Ecohydrology Group's
Personnel
Faculty
D.
Scott Mackay (Ph.D.
1997, University of Toronto)
Professor & Department Chair
ORCID ID 0000-0003-0477-9755
Postdoctoral
Associates (Current)
Ph.D. Students
(Current)
Mitchell
Hitchcock (Ph.D., Ecology, Evolution &
Behavior, 2026 anticipated)
ResearchGate
Dissertation title:
Funding: CAS, NSF, DOE
Awards: Schomburg Fellow
Master's Students
(Current)
Undergraduate
Students
Alumni
Alumni who were doctoral students or postdocs
with the EcoHydrology Group hold academic
positions (U. Wyoming, Colgate U., SUNY New
Paltz, James Hutton Institute, Purdue U., NJIT)
or non-academic positions within government or
industry. Other alumni of the group include software
engineers, teachers, consultants, GIS
analysts, and water scientists for
local governments.
Douglas
E. Ahl (Ph.D. 2002; Post-Doc 2002;
UW-Madison)
Dissertation title: A measurement and
modeling perspective on requirements for
future remote sensing vegetation indices and
classification
Funding sources: USDA McIntire-Stennis, NASA;
Previous positions: Technical Director, Energy
Center of Wisconsin;
Director
of research, Seventhwave
Current position: Vice
President of Information Technology,
Slipstream LLC
Katherine Appleman (NSF REU, Summer 2025)
Project: Threats of massive forest die-off in
a rapidly changing environment
Current position: Undergraduate at Hamilton
College, Hamilton, NY
Kathryn M. Brown (M.A.
2014)
Project title:
Investigating the death of a river:
Identifying correlation between channel
processes and state of channel decline
Current position: Teacher, Fredonia Central
School District
Sean
N. Burrows (Ph.D. 2002; UW-Madison)
Dissertation title: Geostatistical
estimation of leaf area index and net
primary production of five North american
biomes
Funding sources: USDA McIntire-Stennis, NASA;
Current position: Chief Technology Officer and
co-founder of Ascend Analytics
Zeshing Cai (M.S. 2013)
Project title: TOPMODEL add-in: A GIS
extension for ArcMap that implements TOPMODEL
to simulate streamflow within a watershed
Ryan Cassens (M.A. 2009)
Thesis title: Using Aster L1A
data to identify locations of Japanese
knotwood (Fallopia japonica) along the West
Kill and Schoharie creeks in Green County,
NY
Current position: Planner, Erie county
Water Authority.
Erin
Cavagnaro Beyer (M.A. 2014)
Current position: Management Consultant,
ARCADIS, Buffalo & New York City
Shana Chapman (M.A.
2015)
Project title: Comparison of
side scan sonar substrate classification
methods to assess accuracy
Eileen Chen (M.S. 2002; UW-Madison)
Project
title: Effects of combining
non-spatial simulation units and
explicit models of sediment delivery on
an agricultural nonpoint source
pollution model
Funding source: USDA Hatch
Current position: Groundwater Resources
Scientist, Alameda County Water District,
Fremont, California
Matthew Chen (M.S. 2016)
Zhuo Chen (M.A. 2012)
Current position: Software
engineer, Apple Corporation
Huicheng Chien
(Ph.D. 2011)
Dissertation title: Time-series analysis
of watershed scale predictions of water
quantity and quality export from
agricultural watersheds
Funding sources: EPA, NSF Hydrology
Previous position: Post-doc, University of
Saint Louis
Current position: Associate Professor,
SUNY New Paltz
Brian Conley (M.A. 2012)
Current position: GIS Research
Analyst, University at Buffalo Regional
Institute
Jose Covarrubias Rocha
(M.A. 2007)
Thesis title: Multi-temporal
Remote Sensing Evaluation of vegetal
coverage in the Bolivian Andean Plate
(Kori Kollo Mine)
Larry Cutforth (M.S., 2003;
UW-Madison)
Current position: GIS Section Chief,
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Previous position:GIS State Coordinator,
Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade,
and Consumer Protection, Madison, Wisconsin
Noah Deer (M.S., Geographic
Information Science, February 2025)
Current position: Engineering Aide,
Town of Clarence, Clarence, NY.
Brian
W. Dudek (M.A. 2009)
Thesis
title: Water stress and scarcity in
metropolitan Phoenix using the Water
Poverty Index: An examination of
vulnerability
Brent
E. Ewers
(Postdoctoral Fellow, 1999-2002;
UW-Madison)
Funding source: NASA
Current position: Professor &
Department Head, Department of Botany and
Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming
Thomas W. FitzHugh (M.S. 1999;
UW-Madison)
Thesis title: Spatial aggregation of an
agricultural nonpoint source pollution
model
Funding source: Wisconsin Department of
Natural Resources
Current position: Principal Water Resources
Scientist, Stantec Consulting Services,
Belleview, WA.
Previous positions: Supervising
Water Resources Scientist, MWH Global,
Bellevue, WA; Water
Resources Modeler, Bureau of Reclamation;
Global Freshwater Water
Management Analyst, The Nature Conservancy;
GIS Analyst, The Nature Conservancy
Aaron
Forisha (M.A. 2011)
Current position: GIS Analyst,
Agrinetx, Rochester, NY.
Mary
(Freiss) Masse (NSF REU Summer 2010)
Project: Modeling plant
hydraulic strategies under drought
conditions in a northern hardwood
forest
Funding source: NSF REU
Current: Ph.D. student, Department of
Geology, University at Buffalo
Michael
Graham (M.A. 2007)
J. Lynn
Hickerson (NSF REU Summer 2014)
Project: Quantifying
the stress response of Brassica rapa
genotypes, with experimental drought
in two nitrogen treatments
Funding
sources: NSF REU
Sanhanat
Isama Ael Rtn (M.S. Geographic
Information Science, 2024)
Current position: GIScience
Instructor, Thailand Navy
Alexander
Jackson (M.A. 2012)
Shikai Jin (M.S. 2013)
Project: Analysis of crime
cases distribution pattern of Buffalo
City, NY: On spatial and space-time
scale
Past position: MS Computer Software
Engineering, San Jose State University
Current position: Software development
engineer, Amazon, Sunnyvale, CA
Do Hyoung
Kim (June 1, 2021 to July 31, 2025)
Funding: NSF, UB CAS
Google
scholar
Steven
Knapp (M.A. 2004)
Current position: Geologist at National Fuel
and Gas, Amherst, NY
Previous position: GIS Analyst, Verdi &
Company, Buffalo, NY
Chang Liu (M.S. Geographic
Information Science, 2023)
Yang
Liu (M.S. GIScience,
2020)
Michael M. Loranty
(Ph.D. 2009)
Dissertation title: Towards a
mechanistic understanding of spatial
patterns of forest transpiration, and
its implications for scaling
See NSF Discoveries: Taking
the pulse of the forest
Funding sources: NSF Hydrology
Awards: NSF IGERT Fellow, UB Dissertation
Fellowship
Past position: Post Doc, Woods Hole
Research Center, Falmouth, MA
Current position: Professor, Department of
Geography, Colgate University (see Loranty Lab)
Kevin
Ludwig (M.S. Geography,
2014)
Current position: Quality
Assurance Agent, Meuller Services.
Kristina
M. Macro (Summer 2014)
Past
position: MS Environmental
Engineering, University at Buffalo
Current position: Hydroinformatics
Engineer at Xylem, Buffalo, NY
Judy Malas (NSF REU Summer
2017)
Project: Quantifying
chloroplast movement as part of a
broader use of rapid phenotyping
in understanding crop produciivty
responses to the environment
Funding
sources: NSF REU
Current position: PhD student,
University of Illinois Chicago
Shelby Marshall (NSF
REU Summer 2011)
Project: Spatial dynamics
of nitrate in Conewango Creek, New
York
Funding
sources: NSF REU
Bhaskar Mitra
(Ph.D. 2011)
Dissertation title:
Role of plant hydraulics in
influencing the spatial distribution
of carbon flux across the
sagebrush-steppe ecosystem: A
quantitative analysis
Funding sources: DOE NICCR
Awards: Presidential
Fellowship,
Abrahams-Woldenberg Scholarship, Mark
Diamond Fellowship
Past positions: Post Doc,
The University of Arizona,
NC
State / Texas A&M /
Northern Arizona University
Current position: James Hutton Institute,
Tenure-Track
Chukwumerije Bryson Okeoma (M.A. 2006)
Jonathan R. Pleban (Ph.D., 2018,
Post-doc Aug-Dec 2018)
Dissertation title:
Advances in phenotyping photosynthesis: An
experiment modeling approach using crop
species Brassica rapa
Funding: NSF (IGERT, ISEP, PGRP)
Awards: NSF IGERT Fellow
Spencer
Podsiadlo (M.A Geography, 2018)
Research:
David E. Roberts (M.S.
2012)
Thesis title: Development
of a coupled ecosystem exchange plant
hydraulic model to explore drought
related plant mortality
Funding source: NSF Hydrology,
DOE NICCR
Current position: Director, Portland Office,
Resource Data Inc., Portland, OR; previously
held the position of Senior Software
Engineer
Michael Ruffino (M.A.
2014)
Thesis
title: A survey of recovery, and
geography in the program of
Alcoholics Anonymous: A case study
of location and recovery from
alcoholism
Current position: Information
Technology Engineer - GIS, Erie
County Division of Sewerage
Management, Buffalo, NY
Xiaohan Rui (M.S.
GIS, 2018)
Current
position: Information Technology Officer,
Erie County division of Sewerage
Management, Buffalo, NY.
Sudeep Samanta (M.S. 2001, Ph.D.
2005; UW-Madison)
Ph.D. dissertation title: Bayesian
analysis of a conceptual transpiration
model with a comparison of canopy
conductance sub-models
M.S. thesis title: Influence of event
characteristics on predictive uncertainty
of a hydrologic model
Funding sources: UW Graduate School,
USDA Hatch, NASA, NSF
Current position: Assistant Scientist, Woods
Hole Research Center
Philip
Savoy (Ph.D. 2016)
Research:
Modeling the seasonal course of canopy
dynamics: Incorporating physiology into
phenological models
Funding: College of Arts & Sciences
Awards: CAS Dissertation Fellow
Past position: Post Doc, Duke University,
USGS
Current position: Physical Scientist, USGS
Aga Shirazi (B.A.
2005)
Funding source: NSF
Previous position: GIS Analyst, First
American Flood and Data Services, Virgina
Current position: Sr. Task Leader, Undus
Corporation, Washington D.C.
Marta
Szumski (B.S. Biology, 2018)
Project: Leaf
growth dynamics of Brassica rapa
Funding
sources: CAS
Current position: Science Teacher,
Buffalo Academy of Science Charter
School, Buffalo, NY
Warit Silavisesrith
(Ph.D. 2008)
Dissertation title: Contextually-based
framework for improved data reduction in
regional scale analytic element
groundwater models
Current position: Senior GIS
Applications Developr, Wendel Companies,
Buffalo, New York.
Ryan Stotz (M.S. 2012)
Current position: Asset manager,
Veolia Water North America, Buffalo, NY
Xiaonan
Tai (Ph.D., 2018)
Dissertation
title: Spatial variations of
drought-induced forest mortality:
Integrating plant hydraulics and
distributed hydrology
Funding: NSF IOS, State
Awards: UB Presidential Fellow, CUAHSI
Pathfinder, 3MT finalist
Past position: Postdoctoral Associate,
University of Utah
Current position: Assistant Professor,
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Kevin Tan (B.S. GIS,
2018)
Project: Using
Forest Inventory and Analysis
data to quantify and predict
tree mortality responses to
drought
Funding
sources: CAS
Taryn V. Tomasik (M.A.
2011)
Funding
source: DOE NICCR
Current position: New York Department of
Conservation
Patricia
Trawinski (Ph.D., 2007)
Dissertation title: Spatio-temporal
landscape models for West Nile Virus
vector population abundance and
distribution
Current position: Assistant
Professor, Erie Community College,
Buffalo, NY
Danqing
Wang (M.S. GIScience, 2019)
Current position: Data Science Manager,
Facebook, New York, NY
Diane R.
Wang (Post doc, June 2017 to
December 2019)
Funding:
NSF PGRP, CAS
Current position: Associate
Professor, Purdue University
Jiaqi Wang
(M.A. 2013)
Aileen Zebrowski (NSF REU, summer 2016)
Project: Influences of nitrate
concentration on the productivity of four Brassica
rapa genotypes
Funding sources: NSF REU, NSF PGRP
Current position: Environmental Engineer, K.
Singh & Associates, Inc, Madison,
Wisconsin
