Two UF Landscape Architecture Faculty Receive Promotions
Two faculty members from the University of Florida Department of Landscape Architecture have been promoted by the UF Board of Trustees during their June 2026 meeting:
Dr. Yi Luo has been awarded tenure and promoted to the rank of Associate Professor. Dr. Luo’s research advances the intersection of landscape design, sustainability and human health, with particular emphasis on landscape performance evaluation, sustainability assessment, therapeutic landscapes, microclimate and urban heat dynamics, and stormwater management and low-impact development.
Dr. Luo’s scholarship has been supported by a range of funding agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Landscape Architecture Foundation and the Jessie Ball DuPont Fund.
Dr. Thomas Hoctor has been promoted to the rank of Research Professor. Dr. Hoctor serves as Director of the University of Florida Center for Landscape Conservation Planning, which acts as the scientific backbone of conservation initiatives throughout Florida, including the Florida Wildlife Corridor, the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program and Florida Forever.
Dr. Hoctor’s expertise centers on GIS applications for the identification of conservation priorities and the development of implementation strategies for the preservation of biodiversity and ecosystem services. His work encompasses focal species habitat modeling, reserve design, wildlife corridor planning and recommendations for expanding protected lands in response to climate change. His research further addresses long-term conservation strategies aimed at sustaining ecological integrity amid ongoing pressures from land use change and habitat loss.
