Current Lab Members
Ryan E. Emanuel, PhD – Alumni Distinguished Graduate Professor and University Faculty Scholar Twitter | CV | Website
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2166-1698
Ryan leads the Ecohydrology and Watershed Science group at NC State. His interdisciplinary interests are rooted in hydrologic science and include plant and soil ecology, atmospheric science, and other environmental sciences. With expertise in field observation, numerical modeling, remote sensing, and more, he and his team pursue wide ranging research questions that explore links between climate change, water, ecosystems, and people. Ryan is a citizen of the Lumbee Tribe and works with Native communities and organizations to promote STEM education and cross-cultural understanding between Indigenous peoples and western scientists. He holds a B.S. in Geology from Duke University and both M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Environmental Sciences from the University of Virginia. Ryan joined NCSU in 2010 and has been a faculty member in the UNC system since 2007.
Graduate Students
Justine Neville
Justine Neville – PhD Student
Justine is a PhD candidate in the Ecohydrology and Watershed Science Lab studying saltwater intrusion in coastal North Carolina. She seeks to understand the probabilistic nature of inundation with saltwater due to storm surge or drought using hydrochemical and synthetic aperture radar data. On the side, Justine is interested socio-hydrology and is part of a SESYNC team synthesizing water quality inequality across central Appalachia. In her spare time, Justine de-stresses with an assortment of outdoor activities such as running and rock-climbing.
Jocelyn Painter
Jocelyn Painter – PhD Student
Jocelyn is a PhD student in the Ecohydrology and Watershed Science Group, her current research focuses on modeling climate and land use change impacts on streamflow using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). Jocelyn is an enrolled member of the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, and her motivation to study water and the environment stem from her desire to incorporate indigenous forms of knowledge into western science and make science more accessible and useful to tribal communities. Prior to graduate school, she received a B.S. in Biological Engineering from NC State and worked as a Civil Designer. In her free time she enjoys hiking, kayaking, and playing basketball.
Undergraduates
Jasmine Gregory, NCSU Environmental Sciences
Lizzie Lightning, REU Student, Northeastern State University
Jalen Rose, NCSU Biology/Philosophy
Lab Alumni
Recent Alumni Profiles:
Matthias Sprenger, PhD – Visiting Scientist / Postdoc Website | Twitter
Matthias was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow funded by the German Research Foundation working with the research group Surface Hydrology and Erosion at the Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC) in Barcelona, Spain on “Water Age Dynamics in a Mediterranean Catchment and their Ecohydrological Implications in a Changing Environment”. Matthias is interested in investigating ecohydrological research questions using stable isotopes as a tracer for water in the critical zone. He studied Environmental Science and Biogeosciences at the University of Bayreuth, University of Iceland, and University Koblenz-Landau and got his PhD in Hydrology at University of Freiburg in 2015. Since then, he worked as a postdoc at the University of Aberdeen and the IDAEA-CSIC, Barcelona before working with the Ecohydrology and Watershed Science Lab from 2018 until 2020.
Kaitlin Brätt, BS – NCSU Sustainable Biomaterials
Kaitlin Brӓtt is a recent NCSU graduate from Cary, N.C. with a BS in Sustainable Materials and Technology. In an independent study under Dr. Emanuel, she studied the level of similarity of environmental justice analyses in federal permitting documents. She is pursuing a Master’s degree in Public Health.
Sheila Saia, PhD – Postdoctoral Researcher Website
Sheila is currently a postdoctoral researcher in the department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering. Her research with the Ecohydrology and Watershed Science group focused on linking hydrologic model outputs and demographics data to guide climate change adaptation planning. She is broadly interested in research questions exploring the relationships between to humans and water resources. When she’s not researching, she enjoys rock climbing, biking, cooking, and maintaining her cultures (i.e., sourdough and kombucha).
Andrea Stewart Medenblik, MS Website | Twitter | Email
Andrea Stewart Medenblik is a Hydrologist at the U.S. Geological Survey – South Atlantic Water Science Center. Her research interests include ecohydrology, isotope hydrology, water quality, watershed modeling, and geospatial analysis. A National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, she received an MS in Natural Resources from NC State University in 2019. Her thesis used stable isotopes to describe plant water use at Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory. Prior to graduate school, she received a BS in Environmental Science from UNC Chapel Hill and worked in environmental consulting. Andrea continues to reside in the Raleigh, NC area and enjoys cycling, gardening, and geocaching.
Former Students and Staff:
Will Beuttell, BS (AppState) – Applications Engineer, EKO Instruments
Abi Bhattachan, Postdoc (NCSU) – Postdoc, UCLA
Ruchi Bhattacharya, Scientist (NCSU) – Postdoc, University of Waterloo
Andrew Birch, BS (NCSU) – PhD Student, University of Colorado
John Buckley, MNR (NCSU) – Geospatial Analyst, RTI International
Susan Gale, MS (NCSU) – Water Quality Specialist, City of Durham
Anna Hazen, BS (AppState)
Theo Jass, Environmental Scientist (NCSU)
Jendayi Joell, BS (NCSU)
Alex Moody, BS (AppState) – Hydrogeologist, Idaho Department of Water
Oby Morgan, BS (AppState)
Cormac O’Doherty, MS (NCSU)
Michael Oxendine, BS (AppState) – Research Technologist, Northwestern University
Adam Motsinger, BS (AppState)
Fabian Nippgen, PhD (Co-Advised, Montana State) – Assistant Professor, University of Wyoming
Wilmer Reyes, PhD (NCSU) – Rector, National Agricultural University of Honduras
Josh Rice, PhD (NCSU)
Michael Sanderson, BS (NCSU)
Alan Shafer, BS (NCSU)
Nitin Singh, PhD (NCSU)
Brittany Anstead Turner, BS (NCSU) – Energy Analyst, EcoWorks Detroit
Liz Ward, Master’s Student (NCSU)