Led by Charley Driscoll, EMPOWER is a team of over 50 people, including the leadership team, affiliated faculty, staff, graduate students, and external advisors. Browse our full directory below, which includes the leadership team and our graduate student trainees, or check out the information about our affiliated faculty and external advisors.
Sarah Araldi-Brondolo
PhD, Biology
Sarah is a PhD student in the Department of Biology working with Dr. Katie Becklin. She earned her MS in Plant Pathology from the University of Arizona in 2016. Between her degrees Sarah worked as a scientist in the biotechnology and agriculture industries. Her research at Syracuse investigates microbial effects on plant responses to environmental stress in a changing climate. …
Emily Baker
PhD, Earth Sciences
Currently, Emily is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Civil Engineering & Architecture at the University of Pavia within the Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca sulle Acque. My research focuses on hydrologic and hydrogeological modeling of surface and sub-surface water flow and transport in the northern region of Italy.…
Ruta Basijokaite
PhD, Earth Sciences
Ruta is PhD student in the Department of Earth Sciences working with Dr. Christa Kelleher. She earned her MS in Environmental Engineering from Syracuse University in 2018. Her research uses hydrologic modeling to better understand how Californian watersheds respond to climate change. In particular, her aim is to analyze how strong seasonal and annual weather shifts may attribute to the shifting importance of key watershed processes.…
Julio Beltran
MS, Earth Sciences
Julio Beltran is an M.S. student in the Department of Earth Sciences, working with Dr. Laura Lautz on urban hydrology and water quality. He received his B.S. degree in Geology from New Mexico State University in 2017. Prior to coming to Syracuse, he worked for a year in the petroleum industry in the Permian Basin as a wellsite geologist evaluating rocks for hydrocarbons.…
McKenzie Brannon
MS, Earth Sciences
McKenzie is an MS student in the Department of Earth Sciences working under Dr. Christopher Scholz. She earned her BA in geology from the University of Kentucky in 2019. Her research interests include limnology, paleoclimate, and geochemistry. Her previous research includes an undergraduate study of a lake sediment core from Lake Tanganyika in East Africa. In particular, studying the seasonal influence on the lake’s stratigraphy.…
Peter Brennan
MS, Earth Sciences
Peter is a first-year M.S. student in the Department of Earth Sciences under the advisement of Dr. Tripti Bhattacharya. His undergraduate career at Boston College focused on paleoclimatology and culminated in the spring of 2017 with a thesis examining late Pleistocene speleothems obtained in western Canada as a proxy for climate. Peter then worked for a private civil engineering firm as an environmental scientist in the due diligence field in Massachusetts for about two years.…
Crystal Burgess
MS, Earth Sciences
Crystal earned her Bachelor of Arts in Geology from Alfred University in 2016 with a minor in Environmental Studies. Prior to her graduate studies, Crystal interned at SU on Project SWIFT developing an interannual time series of naturally occurring methane concentrations in the advance of unconventional gas production in the southern tier of New York.…
Amanda Campbell
PhD, Earth Sciences
Amanda comes to us from a wide-ranging career in secondary education. She taught a variety of science classes in Central New York and in Tanzania as a Peace Corps volunteer. She completed a M.S. in Watershed Science at Utah State University where she researched the effect of hydrologic connectivity on nitrate concentrations in a headwater stream where nitrogen deposition is high.…
Julianne Davis
MS, Earth Sciences
Julianne is a MS student in the Department of Earth Sciences working with Dr. Laura Lautz. She earned her BA in geology from SUNY Geneseo in 2016. Her undergraduate research experience ranged from geomorphic landing site assessments for NASA’s InSight mission to Mars to analyses of the Holocene hydrology of the Dead Sea. A NSF Graduate Research Fellow, her current research uses remote sensing and hydrologic modeling to understand the effects of beaver dam analogs on riparian areas in the western United States.…
Laura DeMott
PhD, Earth Sciences
Laura is a PhD student in the Department of Earth Sciences, under the advisement of Dr. Chris Scholz. Her research interests are the sedimentology and geochemistry of non-marine carbonate rocks, and her doctoral research focuses on depositional processes of these rocks in rift lakes of the Basin and Range. She is also passionate about geoscience education and outreach, and has been an instructor for the GeoFORCE Texas high school outreach program.…
Eric Deutsch
MS, Earth Sciences
Eric earned his Bachelor of Arts in Geosciences from Skidmore College in 2018. While there, he discovered his passion for utilizing multispectral and hyperspectral remote sensing techniques to study Earth processes. His undergraduate and post-baccalaureate research has taken him to NASA Glenn Research Center, NASA Langley Research Center and Boston University to study the topics of harmful algal blooms, river and coastline change and urban flooding.…
Caitlin Eger
PhD, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Caitlin Eger is a first-year doctoral student in Civil and Environmental Engineering, studying with Drs. Charley Driscoll and Dave Chandler. In her research, she examines how adjustments to green infrastructure design affect stormwater runoff quantity and quality. She previously attended Juniata College and the Ohio State University where she studied Environmental Chemistry and Ecological Engineering. Caitlin is interested in urban ecological design, retrofitting of existing infrastructure networks, and urban chemical cycles.…
Courtney Gammon
M.S., Civil & Environmental Engineering
Courtney is a first year M.S. student in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department. She is originally from Destin, Florida and attended Florida Gulf Coast University where she got her B.S. in Environmental Engineering. Her previous research includes campus energy efficiency for her undergrad university, assisting with preliminary work for a clean drinking water study to take place in Haiti, and a water conservation pilot study for Hertz Global Headquarters in Estero, FL. …
Kristina Gutchess
PhD, Earth Sciences
Kristina is a third-year PhD candidate in the Department of Earth Sciences. She previously attended SUNY Cortland where she studied Geology. Her research aims to strengthen the understanding of processes that affect water quality, including the impacts of both humans and naturally occurring processes. She uses modeling and statistical approaches, combined with field and laboratory work to explore the utility of halogens as sensitive tracers for the transport of solutes and the movement of surface water and groundwater.…
Alaina Hickey
MS, Earth Sciences
Alaina is a first-year M.S. student in the Earth Sciences Department working with Christopher Junium as part of the Geobiology, Astrobiology, Paleoclimate and Paleoceanography (GAPP) Research Group. She completed her undergraduate career at S.U., earning a B.A. in Earth Science with a focus in Environmental Science and minors in Biology and Psychology. Alaina’s research interests have always been in sedimentary and organic geochemistry.…
Eliza Hurst
MS, Earth Sciences
Eliza Hurst is a Master’s student in the Department of Earth Sciences working under Dr. Christa Kelleher on urban stream hydrology. She received her B.S. in Geology from Western Carolina University in 2018, then served in AmeriCorps as the Education Outreach Coordinator at a small nature center in Western North Carolina. She is interested in a career in science outreach and communicating science to the general public.…
Alexander Johnson
MS, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Alex is originally from Inver Grove Heights, MN. He received his B.S. in Environmental Science from Iowa State University in 2014. He joined the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at Syracuse University in June 2014 where he is currently an MS student with plans to enroll in the PhD program in 2016. His research interests include understanding the fate and transport of pollutants in urban environments as well as the role of green roofs and other green infrastructure in affecting air and stormwater quality. …
Gaired Jordan
M.S., Civil & Environmental Engineering
Gaired earned his Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering from Cornell University in 2016. Following that, he worked for Union County, North Carolina as a water resource engineer. His primary role in that position was to direct water conservation efforts for the county. In fall 2018, he began study with David Chandler in Syracuse University’s Civil & Environmental Engineering program to further his understanding of storm water management and green infrastructure. …
Amanda Klaben
M.S., Civil & Environmental Engineering
Mandy is a first year M.S. student in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department working with Dr. Charley Driscoll. She earned her B.S. in Environmental Science Systems from Le Moyne College in May of 2018. Her previous research has included soil dynamics in the forests of Costa Rica, and study of the moraines of Icelandic glaciers, and her current research interests include green infrastructure, renewable energy, and harmful algal blooms. …
Nicholas LoRusso
PhD, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Nicholas is from Syracuse, NY and earned a B.S. in Environmental Science with a minor in Chemistry, from SUNY Environmental Science & Forestry. He joined Syracuse University’s Civil & Environmental Engineering Department in May 2016 as a laboratory technician. He’s led the collection and chemical analysis of stream and soil water at Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest under the direction of Dr.…
Laura Markley
PhD, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Laura is a PhD student in the Civil & Environmental Engineering department working with Dr. Charles Driscoll. She earned her M.S. degree in Earth and Environmental Science from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA and her B.S. in Environmental Earth Science from Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic, CT. Her previous research includes the sources and spatial distribution of arsenic in groundwater wells in Lebanon, CT and the application of the magnetic goethite/hematite (G/H) ratio to soils and paleosols in the mid-Atlantic region to determine paleoprecipitation.…
Yngrid Pereira Marques
Civil & Environmental Engineering
Yngrid is a Masters student in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering working with Dr Christa Kelleher in urban hydrology. Specifically, she is investigating areas prone to minor flooding in Syracuse, NY. She earned my B.S. in Civil Engineering from Catholic University of Brasilia, in Brazil, her home country. As an undergraduate, her research focused on sustainable solutions such as permeable concrete and hydrology.…
Qasim Mehdi
PhD, Public Administration
Qasim is pursuing his PhD in Public Administration with concentration in Environmental Policy. He works with Professor Peter Wilcoxen at Maxwell School of Public Affairs and International Relations. Qasim’s research interests include regional and global climate models, climate change resilience and migrations due to climate change in South Asia. Prior to joining Maxwell, Qasim used to work as a researcher and data analyst for a non-profit and a private university in Lahore.…
Geoffrey Millard
PhD, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Geoffrey is a fifth year graduate student in the Civil & Environmental Engineering Department at Syracuse University. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in chemistry from St. Lawrence University in 2010 and his Master’s in Environmental Engineering Science and a Certificate of Advanced Study in Sustainable Enterprise from Syracuse University in 2016. Before attending Syracuse University, Geoffrey was a Research Support Specialist at SUNY-ESF and the Syracuse Center of Excellence where his research focused on nutrient dynamics in a central Adirondack watershed and urban carbon, energy and water fluxes in the city of Syracuse. …
Connor Olson
PhD, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Connor earned his Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in biology at Middle Tennessee State University. His previous work has focused on investigating anthropogenic stressors in remote Appalachian Mountain streams, with an emphasis on mercury. Much of this work has involved the use of riparian spiders as bioindicators of mercury flux from aquatic to terrestrial systems via emergent aquatic insects.…
Darci Pauser
PhD, Political Science
Darci is a PhD student in Political Science with a focus on International Relations and Public Policy. She completed her Master’s in Public Administration with a specialization in Environmental Policy at Syracuse University and her BA in Anthropology from the University of California at Berkeley. Her dissertation research aims to further our understanding of state-level decision making, the role of transnational scientific communities, and the extent of foreign policy issue area linkage on the subject of transboundary water resource management.…
Changcheng Pu
PhD, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Changcheng Pu is a second year PhD student in Civil & Environmental Engineering, working in the Environmental Organic Chemistry Laboratory with Dr. Teng Zeng. Before attending Syracuse University, he received his Bachelor’s degree from Tsinghua University and Master’s degree from Stanford University. His research focuses on understanding the transport and fate of organic contaminants in natural and engineered aquatic systems, by combining controlled laboratory experiments with field based research.…
Riley Sessanna
MS, Earth Sciences
Riley attended SUNY Geneseo where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Geology. He also has a strong background in mathematics and physics which inspired him to pursue the study of Hydrogeology. He now works with Christa Kelleher in the Department of Earth Sciences as a Master’s Student. His interests are widespread, but he is currently studying a local stream in Syracuse, connecting patterns of hydrology and biogeochemistry through field measurements and aerial imaging.
Shaidu Nuru Shaban
PhD, Earth Sciences
Shaidu was born in Tanzania and he is Tanzanian by citizenship. The nature of loving rocks and minerals was the major influence on his career path. He graduated from the University of Dar es salaam with a BSc. in Geology with honours. Four years later, he decided to specialise in petroleum geology, graduating with an MSc. …
John “J.R.” Slosson
PhD, Earth Sciences
J.R. is PhD student in the Department of Earth Sciences working with Drs. Greg Hoke and Laura Lautz on research questions involving water availability and quality. He holds a B.A. in economics and a J.D. from the University of Virginia and spent five years practicing law with a prominent firm in New York City before deciding to pursue graduate work at Syracuse.…
Alexa Stathis
PhD, Chemistry
Alexa is a third year PhD student in the Department of Chemistry working for Dr. Tara Kahan. Her primary research interests include understanding the environmental fate of atmospheric and aquatic pollutants. Currently, her research focuses on understanding the fate of organic, aromatic pollutants in snow, ice and natural waters. Alexa received her Bachelor’s in chemistry from Stonehill College in 2014.
Laura Streib
PhD, Earth Sciences
Laura is a PhD student in the department of Earth Sciences working with Dr. Christopher Scholz. Prior to attending Syracuse University Laura obtained a B.S. at Georgia State University and a M.S. at the University of Kentucky both in the geological sciences. As a M.S. student she utilized paleolimnology and diatom paleoecology to study the paleoclimate of the eastern Sierra Nevada mountain range in California.…
Nimisha Thakur
PhD, Anthropology
Thakur is a PhD student in the Department of Anthropology, Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. She is currently specializing in Cultural Anthropology and previously earned a Masters in Archaeology and a B.A. in History from Pune and Delhi University, India respectively. As a child experiencing life on the river island of Majuli in Assam, India her maternal grandmother’s home, Thakur observed the dominance of the River Brahmaputra on the lives of the inhabitants of the region as it flooded every year during the monsoons.…
Jeff Wade
MS, Earth Sciences
Jeff is first-year M.S. student in the Earth Sciences Department working with Dr. Laura Lautz. He earned his Bachelors of Science in Geology and Geophysics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2019. After completing his undergraduate degree, he worked for the USGS New England Water Science Center studying urban nitrate transport and PFAS contaminant plumes on Cape Cod.…
Dan Wang
PhD, Biology
Dan Wang is a second year PhD student in Biology and his advisor is Professor Heather Coleman. His research focuses on the secondary cell wall in plants. Prior to attending Syracuse University, Dan received his Bachelor’s degree from Jianghan University in Wuhan China. As an undergraduate student he did research focusing on epigenetics in Arabidopsis and abiotic stress response. …
Shiru Wang
PhD, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Shiru Wang is a PhD student in environmental engineering at Syracuse University. She received her B.S from Ningbo University in Chemistry and an MS in Environmental Engineering from Syracuse University. During her time at SU in graduate school, she served as a graduate teaching assistant in Fall 2017. She mentored an undergraduate for an independent research project.…
Joseph Wasswa
PhD, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Joseph Wasswa is a Ugandan and a twin. He is also a first-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering working with Dr. Teng Zeng. Joseph earned a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering from San Diego State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Engineering from Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda. Before moving to the U.S., he worked as Graduate Research Assistant in the School of Food Technology, Nutrition and Bioengineering at Makerere University Kampala, Uganda.…
Micah Wiesner
MS, Earth Sciences
Micah is a Masters student in the Department of Earth Sciences working with Dr. Greg Hoke. As an undergraduate in Geophysics at SUNY Geneseo he collaborated with researchers at LLE in Rochester, NY to increase the efficacy of a solid-state Nuclear Track Detector, CR-39. After finishing at Geneseo he taught secondary science education (Earth Sciences, Ecology) before returning for his Masters at Syracuse.…
Lucie Worthen
M.S., Civil & Environmental Engineering
Lucie Worthen is a first-year M.S. student in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, studying with Dr. Cliff Davidson. She received her B.S. degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of New Hampshire. Her research interests include understanding the impact of plant communities and evapotranspiration in modeling the hydraulics and hydrology of green roofs through the software EPA SWMM5.…
Lachlan Wright
PhD, Earth Sciences
Lachlan is a first-year PhD student in the Department of Earth Science, working with Dr. Chris Scholz. He comes to us from the University of Oxford, where he completed his Masters in Earth Science, and Undergraduate studies. Here, in conjunction with the University of Bristol, and the Geological Survey Department of Zambia, he conducted a basin analysis on the Luangwa Rift Valley using legacy 2D seismic data and deep-time climate simulations to predict lacustrine source facies.…
Yige Yang
PhD, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Yige Yang is a PhD student in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, working for Dr. Cliff Davidson. She received her M.S. degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Syracuse University and her B.S. in Environmental Science from Sun Yat-sen University, China. Her research interests include understanding the hydraulic and thermal performance of green roofs and the specific design of green roofs.…
Nicholas Zaremba
PhD, Earth Sciences
Nick is a PhD student in the Department of Earth Sciences. Before coming to Syracuse, he worked at the USGS in St. Petersburg Florida. He completed a M.S. in Geology from East Carolina University where he studied the stratigraphic architecture and paleoenvironmental change of Pamlico Sound, North Carolina. Nick’s research at Syracuse will focus on studying lake records to better understand how climate has changed in the past.…
Mengyi Zhang
Civil & Environmental Engineering
Mengyi Zhang joined Syracuse University in 2017 as an M.S. student in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department. She is working with Dr. Svetoslava Todorova to build a low-cost, off-the-shelf monitor to predict harmful algal bloom in Skaneateles Lake. She is originally from China and received her B.S. degree in Qingdao Technological University in Shandong province.…