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Daniella M. Rempe

Daniella’s long-term research goal is to promote the sustainability of water resources by contributing to a mechanistic understanding of groundwater and vadose-zone processes, particularly in mountainous regions. Her current research focuses on understanding controls on the spatial pattern of weathering on actively eroding landscapes and the implications of that weathering on moisture storage and transport in fractured rock.

Daniella’s expertise lies in hydrologic field observations, fluid flow and near surface geophysics. She holds a doctorate in Earth and Planetary Science and a Masters of Science in Environmental Engineering, both from the University of California, Berkeley and a Bachelors of Science in Geosystems Engineering and Hydrogeology from the University of Texas at Austin. Daniella’s research experience and outlook are highly interdisciplinary and she actively collaborates with a diverse network of scientists through the NSF Critical Zone Observatory program and the Wyoming Center for Environmental Hydrology and Geophysics.

Graduate Students
	Christopher Linick PhD expected 2024 Chris is a geophysicist with roots in geodesy. He studies inverse problems at the intersection of hydrology and geodesy; for instance, currently he is working to quantify snowpack across the Sierra Nevada of California from dense GPS observations of crustal deformation and other data types. He also works with gravimeters, and operates a superconducting gravimeter in West Texas. Co-supervisor: Clark Wilson

	Daphne Smith B.S. Hydrogeology 2022 M.S. Expected 2024 Daphne began working in the Rempe Lab in the summer of 2021 as an undergraduate researcher leading regular field campaigns at the White Family Outdoor Learning Center. She continued this work into her master’s degree which has focused on the role of fractured bedrock deep root zone water storage in drought recovery using geophysical techniques of neutron probe and nuclear magnetic.

	Berit Hudson Rasmussen PhD. Expected 2027 B.A. Geology, Carleton College, 2020 Berit is interested in root zone storage dynamics and runoff generation. Currently she is working on how root zone storage changes in response to disturbance (i.e. wildfire or drought), and how this effects the timing and magnitude of streamflow response post-disturbance. Her work uses a combination of field measurements and remote sensing techniques.

	Mielle Lee

Undergraduate Researchers
	Fernanda Juarez B.S. Geosystems Engineering/Hydrogeology expected 2024

	Alexander Kelly B.S. Hydrogeology expected 2024

Former Postdoctoral Researchers
	K. Dana Chadwick Ph.D., Stanford Current NASA JPL Scientist Website Dana is an Earth System scientist researching the interconnections among ecosystems, critical zone processes, and the evolution of landscapes. Her work primarily utilizes airborne platforms that integrate imaging spectroscopy and lidar sensors, extensive field sampling campaigns, and laboratory analyses. She combines these techniques in order to uncover spatial distributions of ecosystem characteristics and link these patterns to underlying processes.

	W. Jesse Hahm Ph.D., UC Berkeley Current Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, Simon Fraser University Website

	Armaghan Abed-Elmdoust Co-Supervisor: Zong-Liang Yang

Former Graduate Students
	Evan King M.S., 2023

	Logan Marcos Schmidt M.S., 2022 B.S. Geophysics, University of Texas at Austin, 2017 Logan is interested in the shallow subsurface and its interaction with terrestrial ecosystems. His graduate research seeks to characterize and model the physical and hydraulic properties of the upper <100 meters of the surface using geophysical techniques.

	Alison Tune Website PhD, 2022 B.A. Environmental Earth Science, Washington University in St. Louis, 2014 Alison is interested in understanding the biotic influences on water cycling throughout the critical zone. Her research focuses on the role of vegetation and microorganisms on dictating water flow pathways in the unsaturated zone. In particular, she is interested in weathering induced by microbial activity within the fractured hillslopes of the Eel Critical Zone Observatory, and how that is represented in chemical and physical observations.

	Paul Southard M.S., 2019 B.S. Geology, University of Massachusetts Amherst 2016 Paul is interested in how spring-associated vegetation in dryland channels impacts flow dynamics and ultimately channel form and steepness. Co-supervisor: Joel Johnson

	Michelle Pedrazas M.S.,2020 B.S. Geophysical Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, 2017 Michelle is interested in understanding the near-surface using hydrogeophysics.

	Shawn Lee M.S. The University of Texas at Austin 2018 B.A. University of California, Berkeley 2016 Shawn is interested in near surface seismic processing and interpretation with applications to subsurface hydrology and landform processes. Masters research includes numerical analyses of stress and seismic tomography.

	Caroline Hackett M.S. The University of Texas at Austin 2018 B.S. Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Virginia, 2013 Caroline’s research focuses on surface water-groundwater interactions in karst systems. Co-supervisor: Marcus Gary

Former Undergraduate Students
	Summer Montoya B.S. Environmental Science, 2023

	Rebekah Garza B.S. Environmental Science, 2023

	Josef Schmidt B.S. Environmental Science, 2023

	Xochitlinda Gonzales B.S., 2022 Xochitlinda has participated in the field campaign at the White Outdoor Learning Center, where she assists in conducting neutron probe measurements of vadose zone moisture dynamics.

	Rachel Breunig B.S. Environmental Science, Geology, 2020 Current graduate student at University of Wisconsin, Madison Website Rachel is interested in understanding the critical zone and weathering processes. Her research focuses on connecting physical and geochemical features of weathering profiles, specifically through tau profiling and analysis of the hill slopes of Rancho Venada and the Eel River Conservatory.

	Zach Mungia B.S., 2019.

	Colt Kernan B.S. Hydrogeology, 2019 Colt is broadly interested in fluvial and glacial geomorphology . He’s assisted in vadose zone research across varying landscapes and is currently working to quantify glacial retreat in Western Greenland.

	Nick Soto-Kerans B.S. Hydrogeology, 2019 Nick’s research interests are in hydrogeology and geophysics.

	Yinuo Wang B.A. Geological Science, 2018 Geochemistry and hydrogeology

	Nathan Hsu B.S. Geosystems Engineering and Hydrogeology, 2018 Nathan’s research interests are in groundwater surface water interactions, and specifically, the role of the vadose zone in controlling the composition of groundwater. Nathan’s undergraduate research focuses on the timing of groundwater responses to storms in fractured bedrock groundwater systems.

	Amy De Luna B.S., 2018

Former Technical Research Staff
	Erica McCormick B.S. Environmental Science, Geology, UT Austin, 2020 Website Erica’s current work revolves around understanding where, when, and why plants access water stored in bedrock. Erica is heading to Stanford in the fall of 2022 to begin her graduate work.

	William Speiser Vadose zone monitoring system technician

	Mariel Nelson B.A. Geophysics, University of California, Berkeley, 2018 Current graduate student, UT Austin Mariel is interested in land surface and shallow subsurface dynamics related to natural hazards. She is a field technician and data wrangler for the vadose monitoring system at the Eel River Critical Zone Observatory. Her current research investigates controls on rainfall-triggered landslides in Northern California’s sedimentary Great Valley Sequence.