PhD - Started Spring 2023

Mehran's dissertation focuses on better understanding the role of accumulation of deformation from successive and varied seismic cycles in long-term topography development. Specific questions to be addressed include the role of coseismic vs interseismic strain and interactions of varying periodicities of seismicity compared to climate both influence building topography.  Mehran's research is funded by NSF EAR-2237437.

PhD - Started Fall 2021

Vivian's dissertation considers how histories of drainage network evolution may be recorded in sediment provenance records. As part of her research, Vivian is developing a component for Landlab to simulate the evolution of provenance records as landscapes evolve. This component will be used to explore how joint simulation of provenance and landscape evolution, and comparisons to records and real landscapes, can improve interpretations of past landscape change. Vivian's research is funded by NSF EAR-1917695.

PhD - Completed Fall 2024

Colton's dissertation investigated the sediment provenance records within the Cenozoic stratigraphy of the southern Greater Caucasus foreland basins.  As part of his dissertation, he produced the first comprehensive set of Hf isotope values from detrital zircons within the Greater Caucasus. Portions of Colton's research is funded by La BoR Contract LEQSF(2022-2023)-RD-A-06. The first paper from his dissertation is published in Sedimentologika [Link to Article] and subsequent papers are in preparation.

Postdoctoral Researcher - Now a Research Scientist at the National Energy Technology Laboratory

Nate's research in the SPAT Group at LSU focused on the influence of advection of rock strength contrasts on landscape evolution and the implications of covariance of fluvial erodibility and diffusivity with rock type on topography. The first paper that resulted from Nate's work is published in Earth Surface Processes and Landforms [Link to Article] and a second manuscript in preparation.

MS - Completed Fall 2020 - Now at Chevron

Kate's thesis project involved using detrital zircon (U-Th)/He thermochronology from a series of catchments along the length of the Greater Caucasus to investigate spatial variations in patterns of exhumation rates and timing. She used a relatively new zircon He technique (Laser Ablation Double Dating - LADD) performed at the Group-18 Laboratory at Arizona State University and interpreting these data with a variety of thermal modelling techniques. The first paper from her work is published in Tectonics [Link to Article]

MS - Completed Summer 2020 - Now at University of Toronto Pursuing a PhD

Josh worked on a variety of projects as part of his MS. He performed an in depth analysis of the topography of the Lesser Caucasus Mountains with a special focus on the role of lithology in complicating the interpretation of tectonics form this landscape. This led him to a project using a 1D stream power model to quantify how the vertical velocity of base-level fall knickpoints varied when propagating through a landscape with lithologic heterogeneity. The first paper from his thesis is published in Earth Surface Processes and Landforms [Link to Article]