People

Dr. Allison Pfeiffer (she/her)

Associate Professor, WWU Geology Department 

Digges Distinguished Professor of Engineering Geology

GoogleScholar GitHub CV

Email: allison.pfeiffer@wwu.edu

I work to understand geomorphic processes, primarily in gravel-bedded rivers and often through the lens of sediment supply/grain size. I dabble in remote sensing and numerical modeling, but my inspiration comes from the field. Go to the 'Projects' page for more details.

Before starting at Western, I was an NCED 2 Synthesis Postdoctoral Fellow studying geomorphology at the University Washington. I split my time between the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department (working with Erkan Istanbulluoglu) and the Earth and Space Science Department (with Dave Montgomery), as well as working with Jon Czuba at Virginia Tech. Before starting in Seattle, I was a graduate student at the University of California Santa Cruz, working with Noah Finnegan. 

When not at my computer, in the classroom, or enjoying a day in the field, you can probably find me and my partner chasing, carrying, or biking our two curious and rambunctious kids around this lovely place we call home. 

Elliot Witscher (they/them)

BS, Geological Sciences, Case Western Reserve University

Elliot’s research focuses on the impact of weathering on the abrasion rate of rocks in fluvial systems.

Outside of the lab, Elliot enjoys reading, exploring local coffee shops, and going on hikes.

Colin Willemsen (he/him)

Colin is a fourth-year undergrad student completing a B.S. in Geology. His research focuses on understanding the changes to gravel bar geometry in the Everson Overflow reach of the Nooksack River. His research utilizes remote sensing GIS workflows with Planet Imagery data to quantify bar and channel area. 

Outside of the lab, Colin enjoys spending time in the incredible landscape surrounding Bellingham: running, cross-country skiing, and biking in addition to developing his passion for landscape photography and cooking.  

Corvus Fisher (they/them) 

Corvus is a 3rd year undergraduate student working towards their BS in Geology. Their research is focused on simulating lahar and fluvial transport of near-source Glacier Peak volcanic clasts, aiming to understand the controls on downstream clast rounding in these systems. 

Outside of the Fluvial Lab, Corvus can be found hiking in local state parks, commentating over Cutthroat Kitchen with their wife, or snuggling with their kittycat.

Megan Wilson (MS, 2026) (she/her)

BA, Geology, Occidental College 

Thesis: "Large Wood Controls on the Spatial Distribution of In-channel Sediment Storage Following Post-Fire Debris Flows in the Western U.S."

Last seen as a Scientist in the Parks intern in Yosemite National Park. 

Ashanie Long-Reid (MS, 2025) (she/her)

BS, Geology, University of the West Indies (Mona)

Thesis: "Modeling the impact of abrasion on the fluvial morphodynamics of a volcanic sediment pulse, Suiattle River, WA"

Last seen at Interfluve in Hood River, Oregon

Brian Pinke (MS, 2024) he/him

BS, Geology, Lafayette College

Thesis: "Vanishing Volcanics: Mass Wasting Deposit Heterogeneity, with

Implications for Rapid Downstream Abrasion Implications for Rapid Downstream Abrasion"

Pinke, B., Pfeiffer, A., Czuba, J. A., & Coffin, F. (2026). Vanishing volcanics: Implications of mass wasting deposit sediment heterogeneity on downstream abrasion and the fluvial hazard cascade. Geomorphica, 2(2), 21-21. https://doi.org/10.59236/geomorphica.v2i2.66

Last seen in Bellingham, WA

Telemak (Telly) Olsen (MS, 2023) he/him

Thesis: "Quantifying channel change following post-fire debris flows in a steep, coastal stream, Big Sur, California" 

Olsen, T., Pfeiffer, A. M., Finnegan, N. J., Li, C., & Horton, D. E. (2024). Impacts of post‐fire debris flows on fluvial morphology and sediment transport in a California central coast stream. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 129, e2024JF007740. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JF007740 

BA, Geosciences, Skidmore College

Last seen coordinating at SUNY Ulster Watershed Conservation Corps

Emily Loucks (MS, 2023) she/her

Thesis: "Does sediment supply impact the threshold for initial sediment motion in natural, gravel bedded streams?"

BS, Geology, Pennsylvania State University

Last seen as a Geologist at the US Forest Service, Boise National Forest

Ed Fordham (MS, 2022)

Thesis: "Glacier Peak and the Chocolate Factory : Recurring debris flows from Chocolate Glacier, eastern flank of Glacier Peak stratovolcano, North Cascades, Washington State, USA"

Fordham et al. (2023) Recurrent debris flows and their downstream fate: geomorphic drivers of an anomalous sediment load, Suiattle River, Washington State, USA. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5551

BS, Environmental Science, University of New Mexico

Last seen as a Geomorphologist at Northwest Hydraulic Consultants (NHC) in Bellingham, WA

Olivia Petralia (BS, 2026)

Olivia is a fourth-year undergraduate pursuing a B.S. in Geology. This summer, she is studying the geomorphic history of the Nooksack River system with a focus on avulsion processes. Her research uses GIS techniques to quantify channel width, curvature, and floodplain characteristics across the modern Nooksack River, Sumas River, and Johnson Creek.

Outside the lab, Olivia enjoys rainy day hikes, looking @ birds, reading, and ceramics. 

Hailey (Hof) Hoffer (she/they)

Hof's work focused on the characteristics of vesicular volcanic rock lithologies sampled from down stream deposits along the Lillooet River in BC, using MicroCT and Structure from Motion to characterize rock surface texture. 

Finn Coffin (BS, 2024)

Finn's B.S. research involves considering the relationship between in place weathering and fluvial abrasion rates of volcanic sourced landslide deposits. Outside of geology he enjoys exploring food and rock climbing. 

Last seen at AESI (Associated Earth Sciences Inc) in Kirkland, WA

Stephen Novak (BS, 2021)

Thesis: "Quantifying sediment contribution from bluff retreat along the Suiattle River, Washington"

Last seen at Fain Environmental in Bellingham, WA

Liv Pedersen (Postbac, 2024-2025) 

Liv graduated from WWU in Spring 2024, and worked as a NSF GEO-REPS Postbac researcher. Her project focused on the downstream deposits from Glacier Peak lahars in the middle Skagit River. 

Jeni Chan (Postbac, 2023)

Jeni worked in the lab as an NSF-funded GEO-REPS scholar with the goal of exploring the lateral extent and sedimentology of a ~1.8kyr lahar downstream from Glacier Peak. The work was a collaboration with (semi-) retired National Park Service Geologist Jon Riedel. 

Last seen at WWU Geology Department MS program