Current Members
Post-docs
José Silvestre
PhD Tulane University
Project: Looping Channel Networks
Jonathan Lim
PhD Oxford University
Project: Alaskan River Migration
Graduate Students
Cory Hughes
PhD Student (Geosciences)
Project: Martian Deltas and Earth Analogs
Tristan Tompkins
Masters Student (Geology)
Project: Sediment Transport at the Transition between Unmanaged and Managed Channels
Luke Stork
Masters Student (Geography)
Co-advised with Dr. Carla Klehm
Project: Alaskan River Avulsions
Shovon Mohanto
PhD Student (Geosciences)
Project: Complex Channel Network Dynamics
Javier Fajardo
PhD Student (Space and Planetary Sciences)
Co-advised with Dr. Vincent Chevrier
Project: Planetary River Deltas
Undergraduate Students
Jackson Stewart
B.S. Earth Sciences ’26
Project: Wedington Delta Well-log Interpretation
Maddy Murphy
B.S. Geology ’26
Project: Looping Network Laboratory Experiments
Alumni
Post Docs
Hehe Chen (2020-2021) co-advised by Jill Marshall and Glenn Sharman, presently Associate Professor of Structural Geology, China University of Geoscience
Hongbo Ma (2020) Current Position: Assistant Professor, Tsinghua University, China and University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. Luna B. Leopold award winner.
Robert Mahon (2017-2018) Current Position: Associate Professor, University of New Orleans
Wun-Tao Ke (2016-2018) Current Position: Engineer, Sinotech, Taipei, Taiwan
Graduate Students
Kelly Sanks (2016-2021) Dissertation: “The morphodynamic interaction of river deltas and their marshes” University of Arkansas Distinguished Dissertation Award. Currently: post-doc, Tulane-LSU-Wageningen University, NSF Postdoc Award Winner 2024-2026, currently at Center for Climate Integrity
Michaelmary Chukwu (2023-2025), acting advisor, research supervised by Dr. Xiao Huang, Emory University; thesis: “A Mobility Data-Driven Approach to Analyzing and Modeling Park Accessibility Inequities and Use in U.S. Cities”; currently PhD student U. of Maryland
Byongsuk “Taewoo” Chun (2019-2021) Thesis: “Modeling the Lafourche Delta network in the Mississippi Delta Complex” Currently PhD Student, Queens University, Kingston, Canada
Sam Zapp (2018-2020) Thesis: “Exploring Sediment Compaction in Experimental Deltas” Currently PhD Student, LSU College of Coast and Environment
Chris Cathcart (2017-2019) Thesis: “The Structure and Dynamics of a River Delta are Related Through its Nourishment Area, Suggesting Optimality” Currently PhD Student at U. of Arkansas
Amanda Whaling (2016-2018) Thesis: “Changes to Subaqueous Delta Bathymetry Following a High River Flow Event, Wax Lake Delta, LA” https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/3044/; Currently at Lower Mississippi Gulf Water Science Center, US. Geological Survey
Kelly Sanks (2016-2018) Thesis: “Marsh Monitoring Shows Minimal Sediment Deficit along the Louisiana Coast” Currently PhD Student, at U. of Arkansas
Thomas Coffey (2016-2017) Thesis: “Comparison of Flow Dynamics and Bifurcation Angles in Tributary and Distributary Channel Networks” Currently at Halliburton
Sean Parry (2015-2017) Thesis: “Utilization of Cross-sets for Paleodischarge Estimation and Paleocurrent Direction Magnitudes of the Parthenon Sandstone, Northwest Arkansas” https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/2010/; Currently at Arcadis
Gordon McCain III (2014-2016) Thesis: “Influences of Channel Dredging on Avulsion Potential at the Atchafalaya River” https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/1559/; Currently Petroleum Geologist at G3 Geological Resources and President, North Texas Geological Society
Kyle Spencer (2014-2016) Thesis: “Statistical Analysis of Fluvial Channel Belts” https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/1604/; Currently Client Success Manager, Oseberg Oil and Gas
Undergraduates
Nathan Moore (2023-2025); Undergraduate Research Grant awardee, Japan Interac Team 2025
Trent Fortier (2022-2023); Currently MS Geology, University of Arkansas
Mary Dee (2021); currently Assistant Project Manager, Sikand Engineering, Los Angeles, CA
Maya Kedem (2020-2021); Mechanical Engineering, Currently Assembly Engineer, GE Aviation
Adam Konkol (2019-2021; U. of Pennsylvania, Dept. of Physics, Goldwater Scholar, Dean’s Scholar, NSF GRFP)
Christopher Schaubroeck (2019-2021, Honors: Summa Cum Laude), Thesis: “Rapid River Migration in the Lowermost Arkansas River, Arkansas, USA” Currently Assistant Geologist, Terracon, Indianapolis, IN
Madison Riney (2019-2020); presently Geologist Digioa Gray, Gilbert, AZ
Sam Vasquez (2018), Co-advised with Dr. Sharman
Ashlynn Haynes (2017-2019), Currently GIS expert for city of Springdale, AR
Kashauna Mason (2017-2019), Currently Ph.D. student at Texas A&M
Micheal Amos (2016-2018), M.S., University of New Orleans
Seth Gilchrist (2016-2018, Honors Cum Laude, SURF recipient), Thesis: “Analyzing Deltaic Sediment Settling Velocity Variation in a bay of the Wax Lake Delta, Louisiana” Currently PhD student: U. of California: Merced.
Kaitlyn Hurlbut (2015-2017)
Grayson Lamb (2015-2016) M.S. TCU, Currently at Oxy Petroleum
Josie Brunick (2014-2015) Currently at EOG
Justin Estep (2014-2015) PhD Texas A&M, post-doc Northern Arizona University, presently Assistant Professor at Maine Maritime Academy
Thomas Coffey (2015)
