Zahra Khani

zahrakhani@txstate.edu
Phone: (520) 665-9584
Minneapolis, MN

SUMMARY
GIS specialist, with two years of experience in geospatial and sociodemographic data collection
and analysis, cartography and map making, and statistical analysis; multilingual professional
with two years of administrative job experience.
EDUCATION
Master of Applied Geography in GIS, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas, Expected Dec 2016
Geographic Information System, Certificate Degree, Austin Comm. College, Austin, Texas, Dec 2015
Technical Economy, Advanced Certificate, Univ. for Foreigners of Perugia, Perugia, Italy, Sep 2009
Bachelor of Arts in Italian Studies, Azad University, North-Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran, May 2007

WORK EXPERIENCE
GIS Research Assistant, Medicare Improvement for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA) Project,
School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas,
Sep 2015 May 2016
- Acquired demographic and geographic data from Census, MIPPA surveys, and other sources.
- Managed and manipulated data.
- Performed geospatial and sociodemographic data analysis to identify: clusters of rural and low
income elderly people (i.e. Medicare beneficiaries); the effective outreach methods to
provide Medicare beneficiaries with information; the perception of health among elderly
individuals and their susceptibility to disease; elderly peoples attitudes towards
government.
- Created maps and charts.
Freelance Writer and Translator, various magazines, Tehran, Iran, 2004 - Present
Work-Study Intern, Tucson Clay Co-op pottery studio, Tucson, Arizona, Jan 2013 - Jul 2013
- Assisted the lab manager, organized events, and produced ceramic pots
Office Administrator, Sarobon-Bana Company, Tehran, Iran, Sep 2007- Mar 2009
- Organized and stored paperworks, documents, and computer-based information
- Scheduled and organized meetings
- Assisted the company accountant in financial tasks

ACADEMIC RESEARCH PROJECTS

Current GIS Projects:
Identifying clusters of rural and low income Medicare pre-beneficiaries and beneficiaries and effective
outreach methods to provide individuals with Medicare information, Texas
Studying environmental and cultural effects on susceptibility to illness among elderly people and their
perception of health and wellness, Texas

Zahra Khani

 Analyzing elderlys attitudes towards federal government and its services, comparing the impacts of
locality versus media usage, Texas
Previous GIS Projects:
Created the analytical atlas of elderly population in Texas
Performed public transit demands analysis and created an ArcGIS tool for measuring the bus stop
demands, tested in Travis County, Texas
Performed parks market analysis using Esri Tapestry Segmentations for Lower Colorado River
Authority (LCRA), Texas
Updated planimetrics and performed parking analysis for a proposed sports arena in Arlington, Texas
Created a demographic profile for Austin City Council single-member districts, Texas
Identified a preferred site for the new regional park and created a preliminary site plan in Caldwell
County, Texas
Performed spaceport feasibility analysis at Boca Chica Beach in Culberson County, Texas
Performed suitability analysis and designed a hiking trail for Travis County SE Metro Park, Texas
Analyzed 1854 cholera outbreak in London (the Ghost Map) using GIS
Created A Century of Growth poster (the State of Arizona) for the annual State Data Center conference
Produced the Worlds Largest Islands Map to be displayed in AISD fourth grade geography class
Created an area of interest map (Natural Bridge Caverns) for Texas Highways Magazine

COMPUTER SKILLS
ArcGIS
Python
SPSS
Adobe InDesign
Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint)
LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY
English (Advanced)
Persian (Native)
Italian (Advanced)

Zahra Khani