My research interests include fluvial geomorphology, ecogeomorphology, carbon cycle, water resources management, and coupled natural-human systems. I study rivers and floodplains and how river processes change the earth. My PhD research focused on floodplains along the Yukon River and it’s tributaries in interior Alaska. Specifically, I’m interested in how much carbon is stored in floodplain sediments and wood, and how river processes influences the storage of carbon. For my master’s research at the University of Texas at Austin, I studied floodplains and the hydro-geomorphology of the Araguaia River in central Brazil. My research interests include fluvial geomorphology (the study of rivers and how they change the earth’s surface), floodplains, environmental policy and management, land use change, coupled natural-human systems, and the many aspects of geography. I hope to become a professor at a college or university and teach and conduct research. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my husband, playing guitar and singing, biking, and outdoor activities.

After growing up on a river in rural Minnesota, I became interested in studying rivers while majoring in physical geography and political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After completing my bachelor’s degree, I worked in Washington, DC, first at the National Geographic Society as a research intern and then contract researcher, and then at the Union of Concerned Scientists, a science-based advocacy group. I thought that I would remain in the policy world, but I realized that I wanted to know more about science and the natural world, so I went back for my master’s in geography at the University of Texas. I decided to continue my education by obtaining a PhD in Earth Sciences at Colorado State University. I am still interested in policy, but I would like to conduct science that informs policy and management of natural resources.