Research

Faculty:

- Contact the faculty member if you would like to conduct research with them. If you wish to work with some other professor, please contact the Graduate Coordinator. In general the advisors should be chosen to best help the student complete their thesis, project, and other degree requirements.

- Two additional committee members are required. These are determined in consultation with your advisor once enrolled in the program. One of these may be a faculty member or professional at another institution, but must have at least a Master's degree, be professionally accomplished in the student's research area, and be present on the committee to offer expert guidance towards completion of the thesis or project.

Dr. Jennifer Braswell Alford (Environmental Sciences)

• Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, office: SB-313, jennifer.alford@csusb.edu
• Current Research Projects:
  • Geospatial Relationships between Land Use and Water Quality Across Hydrological Landscapes and Disadvantaged Communities  (Cape Fear River Basin, NC)
  • Environmental Impacts of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) on Surface Water Resources using Geospatial Statistics (National, California, North Carolina)
  • Assessment of Headwater Streams and Recreational Water Quality in the San Bernardino National Forest, California
  • Education, Policy and Program Assessment of Water Resource Agencies in Disadvantaged Communities (California) 
  • Exploring the Value of Tribal and Indigenous Perspectives in Environmental Resources Management 
  • Community Engagement and Geospatial Mapping as a Collaborative Tool for Comprehensive Water Resources Management: Santa Ana, Upper Santa Clara and Ventura River Basins, CA (CSU Water Resources and Policy Initiative)
  • Role of Public Lands to Promote Civic Engagement and Environmental Stewardship
  • Development of Sustainability Programs and Assessment of Campus Resource Consumption in Higher Education
• Current Students: 
  • Yashvi Shah (Assessing the Impact of Snow Melting due to Climate Change at the World's Highest Mountain - Mount Everest)

Dr. Andreas Beyersdorf (Environmental Sciences)

• Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, office: CS-310, andreas.beyersdorf@csusb.edu
• Current Research Projects:
  • Airborne measurements of air quality and smoke in East Asia (NASA KORUS-AQ & CAMP2Ex campaigns)
  • Atmospheric aerosol composition and health effects in San Bernardino
• Current Students:
  • Dalila Boice (Arsenic Groundwater Contamination in the Oro Grande Wash)

Dr. Tandis S. Bidgoli (Geology)

• Department of Geological Sciences, office: CS-104, tandis.bidgoli@csusb.edu
• http://www.tbidgoli.com/people.html
• Current Research Projects:
  • Evaluating temporal and spatial patterns of strain by integrating structural analysis with low-temperature thermochronology.
  • Current areas of focus are the Basin and Range in southern Nevada and eastern California, offshore basins in southern and eastern China (e.g., Pearl River Mouth, East China Sea Shelf, and Bohai Bay basins), and the U.S. midcontinent in Kansas, Arkansas, and Missouri.
• Current Students:
  • Alicia Borchman (Helendale/Pipes Canyon Faults & North Frontal Thrust System)
  • Skye El-Rahi (Geometry, Kinematics and Slip Rates of the Glen Ivy Fault Section of the Lake Elsinore Fault)

Dr. Kerry Cato (Environmental Sciences and Geology)

• Department of Geological Sciences, office: BI-113C, kerry.cato@csusb.edu
• Current Research Projects:
  • Assessment of debris flow processes and hazard evaluation in Southern California
  • Evaluation of risk evaluation methodologies for dam performance
  • Geologic site investigation methods in the built environment
• Current Students:
  • Sevag Injean (Using Geomorphic Change and Sediment Modeling to Calculate Debris Flow Volumes from the 2020 El Dorado Wildfire in the Southern San Bernardino Mountains, CA)
  • Seth Saludez (Post-fire debris flow initiation potential from the 2020 El Dorado Wildfire on Yucaipa Ridge, San Bernardino County California)
  • Andrew Suarez (Sediment and debris flow resulting from the 2020 El Dorado Wildfire, San Bernardino Mountains, California)

Dr. Joan E. Fryxell (Environmental Sciences and Geology, not accepting research students)

• Department of Geological Sciences, jfryxell@csusb.edu
• Current Students:
  • Dylan Terry (Geochemical Characteristics of the Inyo Volcanic Chain, California)

Dr. Brett Goforth (Environmental Sciences, currently not accepting research students)

• Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, office: SB-317, bgoforth@csusb.edu
• Current Research Projects:
  • Changes in California vegetation recorded by field measurements, historical documentary evidence, geospatial environmental data and techniques (GIS, remote sensing, GPS survey).
  • Analysis of tree-rings and thermally altered Fe-oxides in soil to reconstruct spatial patterns of fire intensity in California forest and woodland landscapes.

Dr. Susana Henríquez (Geology)

• Department of Geological Sciences, office: CS-110, susana.henriquez@csusb.edu
• Current Research Projects (https://shenriquezg.github.io/):
  • Tectonic processes at multiple spatiotemporal scales.
  • Integrates field observations, geologic mapping, structural geology, low temperature thermochronology, geochronology, stratigraphy, and geochemistry to understand large-scale dynamic processes at plate boundaries and how the earth deforms.

Dr. Swat Kethireddy (Environmental Sciences)

• Department of Health Sciences and Human Ecology, office: PS-313, swat.kethireddy@csusb.edu
• Current Research Projects:
  • Spatial analysis and mapping of geospatial anomalies.
  • Regression analytics and Spatial statistics for water and air resources.
  • Data analytics for environmental public health planning.
  • Geographic Information Systems and Health analysis.
  • Environmental risk assessment and decision science.

Dr. Codi Lazar (Environmental Sciences and Geology)

• Department of Geological Sciences, office: CS-106, clazar@csusb.edu
• Current Research Projects:
  • Experimental simulations of hydrothermal organic synthesis in terrestrial and planetary settings
  • Petrology and geochemistry of the New Idria forearc diapir
  • Experimental determination of thermodynamic properties of geological materials
  • Accessory minerals and redox conditions during serpentinization 
• Current Student:
  • Miguel Ochoa
  • Bryan Seymour (A mineralogical and geochemical investigation of the influence of tectonic setting on accessory mineral assemblages in serpentinites along the western North American margin)

Dr. Britt Leatham (Geology)

• Department of Geological Sciences, office: BI-113B, bleatham@csusb.edu
• Current Research Projects:
  • Micropaleontology, Biostratigraphy, Evolution, Paleoecology, Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction, Sedimentological Processes
• Current Students:
  • Gabriel Nieto

Dr. Sally McGill (Geology)

• Associate Dean of CNS, office: BI-107, smcgill@csusb.edu
• Current Research Projects:
  • GPS monitoring of the San Andreas, San Jacinto, and Garlock faults
  • Slip-rate and paleoseismic studies of the San Andreas, San Jacinto, and Garlock faults

Dr. Erik Melchiorre (Environmental Sciences and Geology)

• Department of Geological Sciences, office: BI-110B, emelch@csusb.edu
• Current Research Projects:
  • Geochemistry of placer gold. The use of geochemical fingerprinting, morphology, and inclusion mineralogy to explore the origins and transportation of placer gold.
  • Use of new hand-held XRF technology for geochemical field studies. Lab and field work, including calibration of instruments to determine suitability for different natural and artificial materials.
  • Origins and distribution of arsenic, Calico Mining District, CA. Mapping of arsenic concentrations in rock, soil, and groundwater.
  • Environmental hydrology and geochemistry of mining-impacted lands
• Current Students:
  • Joy Berry (Analysis of silver reserves from Calico, CA, using 3D geospatial technology)

Dr. Brett Stanley (Environmental Sciences, currently not accepting research students)

• Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, office: CS-316, bstanley@csusb.edu
• Current Research Projects:
  • Precursors and mechanisms of cyanide production and other disinfection by-products in the treatment of wastewater
  • Analytical chemistry of emerging contaminants in natural and treated water
• Current Students:
  • Pedro De Allende (Assessing the reactivity of amino acids to chlorination using capillary electrophoresis)

Dr. Stuart Sumida (Geology)

• Department of Biology, office: BI-314, ssumida@csusb.edu
• Current Research Projects:
  • The origin, evolution, and function of Late Pennsylvanian (Carboniferous) and Early Permian tetrapods - the earliest vertebrates to get out onto the land and stay on the land
  • Paleoecology of late Paleozoic vertebrates
• Current Students:
  • Amanda Guerrero (Endocranial anatomy of the tube-crested dinosaur Parasaurolophus (Ornithischia, Hadrosauridae) from the Kaiparowits Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of Utah, USA)

Dr. Claire Todd (Environmental Sciences and Geology)

• Department of Geological Sciences, office: BI-110C, claire.todd@csusb.edu
• Current Research Projects:
  • East Antarctic Response to Warm Climates
  • Ice Preservation in Debris-covered Glaciers
  • History and Current Status of California Glaciers
• Current Students:
  • Jacob Baker (Antarctic Glaciers)
  • Jose Jimenez (Degradational Evolution of Debris-Covered Glaciers on Mount Ranier in Relation to Glacier-like Forms on Mars)

Dr. Bo Xu (Environmental Sciences)

• Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, office: SB-327H, bxu@csusb.edu
• Current Research Projects:
  • GIS applications, Image classification techniques, Spatial Analysis & Statistics
• Current Research Students:

  • Victor Desierto (Urban Park Accessibility in Los Angeles, California)

Dr. Yolonda Youngs (Environmental Sciences)

• Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, office: SB-317, yyoungs@csusb.edu
• Current Research Projects:
  • Hydrological Landscape Documentation of Historical Use and Conservation Management on Public Lands through Geospatial Analysis, Stream Surveys, and Participatory GIS (Santa Ana Watershed and San Bernardino National Forest)
  • Long Term Environmental Monitoring through Repeat Photography (Santa Ana Watershed and Inland Empire)
  • Environmental Management and Outdoor Recreation Use in National Parks using Social Science Methods and Online GIS StoryMaps (Upper Snake River and Teton Mountains, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming)
  • Community Engagement and Tribal Perspectives on Water Management and Use (Santa Ana Watershed)
  • Environmental Justice, Cultural Heritage, Public Lands Preservation in Southern California Coastal and Marine Environments (Channel Islands National Park)
  • Coast to Headwaters Connect through Public Lands, Cultural Landscape Interpretation, Environmental Storytelling, Community Engagement, and GIS (Southern California coastal state parks, Santa Ana River, San Bernardino National Forest)
  • Regional Approaches to Environmental Conservation, Visitor Use, and Southwestern Public Lands and National Parks (Grand Canyon National Park)
  • National Parks, Wilderness Preservation, Environmental Management and Visitor Use (Yellowstone Lake, Yellowstone National Park)