Professor of Hydrology and Water Resources, Department of Ecosystem Science & Management
Co-hire, Institute of Energy & the Environment
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Education: B.S. Geography, with a minor in Science, Technology, & Society, Penn State University | M.S. & Ph.D., Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia | Post-doc, Dept. of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University
Interests: hydrological processes, water quality, environmental systems, science-technology-society interactions, interdisciplinary research
Research: Water is fundamental to life, sustains diverse ecosystems, and is at the core of sustainable development. My research focuses on natural and anthropogenic processes affecting the water cycle and water quality. Ongoing projects include: 1) Coupled hydrological, biological, geochemical, and human processes controlling the status and trends of water quality — in precipitation, groundwater, and surface waters; 2) Influences of multiple drivers (e.g., climate, land use, atmospheric deposition, soil health, and management practices) on fluxes of water, solutes, and contaminants in stream and river networks; and 3) Use of ecohydrological systems principles toward watershed protection and the sustainable management of freshwater resources. I am currently a principal investigator of the national hub for the NSF-funded critical zone collaborative network, which facilitates interdisciplinary research, open data, and synthesis to understand complex landscapes and address environmental challenges. Reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of my research, I have worked with >500 collaborators from around the world on my publications. My work provides a scientific basis for policies and management strategies to mitigate the effects of pollution and to protect, conserve, and restore freshwater.
Advising: I enjoy working with students toward achieving their academic and professional goals. Student research projects typically involve some combination of field sampling, hydrological and reactive transport modeling, data synthesis, and/or stakeholder engagement. I encourage undergraduate students in the Department’s various majors to participate in independent-study courses or part-time jobs to gain research experience. Water is a cross-cutting research area, and I advise graduate students majoring in Ecology, Forest Resources, Soil Science, or Wildlife and Fisheries Science. Graduate students in these majors interested in interdisciplinary research can participate in dual-title cross-campus degree programs in Biogeochemistry, International Agriculture & Development, Operations Research, or Transdisciplinary Research on Environment and Society. Penn State’s Graduate School offers many services and opportunities for students, and the graduate application process is described here.
Penn State Interdisciplinary Affiliations:
- Institute of Energy and the Environment (co-hire)
- Institute for Sustainable Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Science
- Institute for Computational and Data Sciences
- Earth and Environmental Systems Institute
- Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences
- Rock Ethics Institute
- Social Sciences Research Institute
