Opportunities

I am always glad to hear from curious, motivated people who want to study how landscapes evolve and how the natural hazards born from them affect the places we live. My group works at the intersection of geomorphology, natural hazards, and geological engineering, and I advise students through the Department of Geological Sciences & Engineering and the graduate programs in Geology, Geological Engineering, and Hydrologic Sciences at the University of Nevada, Reno. If any of this sounds like you, please read on and then get in touch.

Prospective graduate students

I typically take new graduate students for fall admission, and I encourage you to reach out roughly a year in advance so we have time to talk, find a good project fit, and line up funding. I advise both Ph.D. and M.S. students. The best way to start is a short email (see how to reach me below) telling me a little about your background, what excites you, and why you think my group might be a good fit.

The clearest picture of current openings comes from emailing me directly, since available projects and funding shift from year to year.

Postdoctoral researchers

I rarely have standing funds for postdocs, but I am always happy to work with strong candidates to develop fellowship proposals that would bring you to Reno. If you are finishing a Ph.D. in a related area and are drawn to the questions my group studies, send me a note with your CV and research interests and we can talk about options.

Why work with my group

I care a great deal about both the science of natural hazards, the landscapes they shape, and the people who study them. I try to build a supportive, collaborative environment where students take ownership of exciting problems, grow into independent scientists and engineers, and leave with the skills and confidence to do whatever comes next. I am invested in my students’ success, and I find mentoring to be one of the most rewarding parts of the job. To date, all of my students have completed the degrees they sought and have moved on to positions that excited them in state and federal agencies, private consulting firms, and postdocs around the world.

What I look for

More than any specific background, I look for curiosity, drive, and a willingness to keep pushing even when it’s hard, both in the field and at the keyboard. That said, the work my group does tends to reward people who enjoy quantitative reasoning. Helpful preparation includes:

• A degree in geoscience, engineering, physics, or a related quantitative field.
• Comfort with mathematics through differential equations, and an interest in building on it.
• Some programming experience, and an eagerness to learn and keep developing those skills (we use Python and QGIS daily).
• For some projects, a willingness to do fieldwork in mountainous terrain. There are many great projects that don’t require fieldwork, but let me know upfront where your interests and skills are.
• Prior research experience, which is a plus but is not required.

If you are missing some of these, please do not count yourself out. A genuine desire to learn matters more to me than a perfect checklist.

Research areas

My group studies topics ranging from debris-flow and flood mechanics to post-wildfire hazards, glacial lake outburst floods, and the long-term evolution of mountain landscapes. We combine field measurement, physical theory, numerical modeling, and remote sensing. The projects and publications pages will give you a sense of the range of questions we work on.

UNR and Reno

The University of Nevada, Reno is a great place to study surface processes and natural hazards. The Department of Geological Sciences & Engineering is unique in that it houses both science and engineering degree programs, and we collaborate widely with the Nevada Seismological Laboratory, the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, and the Desert Research Institute.

Reno also sits at the doorstep of an extraordinary natural laboratory, and almost all my students have some local project, even if their main project is somewhere else in the world, be it the Himalaya or Patagonia. The Sierra Nevada, Lake Tahoe, and the mountains and deserts of the Great Basin are all within easy reach, which is a gift both for our research and for life outside of work. If you like mountains, rivers, skiing, climbing, or simply being outside, you will be in good company. The city has a growing food and arts scene, relatively affordable living for the western United States, and an airport with direct flights to much of the region.

Funding and fellowships

Most of my graduate students are supported through a mix of research assistantships, teaching assistantships, and fellowships. I strongly encourage prospective and current students to apply for external fellowships such as the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and NASA FINESST, and I am glad to help you put together a competitive application. Winning your own funding gives you independence and is a great line on your CV.

How to reach me

The best first step is an email (you can find my address on the people page or in the site footer). To help me give you a useful reply, please include:

• A sentence or two about your research interests and what draws you to my group.
• Your background and relevant experience, whether coursework, field, lab, programming, or research.
• An unofficial transcript and a current CV.
• Links to any publications, theses, or abstracts, if you have them.

You do not need polished research questions yet, just enough that we can have a good first conversation. Once we have talked and agreed it is a good fit, you will submit a formal application to the relevant graduate program.

Timeline

I usually begin conversations with prospective students in late summer and fall, narrow things down over the winter, and finalize offers in late winter and early spring for the following fall. Graduate program application deadlines are firm, so look them up early. The most important deadline, though, is an informal one: reach out well before the program deadline so we have time to talk. The earlier we connect, the more I can help you put together a strong application.

What you can expect from me

• A supportive, intellectually exciting environment and a well-scoped project to start from.
• Regular weekly meetings and timely feedback on your written work.
• Honest, ongoing guidance about your research and your career.
• An advocate for your funding, your development, and your goals.
• Flexibility, and the understanding that you are a person first and a researcher second.

What I expect from you

• Curiosity, initiative, and steady effort on your research.
• Open and honest communication, especially when something is not working.
• Engagement with the literature and continual growth of your technical skills.
• Professionalism and good citizenship within the group and the department.
• A willingness to ask for help, to make and learn from mistakes, and to support your labmates.