biomedical Workforce Development Program · Meharry Medical College

  • Selected for a nationally recognized, highly competitive professional development program; trained in project management, budgeting, and scientific leadership for biomedical research careers. Certificate of Achievement.
  • Scientific Leadership
  • Project Management
  • Budgeting
Jul 2025 – Jan 2026
National Laboratory

CASPER Scholar & DOE Research Scholar, Energy Systems & Climate Resilience

U.S. Department of Energy · Savannah River National Laboratory · Meharry Medical College

  • Built predictive machine-learning models for wildfire risk and power-outage likelihood, and an AI-enabled geospatial framework to find gaps in grid outage data.
  • Designed a RAG-enabled digital twin that brings together geospatial intelligence, climate drivers, and grid-resilience analytics.
  • Engineered GIS-AI overlays combining outage forecasts, biodiversity hotspots, and environmental-justice indicators.
  • Developed GridAI™, a geospatial research platform analyzing energy disruption, social vulnerability, and environmental-justice patterns; its multi-scale California census-tract and county analyses informed the accepted SEGDA paper (EAI SmartGIFT 2026).
  • Grid Resilience
  • Wildfire Risk
  • Digital Twins
  • RAG
  • Machine Learning
Dec 2024 – Dec 2025
Federal Laboratory

Genomic Epidemiology Fellow (ORISE)

U.S. Department of Defense · U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine · ORISE / Oak Ridge National Laboratory

  • Integrated wastewater, genomic, epidemiological, and clinical data to support infectious-disease biosurveillance and early warning.
  • Developed interactive data and visualization approaches combining wastewater surveillance, genomic sequencing, variant intelligence, and geography for decision support.
  • Built machine-learning, statistical, and geospatial analytics to detect surveillance trends and support forecasting.
  • Biosurveillance
  • Genomic Epidemiology
  • Machine Learning
  • GIS
  • Dashboards
2024 – Present
Academic Research

Ph.D. Student / Doctoral Research Scholar

SACS Cybersecurity Research Center · School of Applied Computational Sciences, Meharry Medical College

Dissertation Research · Data Science, Nuclear Cybersecurity Concentration

  • Developing Nuclear Sentinel AI, an explainable, AI-enabled digital-twin framework for cyber-physical risk assessment and resilience in operational technology.
  • Designing multimodal machine-learning methods that combine control-system activity, sensor measurements, and digital-twin context to detect abnormal behavior.
  • Publishing and presenting research, and mentoring graduate and undergraduate researchers.
  • Python
  • AI/ML
  • Digital Twins
  • Explainable AI
  • Anomaly Detection
May 2022 – Dec 2023
Federal Research

ORISE GIS Forestry Research Fellow

U.S. Forest Service · U.S. Department of Energy · Oak Ridge National Laboratory

  • Used GIS, remote sensing, and Google Earth Engine for biomass assessment, carbon-sequestration analysis, and ecosystem valuation.
  • Mapped timber mills and forest resources, and analyzed biomass and canopy coverage for carbon-sequestration planning.
  • Analyzed satellite data to estimate logging-residue availability and evaluate woody biomass-to-energy opportunities.
  • Google Earth Engine
  • Remote Sensing
  • GeoPandas
  • Rasterio
2021
Public Service

Policy Fellow, Urban Leaders Fellowship

Metro Nashville Public Schools

  • Co-authored the Metro Nashville Public Schools COVID-19 school reopening strategy, analyzing epidemiological indicators and community transmission trends.
  • Turned research and community considerations into evidence-based recommendations for education leaders.
  • Policy Analysis
  • Education Policy
  • Evidence-Based Decisions
2020
Industry

Data Science Research Intern

Dell Technologies

  • Analyzed enterprise sales-performance data to identify trends and support business-intelligence reporting.
  • Business Intelligence
  • Enterprise Analytics
2019
Industry

Business Data Analyst (Contractor)

Google Data Center · DB Schenker

  • Built operational reporting with Google BigQuery, SQL, Salesforce, and Excel, and standardized reporting workflows and data-quality checks.
  • SQL
  • BigQuery
  • Data Quality
  • Reporting
Summer 2018
Academic Research

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Public Health Research Intern

Meharry Medical College

  • Researched under Dr. Green Ekadi, Professor, School of Graduate Studies and Research: “Are Asymmetric Patterns in the Built Environments of Child Care Centers in Davidson County, TN, Associated with Asymmetric Child Care Quality Outcomes?”
  • Compiled ZIP-code data on child care centers, trees, hospitals, clinics, schools, parks, and recreation centers, plus Census indicators for unemployment, overcrowding, car access, and homeownership.
  • Contributed to the Childcare Centers Built Environment Index (BEI) report using GIS and spatial analysis.
  • Spatial Epidemiology
  • Health Equity
  • GIS
2017 – 2018
Academic Research

GIS Graduate Research Assistant

Tennessee State University

  • Quantified urban-forest ecosystem services and carbon sequestration with GIS, remote sensing, and i-Tree, and presented the work at the USGIF GEOINTegration Summit.
  • Remote Sensing
  • Urban Forestry
  • Ecosystem Services

Where it startedBefore data science, I spent more than a decade in healthcare operations, billing, and benefits, which is where I first saw how systems shape people’s lives.

  • 2015 – 2017
    Coordination of Benefits CoordinatorOPTUM · UnitedHealthcare
  • 2012 – 2015
    Senior Supplemental Insurance Customer Service RepresentativeAetna
  • 2007 – 2011
    Project Manager, Third-Party Medicaid Billing ClaimsPerot Systems (formerly ARS National Services)
  • 2005 – 2007
    Medical Biller and CoderMRI Necessities

Research approach

The questions that guide my research.

My research asks how data, AI, and geospatial intelligence can make critical systems safer, healthier, and more equitable, and how to keep those tools explainable to the people who rely on them.

Across nuclear cybersecurity, wastewater genomic surveillance, and energy resilience, I build methods that are transparent, reproducible, and grounded in community impact: explainable AI for operational technology, geospatial analysis of who is covered and who is missed, and decision-support tools that leaders and the public can actually use.

01How can AI detect threats to critical infrastructure, and explain why?
02Which communities does public-health surveillance reach, and which does it miss?
03What can wastewater, genomic, and geospatial data reveal before a crisis is visible?
04How do power outages and climate hazards fall unevenly across communities?
05How can research become tools that leaders and the public can actually use?
I believe there is strength in knowing who you are while remaining graceful enough to continue learning.

Research & publications

Work at the intersection of AI, cybersecurity, critical infrastructure, geospatial analytics, and public health.

My research brings together artificial intelligence, cyberinfrastructure, digital twins, geospatial intelligence, genomics, and environmental health analytics to strengthen public health preparedness, critical infrastructure resilience, and national security.

Research area 01

AI, Digital Twins & Nuclear Cybersecurity

AI-enabled digital-twin ecosystems for operational technology security, cyber-physical infrastructure protection, cyber risk assessment, and resilience of critical infrastructure.

Research area 02

Genomic Epidemiology & Biosurveillance

Integrating wastewater, environmental, genomic, and public health data for infectious-disease surveillance and early warning, backed by wet-lab and dry-lab metagenomics training.

Research area 03

Climate Resilience, Environmental Justice & Energy Systems

How energy systems, infrastructure vulnerability, environmental burden, and social determinants of health connect, including outage-burden modeling and resilience planning.

Research area 04

Geospatial Public Health & Ecosystem Analytics

Spatial epidemiology, built-environment and health-disparities research, urban forestry, carbon sequestration, and ecosystem valuation with GIS, remote sensing, and Google Earth Engine.

Research poster: Using GIS and Metagenomics to Enhance Wastewater SurveillanceGIS & metagenomics for wastewater surveillance
2025 · 1st PlaceUsing GIS and Metagenomics to Enhance Wastewater Surveillance

Poster at the Wastewater Disease Surveillance Summit, and first place for SACS at Meharry’s 69th Annual Research Day.

Title slide: A Geospatial RAG-Enabled Digital Twin ApproachA geospatial RAG-enabled digital twin
2026 · Selected speakerToward Climate-Resilient Energy Systems

106th AMS Annual Meeting, 39th Conference on Climate Variability and Change, session “Frontiers in Earth System Modeling II.”

Poster: Ecosystem services of urban trees in Centennial ParkThe value of urban trees in Centennial Park
2019 · Poster & panelistEcosystem Services Provided by Urban Trees Within Centennial Park

USGIF GEOINTegration Summit, Davidson County, Nashville.

Dissertation research · In development

Nuclear Sentinel AI

An explainable, AI-enabled digital-twin framework for dynamic cyber-physical risk assessment and resilience in nuclear operational technology. A related full paper, Evaluating Multimodal AI and Digital-Twin Context for Cyber-Physical State Characterization in Nuclear Operational Technology, is under review at the International Conference on Mathematics and Computational Methods Applied to Nuclear Science and Engineering (M&C 2027), Columbus, OH, April 18–22, 2027 (Submission 12911). Three further digital-twin abstracts, on accident diagnosis, cross-plant anomaly detection for I&C security, and an operator display with verified language-model explanations, are under review at NPIC&HMIT 2027 (Salt Lake City, May 9–13, 2027).

Alongside it, I am developing BioGrid Sentinel AI, which links cyberinfrastructure, environmental monitoring, genomics, and public health intelligence to support radiation surveillance and emergency preparedness in communities near nuclear facilities.

Research platformsApplications built from this research

  • NWGS Grid™ LiveNational wastewater genomic surveillance and public-health decision-support platform · nwgsgrid.com
  • GridAI™ In developmentGeospatial AI and energy-resilience application associated with the accepted SEGDA paper
  • Nuclear Sentinel AI Ongoing researchDissertation research repository · GitHub

First author on every paper, abstract, and poster listed. Research is grouped by domain; within each domain, works are listed by type: peer-reviewed papers, oral presentations and talks, posters and abstracts.

Wastewater Epidemiology & Infectious Disease Surveillance9 works · 5 papers · 1 oral & talks · 3 posters & abstracts

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.

First-author peer-reviewed papers

  • Decoding Tennessee Wastewater Surveillance: A Multimodal Geospatial Assessment of Infectious-Disease Signals, Surveillance Coverage, and Public-Health Equity Accepted First authorFranklin, V.L. (2027). 12th ICEPTP 2027, London, UK, Apr 8–10, 2027. Accepted; presentation and proceedings publication pending. CSEE 2027 Congress proceedings (ISSN/ISBN, Crossref DOI; indexed in Scopus, Google Scholar, and Semantic Scholar). Final version uploaded · Paper ID 117.
  • NWGS Grid: A Multimodal Wastewater Genomic Surveillance Framework for Geospatial, Genomic, and Public Health Intelligence, United States, October 2022–September 2026 Accepted First authorFranklin, V.L. (2027). 12th ICEPTP 2027, CSEE 2027 Congress, London, UK, Apr 8–10, 2027 · full paper; accepted, final version uploaded · Paper ID 134.
  • From Wastewater Signals to Clinical Burden: A Multimodal Machine-Learning and Geospatial Evaluation of Respiratory Virus Surveillance Across United States Jurisdictions Accepted First authorFranklin, V.L. (2027). 12th ICEPTP 2027, CSEE 2027 Congress, London, UK, Apr 8–10, 2027 · full paper; accepted, final version uploaded · Paper ID 133.
  • Beyond Point Accuracy: Probabilistic Evaluation of Wastewater-Informed Respiratory Hospitalization Forecasts in Fifteen U.S. States Accepted First authorFranklin, V.L. (2027). 12th ICEPTP 2027, CSEE 2027 Congress, London, UK, Apr 8–10, 2027 · full paper; accepted, final version uploaded · Paper ID 135.
  • Two Ceilings on Wastewater-Based Surveillance: Observable Population Worldwide and Operational Lead Time in the United States Accepted First authorFranklin, V.L. (2027). 12th ICEPTP 2027, CSEE 2027 Congress, London, UK, Apr 8–10, 2027 · full paper; accepted, final version uploaded · Paper ID 136.

Oral presentations & talks

  • From Wastewater Signals to Clinical Burden: A Multimodal Machine-Learning and Geospatial Evaluation of Respiratory Virus Surveillance Across United States Jurisdictions Under review First authorFranklin, V.L. (2026). APHL ID Lab Con 2027, Atlanta, GA, Mar 15–18, 2027 · oral presentation (poster alternate) · abstract 2531099; under review.

Posters & abstracts

  • Decoding Tennessee Wastewater Surveillance: A Multimodal Geospatial Assessment of Infectious-Disease Signals, Surveillance Coverage, and Public-Health Equity Under review First authorFranklin, V.L. (2026). APHL ID Lab Con 2027, Atlanta, GA, Mar 15–18, 2027 · traditional poster · abstract 2531131; under review.
  • Wastewater Genomic Surveillance Grid: A Multimodal Framework for Geospatial, Genomic, and Public Health Intelligence Under review First authorFranklin, V.L. (2026). APHL ID Lab Con 2027, Atlanta, GA, Mar 15–18, 2027 · digital poster · abstract 2531157; under review.
  • Using GIS and Metagenomics to Enhance Wastewater Surveillance Poster · 1st Place First authorFranklin, V.L., Gary, T., Sarker, B., & Archer, R. (2025). Poster, 2025 Wastewater Disease Surveillance Summit, Water Environment Federation with CDC, Los Angeles, June 3–4, 2025; abstract published by the Network of Wastewater-Based Epidemiology. 1st Place, 69th Annual Research Day, School of Applied Computational Sciences, Meharry Medical College.

Nuclear Sentinel AI: Nuclear Infrastructure Resilience & Cyber-Physical AI7 works · 2 papers · 3 paper abstracts · 1 oral & talks · 1 dissertation

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.

First-author peer-reviewed papers

  • BioGrid Sentinel AI: A Geospatial Digital Twin Framework for Nuclear Infrastructure Resilience and Community Health Preparedness Accepted First authorFranklin, V.L., et al. (2026). 10th EAI SmartGIFT 2026, Tempe, AZ, Nov 12–13, 2026. Accepted; camera-ready submitted, publication pending (Springer LNICST).
  • Evaluating Multimodal AI and Digital-Twin Context for Cyber-Physical State Characterization in Nuclear Operational Technology Under review First authorFranklin, V.L. (2027). M&C 2027, American Nuclear Society, Columbus, OH, Apr 18–22, 2027 · full paper; under review · Submission 12911.

First-author paper abstracts

  • Digital-Twin Residuals for Accident Diagnosis on a Simulated Pressurized-Water Reactor Under review First authorFranklin, V.L. (2027). 15th NPIC&HMIT 2027 with ISOFIC 2027, American Nuclear Society, Salt Lake City, UT, May 9–13, 2027 · paper; under review · Instrumentation & Controls: Advanced Surveillance, Online Monitoring, Diagnostics, and Prognostics · Submission 14229.
  • Does Digital-Twin Evidence Carry Over between Plants? Threshold Calibration and Seed Robustness in Cyber-Physical Anomaly Detection for Nuclear Instrumentation and Control Security Under review First authorFranklin, V.L. (2027). 15th NPIC&HMIT 2027 with ISOFIC 2027, American Nuclear Society, Salt Lake City, UT, May 9–13, 2027 · paper; under review · Instrumentation & Controls: Cybersecurity in I&C · Submission 14338.
  • A Digital Twin Driven Operator Display with Verified Language-Model Explanations for Reactor Accident Diagnosis Under review First authorFranklin, V.L. (2027). 15th NPIC&HMIT 2027 with ISOFIC 2027, American Nuclear Society, Salt Lake City, UT, May 9–13, 2027 · paper; under review · Human Factors: Advanced Visualization, Operator Aids, and Support Systems · Submission 14339.

Oral presentations & talks

  • International Training Course on Protecting Computer-Based Systems in Nuclear Security Regimes PresenterIdaho National Laboratory · August 5, 2026.

Dissertation research

  • Nuclear Sentinel AI: An Explainable, AI-Enabled Digital-Twin Framework for Nuclear Cyber-Physical Risk Assessment In developmentFranklin, V.L. Dissertation research, Ph.D. in Data Science (Nuclear Cybersecurity), Meharry Medical College · GitHub repository.

Power & Energy Systems: Energy Justice, Climate Resilience & Environmental Health6 works · 1 papers · 2 oral & talks · 2 posters & abstracts · 1 chapter

Spatial analysis of power-outage burden, grid disruption, climate stress, and energy infrastructure, and how they fall on socially vulnerable communities.

First-author peer-reviewed papers

  • Socio-Environmental Grid Disruption Analysis (SEGDA): A Multi-Scale Spatial Assessment of Energy Justice and Climate Resilience Across California Census Tracts and Counties, 2018–2023 Accepted First authorFranklin, V.L., et al. (2026). 10th EAI SmartGIFT 2026, Tempe, AZ, Nov 12–13, 2026. Accepted; camera-ready submitted, publication pending (Springer LNICST).

Oral presentations & talks

  • Toward Climate-Resilient Energy Systems: A Geospatial RAG-Enabled Digital Twin Approach for Equity and Ecosystem Sustainability Oral · published abstract First authorFranklin, V.L., et al. (2026). Selected speaker, 106th AMS Annual Meeting, 39th Conference on Climate Variability and Change, session “Frontiers in Earth System Modeling II,” January 26, 2026.
  • Meharry Ph.D. Spotlight: The Socio-Environmental Grid Disruption Analysis (SEGDA) Framework Invited talkData Science Nashville Meetup · March 17, 2026.

Posters & abstracts

  • Natural Gas Infrastructure, Social Vulnerability, and Health Equity in California: A Multi-Scale Spatial Analysis Poster · published abstract First authorFranklin, V.L. (2026). Poster, AIM-AHEAD Southeast Hub Research Symposium.
  • Hidden Communities, Unequal Resilience. SEGDA: Environmental Justice, Power Outage Burden, and Climate Stress Across California Census Tracts and Counties (2018–2023): Implications for Public Health Equity Under review First authorFranklin, V.L. (2026). 4th Annual Dr. Clifton K. Meador Virtual Poster Session, Meharry Medical College · virtual poster · under review; submission status unconfirmed. Winners notified by November 9, 2026.

Book chapters

  • From Pixels to Infrastructure Resilience: A Reproducible Google Earth Engine and Explainable GeoAI Pipeline for Climate, Grid, and Community Risk Chapter proposal First authorFranklin, V.L. (2026). Proposed for Geospatial Big Data Analysis in the Cloud with Google Earth Engine, Taylor & Francis.

Geospatial Science, Urban Ecosystems & STEM Pathways4 works · 3 oral & talks · 1 posters & abstracts

Foundational GIS research on urban ecosystems and cyberinfrastructure pathways that bring HBCU students into AI, data science, and geospatial intelligence.

Oral presentations & talks

  • Advancing Student Success Through Cyberinfrastructure Pathways in AI, Data Science, and Geospatial Intelligence at an HBCU PanelPanel presenter · MS-CC Annual Meeting · 2026.
  • HBCU National Spotlight: HBCU Partnerships and Collaborations in Support of Frontline Communities PanelPanelist · 11th Annual Environmental Justice & Health Disparities Symposium (CEEJH) · September 10, 2025.
  • STEM Day Speaker Series Invited talkInvited speaker · Alabama A&M University · 2025.

Posters & abstracts

  • Analysis and Valuation of Ecosystem Services Provided by Urban Trees within Centennial Park, Davidson County, Nashville, TN Poster & panel First authorFranklin, V., Haile, S., & Link, R. (2019). Student poster presenter and panelist, USGIF GEOINTegration Summit · Tennessee State University.

First-author papers by venue14 papers & abstracts · 7 accepted · 7 under review · EAI · ICEPTP · American Nuclear Society · APHL

EAI SmartGIFT 2026 2 · 2 accepted

10th EAI International Conference on Smart Grid and Innovative Frontiers in Telecommunications · Tempe, AZ · Springer LNICST

  • Socio-Environmental Grid Disruption Analysis (SEGDA): A Multi-Scale Spatial Assessment of Energy Justice and Climate Resilience Across California Census Tracts and Counties, 2018–2023 Accepted First authorFranklin, V.L. · Full paper · camera-ready submitted, publication pending · Power & Energy
  • BioGrid Sentinel AI: A Geospatial Digital Twin Framework for Nuclear Infrastructure Resilience and Community Health Preparedness Accepted First authorFranklin, V.L. · Full paper · camera-ready submitted, publication pending · Nuclear Sentinel AI

ICEPTP 2027 5 · 5 accepted

12th International Conference on Environmental Pollution, Treatment and Protection · CSEE 2027 Congress · London, UK · April 8–10, 2027

  • Decoding Tennessee Wastewater Surveillance: A Multimodal Geospatial Assessment of Infectious-Disease Signals, Surveillance Coverage, and Public-Health Equity Accepted First authorFranklin, V.L. · Full paper · final version uploaded · Paper ID 117 · Wastewater
  • NWGS Grid: A Multimodal Wastewater Genomic Surveillance Framework for Geospatial, Genomic, and Public Health Intelligence, United States, October 2022–September 2026 Accepted First authorFranklin, V.L. · Full paper · final version uploaded · Paper ID 134 · Wastewater
  • From Wastewater Signals to Clinical Burden: A Multimodal Machine-Learning and Geospatial Evaluation of Respiratory Virus Surveillance Across United States Jurisdictions Accepted First authorFranklin, V.L. · Full paper · final version uploaded · Paper ID 133 · Wastewater
  • Beyond Point Accuracy: Probabilistic Evaluation of Wastewater-Informed Respiratory Hospitalization Forecasts in Fifteen U.S. States Accepted First authorFranklin, V.L. · Full paper · final version uploaded · Paper ID 135 · Wastewater
  • Two Ceilings on Wastewater-Based Surveillance: Observable Population Worldwide and Operational Lead Time in the United States Accepted First authorFranklin, V.L. · Full paper · final version uploaded · Paper ID 136 · Wastewater

American Nuclear Society (ANS) 4 · 4 under review

M&C 2027, Columbus, OH, April 18–22, 2027 · NPIC&HMIT 2027 with ISOFIC 2027, Salt Lake City, UT, May 9–13, 2027

  • Evaluating Multimodal AI and Digital-Twin Context for Cyber-Physical State Characterization in Nuclear Operational Technology Under review First authorFranklin, V.L. · M&C 2027 · full paper · Submission 12911 · Nuclear Sentinel AI
  • Digital-Twin Residuals for Accident Diagnosis on a Simulated Pressurized-Water Reactor Under review First authorFranklin, V.L. · NPIC&HMIT 2027 · paper · I&C 1b · Submission 14229 · Nuclear Sentinel AI
  • Does Digital-Twin Evidence Carry Over between Plants? Threshold Calibration and Seed Robustness in Cyber-Physical Anomaly Detection for Nuclear Instrumentation and Control Security Under review First authorFranklin, V.L. · NPIC&HMIT 2027 · paper · I&C 1e · Submission 14338 · Nuclear Sentinel AI
  • A Digital Twin Driven Operator Display with Verified Language-Model Explanations for Reactor Accident Diagnosis Under review First authorFranklin, V.L. · NPIC&HMIT 2027 · paper · Human Factors 2i · Submission 14339 · Nuclear Sentinel AI

APHL ID Lab Con 2027 3 · 3 under review

Association of Public Health Laboratories · Atlanta, GA · March 15–18, 2027

  • Decoding Tennessee Wastewater Surveillance: A Multimodal Geospatial Assessment of Infectious-Disease Signals, Surveillance Coverage, and Public-Health Equity Under review First authorFranklin, V.L. · Abstract · traditional poster · Abstract 2531131 · Wastewater
  • From Wastewater Signals to Clinical Burden: A Multimodal Machine-Learning and Geospatial Evaluation of Respiratory Virus Surveillance Across United States Jurisdictions Under review First authorFranklin, V.L. · Abstract · oral presentation · Abstract 2531099 · Wastewater
  • Wastewater Genomic Surveillance Grid: A Multimodal Framework for Geospatial, Genomic, and Public Health Intelligence Under review First authorFranklin, V.L. · Abstract · digital poster · Abstract 2531157 · Wastewater

Research Conference & Publication Tracker — 2026–202715 submissions · 7 accepted · 7 under review · 1 submitted or unconfirmed

Researcher
Victoria Love Franklin
Institution
Meharry Medical College
Position
Ph.D. Data Science Student · Research Scholar
Research areas
Artificial Intelligence, Geospatial Data Science, Nuclear Infrastructure Resilience, Energy Justice, Environmental Health, and Public Health Surveillance
Total submissions15
Accepted7
Under review7
Submitted / unconfirmed1
Complete conference submission & publication table
#Conference / EventResearch Paper / Abstract TitleFormatStatus
1EAI SmartGIFT 2026BioGrid Sentinel AI: A Geospatial Digital Twin Framework for Nuclear Infrastructure Resilience and Community Health PreparednessNuclear & cyber-physical AIFull PaperAcceptedCamera-Ready Submitted — Publication Pending
2EAI SmartGIFT 2026Socio-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 & climateFull PaperAcceptedCamera-Ready Submitted — Publication Pending
3APHL 2027 ID Lab ConDecoding Tennessee Wastewater Surveillance: A Multimodal Geospatial Assessment of Infectious-Disease Signals, Surveillance Coverage, and Public-Health EquityWastewater & infectious diseaseTraditional PosterUnder Review
4APHL 2027 ID Lab ConFrom Wastewater Signals to Clinical Burden: A Multimodal Machine-Learning and Geospatial Evaluation of Respiratory Virus Surveillance Across United States JurisdictionsWastewater & infectious diseaseOral PresentationUnder Review
5APHL 2027 ID Lab ConWastewater Genomic Surveillance Grid: A Multimodal Framework for Geospatial, Genomic, and Public Health IntelligenceWastewater & infectious diseaseDigital PosterUnder Review
6ICEPTP 2027Decoding Tennessee Wastewater Surveillance: A Multimodal Geospatial Assessment of Infectious-Disease Signals, Surveillance Coverage, and Public-Health EquityWastewater & infectious diseaseFull PaperAcceptedFinal Version Uploaded · Paper ID 117
7ICEPTP 2027NWGS Grid: A Multimodal Wastewater Genomic Surveillance Framework for Geospatial, Genomic, and Public Health Intelligence, United States, October 2022–September 2026Wastewater & infectious diseaseFull PaperAcceptedFinal Version Uploaded · Paper ID 134
8ICEPTP 2027From Wastewater Signals to Clinical Burden: A Multimodal Machine-Learning and Geospatial Evaluation of Respiratory Virus Surveillance Across United States JurisdictionsWastewater & infectious diseaseFull PaperAcceptedFinal Version Uploaded · Paper ID 133
9ICEPTP 2027Beyond Point Accuracy: Probabilistic Evaluation of Wastewater-Informed Respiratory Hospitalization Forecasts in Fifteen U.S. StatesWastewater & infectious diseaseFull PaperAcceptedFinal Version Uploaded · Paper ID 135
10ICEPTP 2027Two Ceilings on Wastewater-Based Surveillance: Observable Population Worldwide and Operational Lead Time in the United StatesWastewater & infectious diseaseFull PaperAcceptedFinal Version Uploaded · Paper ID 136
11M&C 2027Evaluating Multimodal AI and Digital-Twin Context for Cyber-Physical State Characterization in Nuclear Operational TechnologyNuclear & cyber-physical AIFull PaperUnder ReviewSubmission 12911
12NPIC&HMIT 2027 (with ISOFIC 2027)Digital-Twin Residuals for Accident Diagnosis on a Simulated Pressurized-Water ReactorNuclear & cyber-physical AIPaper (Abstract Submission)Under ReviewI&C 1b · Submission 14229
13NPIC&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 AIPaper (Abstract Submission)Under ReviewI&C 1e · Submission 14338
14NPIC&HMIT 2027 (with ISOFIC 2027)A Digital Twin Driven Operator Display with Verified Language-Model Explanations for Reactor Accident DiagnosisNuclear & cyber-physical AIPaper (Abstract Submission)Under ReviewHuman Factors 2i · Submission 14339
15Dr. Clifton K. Meador 4th Annual Poster Session & Lectureship 2026SEGDA: Environmental Justice, Power Outage Burden, and Climate Stress Across California Census Tracts and Counties (2018–2023): Implications for Public Health EquityEnergy justice & climateVirtual PosterUnder ReviewSubmission Status Unconfirmed
Conference summary
ConferenceYearSubmissionsAcceptedUnder reviewSubmitted / unconfirmed
EAI SmartGIFT20262200
APHL ID Lab Con20273030
ICEPTP20275500
M&C20271010
NPIC&HMIT20273030
Meador Poster Session20261001
Total15771

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.

Talks & presentations

Selected presentations, panels, and posters.

2026International Training Course on Protecting Computer-Based Systems in Nuclear Security RegimesPresenter · Idaho National Laboratory, Aug 5, 2026
2026Meharry Ph.D. Spotlight: The Socio-Environmental Grid Disruption Analysis (SEGDA) FrameworkInvited speaker · Data Science Nashville Meetup, Mar 17, 2026
2026SEGDA and BioGrid Sentinel AIAccepted presenter · EAI SmartGIFT
2026Advancing Student Success Through Cyberinfrastructure Pathways in AI, Data Science, and Geospatial Intelligence at an HBCUPanel presenter · MS-CC Annual Meeting
2026Toward Climate-Resilient Energy Systems: A Geospatial RAG-Enabled Digital Twin Approach for Equity and Ecosystem SustainabilitySpeaker · 106th AMS Annual Meeting, 39th Conference on Climate Variability and Change
2026Natural Gas Infrastructure, Social Vulnerability, and Health Equity in CaliforniaPoster · AIM-AHEAD Southeast Hub Research Symposium
2025Using GIS and Metagenomics to Enhance Wastewater SurveillancePoster · 2025 Wastewater Disease Surveillance Summit, Los Angeles, June 3–4, 2025 (WEF with CDC)
2025HBCU National Spotlight: HBCU Partnerships and Collaborations in Support of Frontline CommunitiesPanelist · 11th Annual Environmental Justice & Health Disparities Symposium (CEEJH), Sep 10, 2025
2025STEM Day Speaker SeriesInvited speaker · Alabama A&M University
2019Analysis and Valuation of Ecosystem Services Provided by Urban Trees Within Centennial ParkPoster & panelist · USGIF GEOINTegration Summit

Teaching & mentorship

Helping the next generation of researchers find their questions.

2025 – PresentMaster’s Capstone Research MentorMeharry Medical College

Guide graduate students through research design, methodology, data analysis, and technical communication.

2025 – 2026Undergraduate Research MentorMinority Serving Cyberinfrastructure Consortium (MS-CC) · Meharry Medical College · Fisk University

Wrote curriculum for and co-mentored the 10-week MS-CC summer research internship in 2025 and 2026, and led one GIS workshop each summer: in 2025, on mapping social determinants of health and the Social Vulnerability Index, and on GIS Cyber Threat Mapping & Spatial Analytics (June 25, 2026).

2015 – PresentSTEAM Mentor & AdvocateCommunity, K–12, and undergraduate

Plan and lead workshops in STEM and geospatial technology, and help people pivot across disciplines and career paths.

2015 – PresentPRN Substitute TeacherMetro Nashville Public Schools · Memphis Shelby County Schools

Teaching across K–12 classrooms in Nashville and Memphis.

2019Adjunct Instructor, Introduction to Public HealthUniversity of Memphis · Tennessee Board of Regents

Taught undergraduate coursework on public-health systems and population health.

2018 – 2019GIS MentorMetro Nashville Public Schools

Delivered GIS instruction and mentorship supporting K–12 STEM learning.

Service & leadership

Public appointments, campus leadership, and community work.

Public appointmentsTennessee Boards and Commissions

  • Public Representative, Tennessee Committee of Clinical PerfusionistsAppointed by Governor Bill Lee · 2025 – Present
  • Tennessee Notary Public at LargeCommissioned by the Tennessee Secretary of State · 2025 – Present

Leadership

  • Lead Organizer, Google Developer Groups On Campus, Meharry Medical College2025 – Present · Workshops, tech talks, and community events connecting student developers, faculty, and industry
  • Organizer, Google Developer Groups Nashville Professional Chapter2024 – Present
  • Founding Chair, National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Meharry Medical College2025 – Present · Founded the first NSBE chapter at Meharry and now serves as Region III Founding Chair & Advisor, leading regional expansion
  • Student Council Member, School of Applied Computational Sciences2024 – 2026

Community & STEM outreach

  • Parade Participant, Tennessee State University 2026 Homecoming ParadeWith the team of Karen Johnson, Davidson County Register of Deeds · Jefferson Street, Nashville · Oct 17, 2026
  • Founder, Coded CultureOngoing · A technology, education, and community organization bridging data science, GIS, AI, and digital equity in underserved communities
  • Organizer, Build with AI 2026Meharry Medical College · GDG Nashville · TSU AI SMART Center · SACS Cybersecurity Research Center
  • Founder, Walking with SACS Health & Wellness InitiativeMeharry Medical College · 2026
  • Volunteer, Black Girls in STEM Summit and Fisk University Career Day2026
  • Founder & Organizer, Beale Street Art CrawlWith the Downtown Memphis Commission and City of Memphis · 2018 – 2023
  • Founder & Organizer, Little Five Points Arts & Vegan FestivalAtlanta, Georgia · 2023
  • Founder, Dear Music NonprofitSupported by the Health Trust Foundation and Downtown Memphis Commission
  • Community Arts Instructor, Hadley Park Community Center2017 – 2018
  • Community OrganizerTennessee and surrounding regions · 2015 – Present

Affiliations

The institutions, agencies, and professional communities I have worked with and belong to.

Academic

  • Meharry Medical College
  • Tennessee State University
  • Fisk University
  • University of Memphis
  • Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance
  • SACS Cybersecurity Research Center

Federal Labs & Agencies

  • Idaho National Laboratory DOE
  • Savannah River National Laboratory DOE
  • Oak Ridge National Laboratory · ORISE DOE
  • U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Navy · ONR
  • U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine DoD
  • U.S. Forest Service USDA

Government & Public Service

  • Metro Nashville & Davidson County
  • Metro Nashville Public Schools
  • State of Tennessee
  • HBCU Environmental Justice Technical Collaborative

Contractor / Partner

  • Independent Contractor 1099 · Data, research & technology
  • Google Data Center Contractor · via DB Schenker
  • Dell Technologies Industry
  • Chan Zuckerberg Biohub Research partner
  • Minority Serving Cyberinfrastructure Consortium Research partner

Professional Memberships

  • Coded Culture (Founder)
  • HBCU Environmental Justice Technical Collaborative Member
  • National Society of Black Engineers
  • IEEE Student Member, 2025–Present · Marketing & Communications Officer, SACS IEEE Student Branch
  • American Meteorological Society Student Member, 2025–Present
  • Google Developer Groups
  • Association of Public Health Laboratories Professional Member · Wastewater Surveillance Community of Practice, 2024–Present
  • Water Environment Federation Professional Member, 2024–Present
  • Clean Water Professionals of KY & TN Student Member, 2025–Present
  • Alabama, Mississippi & South Carolina Water Environment Associations Student Member, 2025–Present
  • SACS Student Ambassador Program, Meharry Medical College Student Ambassador · selected by invitation

Education

Every degree, all of them in Nashville.

  • 2027
    Ph.D. in Data Science, Nuclear Cybersecurity Concentration (expected)Meharry Medical College · Dean’s List 2024–2025 & 2025–2026 · Scholarship Recipient · GPA 3.93
  • 2026
    Graduate Certificate, Public Administration & Executive LeadershipTennessee State University · December 4, 2026
  • 2018
    Professional Science Master’s (PSM), Applied Geospatial Information SystemsTennessee State University
  • 2014
    B.S. in Urban Studies, Minor in Nonprofit Management & LeadershipTennessee State University · Dean’s List
  • 2005
    A.A.S., Health Information TechnologyDaymar Institute (formerly Draughons Junior College)

Doctoral advisory & mentorship committeeMeharry Medical College, School of Applied Computational Sciences

  • Principal Advisor
    Dr. Uttam GhoshCybersecurity
  • Academic Advisor
    Dr. Lei QianAssociate Dean for Curriculum Evaluation & Effectiveness · Computer Science
  • Professor & Mentor
    Dr. Pushpita ChatterjeeComputer Science and Data Science
  • Professor & Mentor
    Dr. Asmah MuallemComputer Science and Data Science
  • Department Chair
    Dr. Sajid Hussain

Certifications & training

  • Introduction to Digital ForensicsCentri · 2026
  • Metagenomics Next-Generation Sequencing for Pathogen Surveillance and DiscoveryChan Zuckerberg Initiative Biohub & Meharry Medical College · 2026
  • Build with AI CEU CertificateTennessee State University · 2026
  • Phlebotomy CertificateNorthwest Phlebotomy School · 2026
  • Annual Cyber Awareness TrainingU.S. Air Force · 2025
  • Python Programming CertificateUniversity of Michigan · 2020
  • Certified Phlebotomy Technician (CPT) · Basic Life Support (BLS)National Registry of Allied Health Professionals, 2026 · American Heart Association, 2025

Honors & recognition

Awards, features, and funding.

2026Parade Grand Marshal, Nashville Veterans Day ParadeRepresenting Meharry Medical College (Meharry 150) · Downtown Broadway, Nashville, Nov 11, 2026 · Flyer
FeaturedWastewaterSCAN Q&A: Exploring Wastewater Monitoring Research at HBCUsWastewaterSCAN · Stanford University & Emory University
2026Featured, Inspiring Black ScientistWiley’s Inspiring Black Scientists initiative · Announcement
2026Women’s History Month HonoreeHBCU Environmental Justice Technical Collaborative
2026Featured by Emory University Rollins School of Public HealthGangarosa Department of Environmental Health
2025First Place Research Award, 69th Annual Research DaySchool of Applied Computational Sciences, Meharry Medical College
2024–2025 · 2025–2026Dean’s List & Scholarship RecipientSchool of Applied Computational Sciences, Meharry Medical College
2024Health Trust Foundation GrantDear Music Nonprofit, as founder
2018 – 2019State of Downtown and Downtown Vision AwardsDowntown Memphis Commission
2019Mighty Light AwardDowntown Memphis Commission · Beale Street Art Crawl
2018Graduate Research Symposium PresenterTennessee State University
2017Power Moves Awards Nominee, Community AdvocacyPower Moves Awards

Technical capabilities

Tools and methods I use most.

AI & Data Science

  • Machine Learning
  • Explainable AI
  • Anomaly Detection
  • Predictive Analytics
  • NLP
  • LLMs
  • RAG Architectures
  • LSTM
  • Statistical Analysis

Programming & Data

  • Python
  • R
  • SQL
  • BigQuery
  • ETL Pipelines
  • pandas
  • scikit-learn
  • XGBoost

GIS & Geospatial

  • ArcGIS Pro/Online
  • QGIS
  • Google Earth Engine
  • GeoPandas
  • Rasterio
  • GeoAI
  • Remote Sensing
  • Spatial Epidemiology

Cybersecurity & Critical Infrastructure

  • ICS/OT Security
  • HMI · PLC · SCADA
  • Vulnerability Assessment
  • OpenVAS
  • Wireshark
  • IDS
  • Digital Forensics

Systems & Virtualization

  • Kali Linux
  • Linux Administration
  • PowerShell
  • Docker
  • Proxmox
  • VMware

Visualization & Reporting

  • Power BI
  • Tableau
  • Plotly
  • Interactive Dashboards
  • Public Reporting
  • Open Data

Bioinformatics & Biosurveillance

  • Genomic Epidemiology
  • Metagenomics
  • Next-Generation Sequencing
  • Wastewater Surveillance
  • CZ ID
  • Developed NWGS Grid™, a multimodal geospatial wastewater genomic surveillance application, and presented wastewater research in 2025.