I am a PhD student and Distinguished Doctoral Fellow in the Department of Geosciences at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. I am interested in geophysical modeling and geomorphology, particularly in glacier and mountain environments. I primarily study the massive debris covered glaciers in the Everest Region of Nepal, but I am also interested in debris covered glaciers in Alaska, Patagonia, and the Karakoram. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Physics from Hendrix College and I have six years of high school physics and math teaching experience. In addition to challenging fieldwork, I also enjoy rock climbing, canoeing, hiking, and fishing.
I am currently working to model surface debris transport and melt on debris covered glaciers. Rocky debris cover exerts a strong influence on glacier melt rates in a variety of complex ways. Debris cover is heterogeneously scattered across the glacier and is frequently redistributed when glacier ice melts, making it challenging to predict and quantify melt on these glaciers. I am trying to better understand the connections between glacier topography, debris cover, melt water drainage, and, ultimately, the melt rate. This work is important because more than 1 billion people rely on melt water from Himalayan glaciers to meet agricultural, hydropower, and individual needs.
If you are interested in learning more or would like to collaborate on a project, please contact me!