I sat there and forgot and forgot, until what remained was the river that went by and I who watched

– Norman Maclean


















About Me

Postdoctoral Researcher at the Utah State University

I am a fluvial geomorphologist and watershed scientist who studies the transport of material – water, sediment, wood, nutrients, etc. – through river basins to understand how river landscapes act, react, and evolve as connected networks of processes. 

Though I'm always looking to add tools to my toolbox, my research primarily uses field-based measurements and sampling in conjunction with lab analyses and statistical techniques to understand how watersheds are connected across time and space. 

My life outside of research generally consists of skiing, climbing, petting my cats, and eating peanut M&Ms. Not necessarily in that order.

If you'd like to collaborate, chat, or learn more, please reach out.


News & Events

(Curious what's been afoot? Well — expand below)

August 7th, 2024

Some trees are more stressed than others


A really nice new paper from our friend Richie Thaxton and a merry band of riparian ecologists and geomorphologists that finds cottonwood trees in Canyonlands National Park – where streamflow regulation is greater and things are altogether drier – have less percent healthy canopy and are shorter and more slowly growing than their compatriots upstream, where water is more readily available. Read more about it here



August 1st, 2024

Westward ho (again)


I'm excited to announce that I am now a postdoctoral researcher at the Utah State University. I'll be working on a variety of projects: leveraging machine learning, large-scale physical models, and big observational data sets to understand water quality drivers and forecast concentration and load; investigating the drivers of fluvial erosion in post-fire watersheds (especially regarding the connection between large wood dynamics and channel erosion "hotspots'); and continuing to expand understanding of how snow avalanches impact mountain river form and function. 


May 5th, 2024

Estimating sediment storage at large scales 

Floodplains (and other features) store sediment throughout river networks, but where, exactly? And how much? As we continue to protect and restore natural river function, understanding these questions is essential to ensure that we do so effectively and efficiently. Our new paper in River Research and Applications takes a stab at estimating sediment storage and examining its patterns across the (biased opinion here) greatest watershed there is: the Colorado River Basin. Take a look here.



December 13th, 2023

Snow avalanches as agents of wood supply in mountain watersheds

Have you ever witnessed or seen video of an avalanche plunging down a mountainside and thought to yourself "Hmm, I wonder what impact that has on the stream at the bottom of the valley?" Well, then, you're in luck: our new paper in Geophysical Research Letters does (almost) just that. Read more about here.


June 30th, 2023

Native vegetation adds strength to river banks in Iceland

Some cool new work from Sara Rathburn and friends on how native vegetation being planted across Iceland in afforestation efforts adds cohesion to river banks and increases resistance to erosion. Read more about it here


April 21st, 2023

The greater the difference, the larger the change

Increased sediment supply is known to drive river evolution, but at what scale? In a new review paper in Earth-Science Reviews, we scrutinize the literature on sediment supply-driven channel change in low-gradient rivers and derive  a framework for anticipating alteration from a given influx of sediment. If you have a some time on your hands (it is, admittedly, a tad long), you can read more about it here


February 5th, 2023

Why wood should move in rivers

Well, why? (I won't spoil it). An intriguing paper from Ellen Wohl and Co. on how wood movement is inherent in many of the benefits large wood provides and why management and restoration should, to the extent possible, prioritize wood that can indeed move. You can read more about it here


January 3rd, 2023

Contaminant zones in the urban subsurface steadily bleed pollutants to urban streams 

New research from Claire Welty and friends that examines the complex ways in which groundwater and the built environment interact to influence surface water quality. Read more about it here


January 2nd, 2023

Go North, young man


I'm excited to announce that I am now a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Geography & Geosciences at the University of Vermont! I'll be primarily located in the newly formed UVM arm of the nationwide Center for Research to Operations in Hydrology (CIROH), and my work will focus on unpacking the drivers of water quality in diverse watersheds in order to develop forecasting models for nutrient and sediment loading.