Paxton Ridgway
Curriculum Vitae
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management – UC Santa Barbara
Bren Hall, UC Santa Barbara, CA 931117
e: pridgway@bren.ucsb.edu
EDUCATION
2025 - Present Ph.D. - Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UC Santa Barbara, CA.
2023 - 2025 MBA - Huntsman School of Business, Utah State University, Logan, UT.
Program: Executive Leadership and Innovation
2022 - 2024 MS - Civil and Environmental Engineering, Utah State University, Logan, UT.
Program: River Mechanics and Modeling
Research Group: Post-Wildfire Hydrology
2013 - 2017 BS - Environmental Studies- UC Santa Barbara, CA.
Concentration: Hydrologic Sciences
RESEARCH
My research interests revolve around the drivers and management decisions affecting the changing sediment dynamics of watersheds and rivers from multiple perspectives. These include shifting hydrologic regimes caused by wildfires, climate change effects on precipitation, infrastructure, dam removals, and their impacts on water users and ecosystems.
Provisional Ph.D. Dissertation Title: Drivers and Management of Changing Sediment Regimes in California’s Rivers.
· Numerical modeling of wildfire-driven sediment cascades and channel evolution
· Climate‑driven shifts in hydrologic timing and drivers of sediment mobilization
· Geomorphic risk to water supply and infrastructure
· Water resource management under dams and dam removals
M.Sc. Thesis: Channel Dynamics in Response to Compounding Hydrogeomorphic Disturbances in a Steep Burned Watershed:
· NSF-Funded research investigating widespread post-wildfire debris flow triggering events and subsequent drivers of downstream sediment mobilization
· High-resolution DEM spatial analysis of overlapping pre-fire and post-fire LiDAR datasets for monitoring debris flow source catchments and deposits.
· Multi-year intensive field survey documentation of sediment transport and channel geometry change.
· Collaboration with USGS Landslides Hazards Group, Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT)
PEER REVIEWED JOURNAL PUBLICATIONS
Ridgway, P., Schmitt, R.J.P., [2026; under review]. Wildfire impacts on River Systems: Sediment Cascades, Channel Response, and Implications for Water Resources. Water Resources Research
Ridgway, P., Lane, B., Canham, H., Murphy, B., Belmont, P., Rengers, F.K. (2024). Wildfire, extreme precipitation, and debris flows, oh my! River corridor response to compounding disturbances in a steep mountain stream in the Upper Colorado Basin, USA. Earth Surface Process and Landforms. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5942
Rengers, F. K., Bower, S., Knapp, A., Kean, J. W., vonLembke, D. W., Thomas, M. A., Kostelnik, J., Barnhart, K. R., Bethel, M., Gartner, J. E., Hille, M., Staley, D. M., Anderson, J. K., Roberts, E. K., DeLong, S. B., Lane, B., Ridgway, P., and Murphy, B. P. (2024): Evaluating post-wildfire debris-flow rainfall thresholds and volume models at the 2020 Grizzly Creek Fire in Glenwood Canyon, Colorado, USA, Natural Hazards Earth System Sciences, 24, 2093–2114, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-24-2093-2024, 2024.
PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATIONS AND MEDIA
Ridgway P. (2026). Drivers and Management of Changing Sediment Regimes in California's Rivers. UCSB Bren Research Symposium — March 2026.
Top‑Viewed Article, Wiley (2025) — Recognized as a top‑viewed paper in Earth Surface Processes and Landforms for Wildfire, extreme precipitation, and debris flows, oh my! Channel response to compounding disturbances in a mountain stream in the Upper Colorado Basin, USA.
USU Feature Article — USU Study Highlights Channel Response: www.usu.edu/today/story/new-usu-study-highlights-channel-response-in-upper-colorado-basin
Ridgway P., Lane B., 2024. “Channel Dynamics in Response to Compounding Hydrogeomorphic Disturbance in a Steep Burned Watershed.” After the Flames (ATF) Conference -- Impacts on Watershed Hydrology, Biogeochemistry, and Biodiversity, Estes Park, Colorado. April 2024.
Ridgway P., Lane B., 2024. “Channel Dynamics in Response to Compounding Hydrogeomorphic Disturbance in a Steep Burned Watershed.” Establishing Directions in Post-Fire Debris Flow Science Conference. South Lake Tahoe, California. May, 2024.
New USU Study Highlights Channel Response in Upper Colorado Basin: https://www.usu.edu/today/story/new-usu-study-highlights-channel-response-in-upper-colorado-basin
MERIT AWARDS
2025 - UC Regents Fellowship - UC campus-wide Funding Awarded to top Ph.D. researchers
2025 - Lakhan-Pal Fellowship - Environmental Studies Program, UCSB
GRANT AWARDS (* indicates lead researcher)
Kuni Research Grant*, Bren School, UC Santa Barbara — $14,770 (Awarded May 2026)
· Interdisciplinary research grant supporting field equipment and expenses.
STEM Seed Grant, Office of Research, UC Santa Barbara — $9,750 (Awarded June 2026)
ACADEMIC TEACHING
ES 156 Pathways to Sustainable Water Infrastructure
· Teaching Assistant and Lab Instructor for upper division undergraduate coursework
· Spatial Analysis of Infrastructure Impacts to Watershed Dynamics
ADVISING / MENTORSHIP
Valuing the Societal Benefits of Fishery Restoration: Santa Margarita Bridge Project (2026-27)
· Advising 5 Masters Students in Environmental Science and Management (MESM) Impact Project
· Collaboration across public and state agencies (NOAA, CADFW, CalTrans, CalTrout)
Environmental Studies Undergraduate Mentorship Program (2025-2026)
· One-on-One mentorship for undergraduate Environmental Studies students.
SCHOLARLY PROFILES
Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Paxton-Ridgway?ev=hdr_xprf
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ulYOsEUAAAAJ&hl=en
Personal Portfolio: https://sites.google.com/view/paxtonridgway/home
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2018 - 2022 Balance Hydrologics, Berkeley CA. Staff Hydrologist
· Fluvial restoration design and construction for engineering oversight,
implementation, and monitoring services.
· Hydraulic and hydrologic modeling to analyze flood event inundation and
sediment transport.
· Collection of streamflow data, installation and maintenance of hydrologic
monitoring equipment.
2015 - 2018 City of Santa Barbara Public Works, Water Resources Engineering Technician
· Construction management and oversight of water, wastewater, and desalination
capital improvement projects.
· In-field research for infrastructure replacement, sequencing, and budget planning
using GIS software.
PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS
· American Society for Civil Engineers (ASCE) Construction Engineering Certification
· Wilderness First Aid (WFA) / CPR
· Stormwater Pollution and Prevention Plan (SWPPP) management and implementation
SKILLS AND SOFTWARES
· Hydrologic and Hydraulic Modeling: HEC-RAS (1D, 2D), HEC-HMS, FLOW-3D HYDRO
· Python, programming languages applied to hydrologic and environmental data
· GIS software including ArcPro, QGIS, and CAD (AutoCAD C3D)
· Field Surveying including Total Station, RTK, Auto Levels
· Field-team Lead, Safety coordination and public outreach