John Gardner
Assistant Professor
(he/him)
gardner.john@pitt.edu
Scholar | Github | Twitter
I want to know everything about rivers. I am passionate about landscapes, water, and data, and enjoy learning how the world works through observation. I joined the University of Pittsburgh January 2021. Formerly, I was an NSF postdoctoral fellow with Tamlin Pavelsky at the University of North Carolina, completed a PhD in 2018 with Martin Doyle at Duke University, a MS with Thomas Fisher at University of Maryland, and a BS/BA in Environmental Science and Geography from the University of Missouri.
Assistant Professor
(he/him)
gardner.john@pitt.edu
Scholar | Github | Twitter
I want to know everything about rivers. I am passionate about landscapes, water, and data, and enjoy learning how the world works through observation. I joined the University of Pittsburgh January 2021. Formerly, I was an NSF postdoctoral fellow with Tamlin Pavelsky at the University of North Carolina, completed a PhD in 2018 with Martin Doyle at Duke University, a MS with Thomas Fisher at University of Maryland, and a BS/BA in Environmental Science and Geography from the University of Missouri.
Elad Dente
Postdoctoral Scholar
elad.dente@pitt.edu
Scholar | ResearchGate | Twitter
My research is focused on hydrological and geomorphological processes, and the interactions between them. The current research subjects include drainage basins and fluvial evolutions, surface runoff, sediment transport, landslides and cliff evolution, and detection of climatic and hydrological changes and trends. Remotely sensed datasets, digital elevation models (DEMs), and 2D hydraulic models are significant in my research.
Postdoctoral Scholar
elad.dente@pitt.edu
Scholar | ResearchGate | Twitter
My research is focused on hydrological and geomorphological processes, and the interactions between them. The current research subjects include drainage basins and fluvial evolutions, surface runoff, sediment transport, landslides and cliff evolution, and detection of climatic and hydrological changes and trends. Remotely sensed datasets, digital elevation models (DEMs), and 2D hydraulic models are significant in my research.
Punwath Prum
PhD Student
punwath.prum@pitt.edu
LinkedIn
I am interested in studying the impacts of human intervention and climate on water resources using remote sensing, modeling, and field observation. Currently, I am working with Dr. John Gardner to develop global riverine databases of surface reflectance and suspended sediments. I completed a MS in Environmental Observation and Informatics from University
of Wisconsin-Madison in 2020, a BS in Land Management and Land Administration from the Royal University of Agriculture (Cambodia), and a BA in Education from the Royal University
of Phnom Penh (Cambodia). I am a 2019 recipient of Civil Society Leadership Awards from Open Society Foundation, a 2018 recipient of TechCamp Reconnect Small Grant from US Embassy to Thailand, and a 2016 recipient of TechCamp H20 Small Grant from US Embassy to Cambodia. Before joining this lab, I worked on satellite image processing, spatial data analysis, geovisualization, and data management for over 5 years at Open Development Cambodia, East West Management Institute, The Nature Conservancy, and Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey.
PhD Student
punwath.prum@pitt.edu
I am interested in studying the impacts of human intervention and climate on water resources using remote sensing, modeling, and field observation. Currently, I am working with Dr. John Gardner to develop global riverine databases of surface reflectance and suspended sediments. I completed a MS in Environmental Observation and Informatics from University
of Wisconsin-Madison in 2020, a BS in Land Management and Land Administration from the Royal University of Agriculture (Cambodia), and a BA in Education from the Royal University
of Phnom Penh (Cambodia). I am a 2019 recipient of Civil Society Leadership Awards from Open Society Foundation, a 2018 recipient of TechCamp Reconnect Small Grant from US Embassy to Thailand, and a 2016 recipient of TechCamp H20 Small Grant from US Embassy to Cambodia. Before joining this lab, I worked on satellite image processing, spatial data analysis, geovisualization, and data management for over 5 years at Open Development Cambodia, East West Management Institute, The Nature Conservancy, and Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey.
Rajaram Prajapati
PhD Student
rap232@pitt.edu
Scholar | ResearchGate | LinkedIn
Rajaram’s research interests focus on developing new ideas to fill the hydro-meteorological data gaps in data-scarce regions through remote sensing and citizen science approaches. Rajaram’s current research project is on using satellite remote sensing to better understand surface hydrology. He completed his MS in Water Resources Engineering from the Institute of Engineering, Pulchowk Campus in Kathmandu, Nepal. Rajaram is the Founder and former CEO of Smartphones For Water Nepal (S4W‑Nepal) and Country Ambassador for Citizen Science.Asia (CitSci.Asia). Rajaram has 3+ years of teaching experience in water-related courses, research team leadership, mentoring students of undergraduate and graduate levels. He has been awarded American Geophysical Union (AGU) Virtual Berkner Travel Fellowship 2020 and Center of Research for Environment, Energy, and Water (CREEW) Young Researcher Fellowships Program 2019.
PhD Student
rap232@pitt.edu
Scholar | ResearchGate | LinkedIn
Rajaram’s research interests focus on developing new ideas to fill the hydro-meteorological data gaps in data-scarce regions through remote sensing and citizen science approaches. Rajaram’s current research project is on using satellite remote sensing to better understand surface hydrology. He completed his MS in Water Resources Engineering from the Institute of Engineering, Pulchowk Campus in Kathmandu, Nepal. Rajaram is the Founder and former CEO of Smartphones For Water Nepal (S4W‑Nepal) and Country Ambassador for Citizen Science.Asia (CitSci.Asia). Rajaram has 3+ years of teaching experience in water-related courses, research team leadership, mentoring students of undergraduate and graduate levels. He has been awarded American Geophysical Union (AGU) Virtual Berkner Travel Fellowship 2020 and Center of Research for Environment, Energy, and Water (CREEW) Young Researcher Fellowships Program 2019.
Gabi Zuccolotto
PhD Student
glz9@pitt.edu
I joined the Gardner lab in August 2022 and am interested in all things surface water hydrology, remote sensing, and science communication. My current research focuses on remote sensing of algal blooms in the Ohio River Basin. By modeling spatial and temporal trends of chlorophyll-a concentrations, I hope to better understand drivers of blooms in river systems, the relationship between chlorophyll-a and other water quality parameters and the influence of hydrologic infrastructure on downstream water quality.
I also possess an M.S. in Environmental Science and Management from Duquesne University (2022), where I used radar remote sensing to study land subsidence and salinization of the lower Limpopo River Basin, and a B.S.Ed in Earth and Space Science Secondary Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (2018). I have experience teaching a variety of middle school and high school science courses, including Geology, Environmental Science and Astronomy, as well as teaching in informal education and outreach settings. I incorporate the pedagogical skills that I have developed through my teaching background into my research, and I strive to connect the general public with high level hydrologic research through effective communication and data visualization.
PhD Student
glz9@pitt.edu
I joined the Gardner lab in August 2022 and am interested in all things surface water hydrology, remote sensing, and science communication. My current research focuses on remote sensing of algal blooms in the Ohio River Basin. By modeling spatial and temporal trends of chlorophyll-a concentrations, I hope to better understand drivers of blooms in river systems, the relationship between chlorophyll-a and other water quality parameters and the influence of hydrologic infrastructure on downstream water quality.
I also possess an M.S. in Environmental Science and Management from Duquesne University (2022), where I used radar remote sensing to study land subsidence and salinization of the lower Limpopo River Basin, and a B.S.Ed in Earth and Space Science Secondary Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (2018). I have experience teaching a variety of middle school and high school science courses, including Geology, Environmental Science and Astronomy, as well as teaching in informal education and outreach settings. I incorporate the pedagogical skills that I have developed through my teaching background into my research, and I strive to connect the general public with high level hydrologic research through effective communication and data visualization.
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Sam Sillen
Research Analyst sjs281@pitt.edu I grew up in Western Massachusetts and graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2018. While at UMass, I worked for the Massachusetts Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit studying the effects of dams on water quality. After graduating, I spent time working for several state agencies in the northeast, including the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. In 2020, I moved to Wyoming for my master's research on using remote sensing to understand harmful algal bloom (HAB) trends in Wyoming reservoirs. Currently, I am a Research Analyst with the Pittsburgh Water Collaboratory (PWC) working on building remote sensing databases of river and lake water quality in the Ohio River Basin. Luisa Lucchese
Postdoctoral Scholar luisavlucchese@gmail.com website | scholar My research interests lie on the application of Machine Learning (ML) methods to hydro-environmental spatial problems. I joined Gardner Lab in February 2023 and currently develop research in the field of hydrology and sedimentology, by modeling suspended sediment in rivers using ML and remote sensing. My goal is to continue using ML in productive and environmentally friendly ways, and to set the ML models to show us an honest picture of its shortcomings. I am a BSc in Civil Engineering (2015), a MSc (2018) and a PhD (2022) in Water Resources and Environmental Sanitation from UFRGS, which is located in Porto Alegre, Brazil, the city where I was born and raised. In my PhD I did a 6-month mobility at the Geography Institute of FSU Jena, in Germany (2021-2022). Both my Master’s and PhD theses received awards from the postgraduate programs. |
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Claire Kemick
Undergraduate Researcher
Robert Murphy
Pittsburgh Water Collaboratory Internship/Undergraduate Researcher
Brandon Yasin
Undergraduate Researcher
Tom Plazek
Undergraduate Researcher
Undergraduate Researcher
Robert Murphy
Pittsburgh Water Collaboratory Internship/Undergraduate Researcher
Brandon Yasin
Undergraduate Researcher
Tom Plazek
Undergraduate Researcher
Former Group Members
Lydia Ciani- Undergraduate Researcher 2021-2022
Aaron Carr-Undergraduate Researcher 2021
Dylan Gordan- Undergraduate Researcher 2021
