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Welcome to my website!
Research Approach I study coupled human-natural systems in river deltas. With formal training in natural sciences (geology, geography, oceanography, environmental science), and informal training in social science and theory (anthropology, institutional analysis, political ecology) my work is broadly interdisciplinary, and geographically centered in South and South East Asia. Complex questions require creative problem solving. As a research scientist, I integrate field, lab, and model-based methods to identify the coupled human-natural processes underlying the shape and sustainability of deltaic environments. As static built infrastructure is commonly used to control resources and protect communities both within and upstream of deltas, my recent work explores the complexity that infrastructure introduces. My toolbox includes direct measurement and geochemical fingerprinting of sediment transport phenomena, agent-based modeling, geospatial analyses, archival research, institutional and policy analysis, and ethnographic survey techniques. In addition to empirical analyses, I occasionally apply a theoretical lens to gain new insights into the coupled human-natural systems that I study. Risk holder collaboration is an integral part of my research approach. I am committed to co-production, science diplomacy, and capacity building in my projects, as well as making my science open-source and accessible to policy makers and to the communities within which I work. Current Research Projects Socioecological System Dynamics Related to Livelihood, Human Migration and Landscape Evolution This work is funded by the National Science Foundation's Dynamics of Coupled Natural-Human Systems Program Primary questions this research is addressing include:
Smallholder Soil and Water Management Practices and Sea Level Rise Vulnerability in Tropical Deltas This work is funded by the National Science Foundation's Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability Fellows Program Primary questions this research is addressing include:
Ideas and Concepts: Future Research Topics Flood-derived and Agricultural Sediment Sources on Floodplains ~What are the relative contributions of natural or irrigated overbank flooding and organic breakdown of crop matter to overall floodplain sediment accretion? Can mixed cropping methods reliably protect inhabited and cultivated coastlines from hazards such as sea level rise and storm surges? Infrastructure, Coastal Hazards, and Polycentric Governance ~What are the social-environmental tradeoffs and risks associated with large infrastructure construction both within, and upstream of coastal areas? How do multi- and cross-scalar built infrastructures influence the morphology of deltas and coastlines? Does polycentric infrastructure governance increase or decrease resilience? Critical Physical Geography of Deltas in the Global South ~What is the legacy of historical power imbalances within and upstream of deltas in developing regions, and how does it imprint modern biophysical and institutional dynamics? What can be learned about these imbalances, and how do we implement lessons learned into forward-looking and just land use policy? Past Research (click links for publications) Continental Margin Evolution ~What is the fate of riverborne material once it enters the ocean? ~How does particulate transfer across the land-sea boundary change in space and time? Delta Plain Sedimentation, Infrastructure, and Morphologic Change ~What are the processes and sediment sources that enable Bangladesh's "abandoned" coastal mangrove forests to maintain their elevation above sea level? ~What is the relationship between flood control and irrigation infrastructure, physical processes, and sedimentation patterns in cultivated delta settings? ~What is the impact of large infrastructure projects in South Asia on sediment delivery to deltas? |
