My Research
My research focuses on improving the prediction and management of water resources through advanced modeling, data science integration, and decision support tools. I work across multiple scales — from local watersheds to regional river basins — to address contemporary challenges in hydrology and water quality.
Current Research Projects
Scalable Decision Support Tool (s-DST)(PI)
Leading the development of a scalable decision support tool for equitable water resources allocation and management, funded by the USGS 104g program. The DST helps stakeholders make data-driven decisions for sustainable water use.
Climate Resiliency Center(PI)
Leading Climate Resiliency Center, funded by the DOE. We are building adaptive capacity for communities along the Missouri River Basin through research with community partnerships.
AQUA-CLIME(Co-PI)
A Co-PI on NSF FEC project led by Dr. Gadhamshetty (SDSMT): Sensor-based, community-guided solutions for climate-resilient water management and workforce development.
Dryland Conservation Research(Co-PI)
A Co-PI on USDA Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) led by Dr. Sutie Xu (SDSU) to aid farmers overcome barriers to cover crop adoption in dryland production systems.
Research Focus Areas
My research focuses on the management of water resources through a combination of field observations, laboratory experiments, and computational modeling to address real-world water challenges. Specific areas include:
- Watershed-scale hydrologic and water quality modeling
- Stormwater management and green infrastructure
- Data science integration in water resources
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Development of decision support tools (DSTs)
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Produced Water Management Tool:
An optimization tool for selecting oil and gas and coal bed methane produced water treatment options. Users input feed water quality from various regions, and the DST selects appropriate treatment methods that meet beneficial use requirements while calculating associated treatment train costs.
Download DST -
STUMOD (Soil Treatment Unit Model):
STUMOD_v2 is developed to predict the fate and transport of nitrogen in soil treatment units. It calculates nitrogen species concentrations and estimates the fraction of total nitrogen reaching the water table or a specific soil depth, using input parameters for hydraulics, nutrient transport, and transformation.
Download STUMOD -
i-DSTss:
A tool for estimating pollutant removal and runoff reduction in stormwater best management practices (BMPs). Supports performance evaluation and design of green infrastructure.
Download i-DSTss
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Produced Water Management Tool:
Research team
Graduate students
Susan Bastola, Ph.D. student
Hydrology modeling, data science integration, and decision support tools
Nisha Pokharel, Ph.D. student
Hydrology and water quality modeling, decision support tools
Alene Moshe Gibre, Ph.D. student
Hydrology modeling, data science integration, and decision support tools
Endlkachewu Gelaw, Ph. D student
Hydrology, hydraulics, and decision support tools
Mark Cedar Face, Ph.D. student
Hydrology modeling, machine learning, and flood frequency analysis
Alene Moshe Gibre, Ph.D. student
Hydrology and water quality modeling Decision support tools
Undergradute Students
Ethan Lohan
Development of tools for data processing