CV

A short summary of my background, honors, funding, and service. Download the full CV (PDF) for the complete record.

⬇  Download full CV (PDF)

A short summary follows. For the complete record of all publications, funding, teaching, and service, download the full CV above. See also my publications and my research group.

Education

  • Ph.D., Geological Sciences — University of Colorado Boulder, 2012
  • B.S., Geology (cum laude) — University of Washington, 2005
  • B.A., Business Administration (cum laude) — University of Washington, 2005

Appointments

  • Associate Professor, Department of Geological Sciences & Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno — 2020–present
  • Assistant Professor, Department of Geological Sciences & Engineering, University of Nevada, Reno — 2014–2020
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research — based at MIT and ETH Zürich, 2012–2013

Honors & awards

  • AEG Presidential Citation for service, leadership, and dedication — 2025
  • Peter Vardy Endowed Chair in Geological Engineering — 2020–present
  • Canadian Institute for Advanced Research Postdoctoral Fellow — 2012
  • USGS Mendenhall Postdoctoral Fellow — 2012 (declined)
  • Young Investigator Award, 5th Conference on Debris Flow Hazards & Mitigation, Padua, Italy — 2011
  • NSF Graduate Research Fellowship — 2007–2011
  • Outstanding Student Paper, Hydrology Section, American Geophysical Union — 2008

Teaching

I teach across geological engineering, geomorphology, geomechanics, and quantitative methods in the Department of Geological Sciences & Engineering at the University of Nevada, Reno. Courses I have developed and taught include:

  • GE 441/641 — Advanced Geomorphology
  • GE 481/681 — Introduction to Geomechanics
  • GE 106 — Introduction to Geological Engineering
  • GEOL 787 — Numerical Modeling of Processes in Earth Science
  • GEOL 701 — Climate and Tectonics of the Sierra Nevada (graduate special topics)
  • GEOL 260 — Introductory Field Geology

I also lead the department’s graduate seminar (GEOL 790) and the incoming-graduate-student course (GEOL 710).

Selected research funding

A selection; see the full CV for the complete funding history.

  • Bureau of Land Management — Remediation and monitoring of acid mine drainage, Perry Canyon, Nevada. PI, 2024–2029.
  • NSF — Autogenic waterfall formation, morphology, and retreat. Co-PI, 2020–2026.
  • NASA — Glacial lake outburst flood hazard assessment and forecasting (GLOF-HAFS), High Mountain Asia. PI, 2020–2024.
  • NSF — Steepland dynamics and steady-state forms resulting from debris flows. Co-PI, 2020–2025.
  • USGS — Post-fire debris-flow hazard assessment, Northern California. PI, 2022–2025.

Selected service & outreach

  • Faculty advisor, AEG student chapter; board member, AEG Great Basin Professional Chapter — 2023–present
  • Participant, National Academies committee on geotechnical-engineering research needs for natural-hazard mitigation — 2026
  • Convener, AGU and GSA topical sessions on debris flows, landslides, and land-surface hazards — 2010–2025
  • Reviewer for numerous geoscience journals (Earth Surface Dynamics, Basin Research, Geophysical Journal International, and others)
  • K–12 outreach: developed and led field trips and classroom units on geomorphology and natural hazards (Sierra Expeditionary Learning School and others) — 2007–2026