People

Ph.D. Student
chloe_faehndrich@berkeley.edu

I am passionate about developing better ways to predict and manage changes in water resources in the face of both human and climate-driven pressures. My Ph.D. research examines how beaver restoration in California’s Sierra Nevada affects water storage and river flow regimes across different beaver densities and climate scenarios. Using hydrologic modeling and remote sensing, I aim to capture the impacts of beaver dams at both local and regional scales. Ultimately, my goal is to translate these insights into actionable knowledge that supports restoration efforts and strengthens California’s water security, both now and for the future.

Before beginning my Ph.D. at Berkeley, I earned a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and Spanish from Skidmore College and conducted research on water resources with Cornell University, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the U.S. Geological Survey. [Co-advised by Albert Ruhi]

Ph.D. student
sdesousa@berkeley.edu

I’m interested in large-scale hydrologic and climate questions. I'm currently studying how snow in the Sierra Nevada takes part in recharging the Central Valley aquifers. I am using remote sensing data sets, computational models, and statistical analysis.

Before coming to UC Berkeley, I had a diverse background that has included work as a civil engineer with the Bureau of Reclamation in New Mexico and a mountain guide in Colorado.

Postdoctoral Researcher
scasirati@berkeley.edu

My research lies at the intersection of ecohydrology, computational hydrology, and Earth system modeling. I investigate how land-use change and human activities, particularly irrigation, shape hydrologic processes and land–atmosphere interactions across spatial and temporal scales. By combining statistical and geospatial analyses with process-based models and diverse data sources, including field observations and remote sensing, I explore the feedback linking vegetation dynamics, water fluxes, and climate variability. Before joining UC Berkeley, I earned my Ph.D. in Environmental Systems at UC Merced, where I examined how climate stressors and forest treatments influence mountain hydrology and forest ecosystems.