Prof. Belize Lane, Associate Professor, Water Program Head
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Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Utah Water Research Laboratory. Click for CV
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I am interested in ways to more efficiently allocate scarce freshwater resources for humans and ecosystems under increasing stressors from climate change, population growth and shifting societal values. Rivers are increasingly viewed as coupled human-natural systems, but a gap remains in our understanding of how hydrology, humans, and river ecosystems functionally interact across space and time scales. Furthermore, appropriate tools to conceptualize, model, and manage rivers depend on the scale of the problem. My research group performs applied, interdisciplinary investigations to advance understanding of coupled human-natural hydrologic systems and apply this understanding to real pressing problems. We employ a combination of field studies, hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, geospatial and time series analysis, optimization and simulation modeling, and multivariate statistics.
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When not studying rivers, I can be found rafting, skiing, and mountain biking through the water cycle with my husband, daughter, and dog.
Melissa Stamp, Project Manager / Watershed Scientist
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Melissa manages the Functional Flows Framework project. She specializes in communicating technical water resources information to stakeholders and policymakers to promote effective decision-making. Prior to joining USU, Melissa worked at the Utah Reclamation Mitigation & Conservation Commission, where she managed the agency’s projects team and served as lead coordinator for the Provo River Delta Restoration Project. Melissa holds an MS in Watershed Science from Utah State University and a BA in Geography from Dartmouth College. In her free time, she likes to hike with her husband and dog, play pickleball, and read murder mysteries.
Dr. Anzy Lee, Research Scientist
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Dr. Lee is working with Dr. Lane and Dr. Pasternack (UC Davis) to quantify the effects of geomorphological and topographic parameters on ecohydraulics and ecosystem functions. She primarily focuses on (1) developing a river archetype model that can accurately represent various geomorphological features observed in natural riverine systems and (2) assessing their impact on ecohydraulics and ecology. She holds a Ph.D. from Purdue University linking riverbed morphology, hydrodynamics, and hyporheic exchange processes.
Dr. Noelle Patterson, Postdoctoral Scholar
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Dr. Patterson is working with Dr. Lane and Dr. Phillips on improving flood inundation mapping and forecasting across the United States as part of the Cooperative Institute from Research to Operations in Hydrology. She holds a Ph.D. from UC Davis in Hydrology.
Haley Canham, PhD Candidate in Civil Engineering
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Haley received a BS in Environmental Engineering from SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, NY in 2016. She worked as an Environmental Engineer for the USACE in Sacramento, CA until June 2020 before joining the WETLab for her MS. Haley’s research interests include investigating impacts of watershed scale disturbances on watershed hydrology, fluvial geomorphology, and river mechanics. Her research looks at the impacts of wildfires in the western US. In her spare time, Haley can be found on a trail or jumping in an alpine lake.
Megan DiNicola, PhD Candidate in Civil Engineering
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Megan received her M.Sc. in Civil Engineering with an emphasis in Ecohydraulics and Fish Passage from Montana State University in 2021 and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Oregon State University in 2016. Megan's Master's thesis involved testing small-scale fish passage devices for use in small, headwater streams. Currently, her research looks at the movement of sediment in rivers and how it impacts the reintroduction of aquatic species in the south-central US. When she is outside the lab, you will find her skiing, biking, or on the couch with her dog and a good book.
Jose Castejon, PhD Candidate in Civil Engineering
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In collaboration with Dr. Colin Phillips, Jose's current research looks at the representation of channel morphological attributes in hydrologic and flood inundation modeling, in support of the NOAA’s Office of Water Prediction. Jose received his M.Sc. in Water Management and Environmental Engineering from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, in 2016 and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the National University of Honduras in 2013. Jose's M.Sc. involved the validation of a 2D hydrodynamic model to better estimate vegetation effects on water flow, combining both physical laboratory experiments and computational simulations. When not working in the lab, you will likely find him spending time with his wife and daughters, watching sports and movies, or enjoying a hot cup of coffee while listening to relaxing music.
Jared Stieve, PhD in Civil Engineering
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Jared received his M.S. in Environmental Science from Washington State University in 2025, and B.S. in Civil Engineering from UW-Madison in 2019. Jared’s Master’s thesis involved using drone imagery to map salmon spawning habitat and predict number of redds that could be built at the study site. Currently his research looks at how watershed disturbances impact channel morphology and aquatic habitats. When not in the lab, Jared can be found outdoors or cheering on Wisconsin sports teams.
Megan Casey, MS in Civil Engineering
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Megan received her BS in Agricultural Engineering from Purdue University in 2021. After graduation, she worked as an Eco Engineer at cbec eco engineering in Sacramento, CA and supported a variety of habitat restoration projects before joining the WETLab. Her MS research investigates how watershed hydrology changes after wildfires and other disturbances. She is particularly interested in developing hydrologic models that accurately represent changes in flow after disturbances and can aid water management decisions. Outside of the lab, Megan enjoys trail running, swimming, and baking.
Past WETlab members
Paxton Ridgway, MS Civil Engineering
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While designing and building fluvial restoration projects in the Sierra Nevada, Paxton decided he wanted to improve his understanding of how wildfires threaten the hydrologic systems of the Western US. His research revolved around the impact fire and debris flows have on channel morphology of mountainous landscapes. He studied the interplay of snowmelt and monsoonal influence on sediment dynamics within a burn scar in Colorado.When he’s out of the office, Paxton is most likely exploring the mountains and fishing the creeks of Northern Utah.
Steven White, MS Civil Engineering
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Steven received his BS in Environmental Engineering from Utah State University. He designed digital river corridors to better understand fluvial ecohydraulics and inform water management decisions. Steven enjoys rhythmic movement through various mediums such as splitboarding, biking, and running.
Daniel Thurber, MS Civil Engineering (2022)​
Daniel began pondering quantitative hydrologic questions at the age of 9. As an avid skier and kayaker, he has spent his whole life enmeshed in fluvial ecosystems around the globe. His interests include flow and flood forecasting and decision making for water distribution networks. He studied karst mountain hydrology here in the Logan River watershed.
Noelle Patterson, PhD Hydrologic Sciences (2022)​
After working in water quality policy at the California State Water Board, Noelle was eager to join in research that helps inform sustainable management of water resources. Her research primarily focuses on flow requirements to preserve ecological function of regulated rivers. Noelle received her bachelor’s degree in Biological Systems Engineering from UC Davis. In her free time Noelle enjoys outdoor adventures of all kinds, but especially rock climbing with her husband.
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Madison Alger, MS Civil Engineering, Hydrology (2020)​
Madison's research focused on how to more efficiently allocate water resources in the Blacksmith Fork River here in Cache Valley to support instream water needs for native fish species while maintaining irrigation and municipal water demands. Her study involved intensive field monitoring of streamflow and water temperature patterns.
Betsy Morgan, MS Civil Engineering, emphasis in Hydrology (2020)
NSF Climate Adaptation Science Fellow
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Betsy studied the interaction of hydrology, hydraulics, and ecosystem response for improved management of the South Fork Eel River Basin in California. She enjoys engaging with others to develop interdisciplinary solutions that address societal and ecosystem needs in the face of complex climate and environmental uncertainties.
Yesica Leon, MS Civil Engineering, Hydrology​
Yesica received her BS in Agricultural Engineering in Lima, Peru in 2015. Since then, she has worked as a hydrologist for numerous engineering consulting firms in Lima. Yesica developed a time series tool for extracting functional components of the flow regime from stream gauges to quantify hydrologic alteration in large complex hydroscapes. She is interested in the role of water management objectives and climate change in river functioning.
Jesse Rowles, MS Civil Engineering - Hydrology (2020)
​Jesse's research evaluated the feasibility of scaling river characteristic distributions of known river regions so that these distributions can be used to predict characteristics of unknown reaches of river. He loves animals, swimming, hiking, camping, and any other kind of exploration of natural areas.
Karl Christensen, MS Civil Engineering - Hydrology (2019)​
Karl used time series scaling, statistical analysis, and advanced programming techniques to extrapolate ecologically significant flow metrics to ungauged locations. He has always been passionate about the outdoors and usually spends weekends hiking, camping, and climbing. One of his favorite places in the world is Yosemite National Park in California.
Prior Postdoctoral Researchers
Dr. Colin Byrne
Dr. Byrne developed river archetypes across California. He has interdisciplinary interests pertaining to hydrologic and geomorphic systems at the interface of anthropogenic and ecological demands. In his free time, Colin likes spending time exploring the outdoors with his wife and dog, hopefully with a stream, river, lake, or ocean nearby.
Dr. Fengwei Hung
Dr. Hung developed a multi-objective systems modeling framework to integrate uncertain ecological outcomes into distributed water management systems. His background is in decision analysis, water resources engineering, and optimization. Fengwei has a PhD in Environmental Health and Engineering and a MSE in Mathematics and Statistics from Johns Hopkins University.
Dr. Hervé Guillon
Dr. Guillon led development of a geomorphic classification for California. He uses data mining and machine learning techniques to understand landscape and near-stream controls on channel geomorphic settings. He previously completed his PhD in the Institut des Sciences de la Terre in France, and worked in the hydrology and glaciology laboratory Institut des Géosciences de l’Environnement to discriminate suspended sediment origin.
JOB OPPORTUNITIES IN THE WET LAB
I am always looking for exceptional and passionate graduate students to join the WET lab.
Given the interdisciplinary nature of our research, students with a wide range of backgrounds are encouraged to apply, including civil engineering, hydrology, fluvial geomorphology, and river ecology. Primary prerequisites include a strong quantitative background, scientific curiosity, and an interest in river systems. Students should have experience or interest in hydrologic statistics, geospatial and terrain analysis, hydraulic modeling, water resources modeling, or field work. Proven experience with statistical analysis, geospatial analysis, and computer programming (including R and/or Python) is preferred. Students should expect to interact with diverse researchers and stakeholders in academia and state agencies, and may participate in field work. USU is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and we welcome applications from underrepresented groups.
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Utah State University, established in 1888, is a Carnegie Foundation R1 research institution and the land-grant institution for Utah.
USU is a highly collaborative community and a true research hub for river and water science. Funding, great facilities, equipment, and a wealth of expertise are available to support interdisciplinary graduate projects. You can find useful information about our graduate program and program requirements here: Civil and Environmental Engineering at Utah State University. Hydrologic and river science research at USU is enhanced by collaborative opportunities through the multidisciplinary Ecology Center (https://www.usu.edu/ecology/), which promotes ecological research at USU and hosts a graduate program in Climate Adaptative Science. USU recently established the Institute for Land, Air and Water (https://www.usu.edu/ilwa/) which connects interdisciplinary research groups at USU with state and local governments to best inform environmental policy. USU departments with high collaborative potential include Watershed Sciences; Plants, Soils, and Climate; Environment and Society; and Mathematics and Statistics.
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The USU campus is nestled in a mountain valley 80 miles north of Salt Lake City, in proximity to excellent outdoor activities including skiing, mountain biking, kayaking, climbing, trail running, and hiking.
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If you are potentially interested in working with me, please contact me via email well ahead of the application deadline. I will be more than happy to discuss ideas, funding opportunities, and answer any questions you may have. I welcome queries related to my current research projects but I am also open to new ideas, as long as they fall within the broad area of my interests.
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I look forward to hear from you!
