Student Opportunities
We are always looking for undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in environmental hydraulics and sediment transport. Please click here to find out more about opportunities that are currently available.
Current Group

Kyle Strom
Professor
Email: strom@vt.edu
Office: Patton Hall 221D
BS CEE Washington State University
MS CEE Washington State University
PhD CEE University of Iowa
Google Scholar
ResearchGate
OSF

Kristin Chilton
NSF Earth Sciences Postdoctoral Fellow
Email: kchilton@vt.edu
Office: Hancock Hall 111
BS, Geology, University of Florida;
MS, Geosciences, Virginia Tech;
PhD, Geosciences, Virginia Tech
Google Scholar

Brandon Dillon
PhD Student
Email: bdillon@vt.edu
BS Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Tech
MS Mechanical Engineering, Virginia Tech
Research Topic: Synthetic Turbulence and Initiation of Particle Motion

Lailee Bottom
MS Student
Email: lailee@vt.edu
BS Civil Engineering, University of Central Florida
Research Topic: Seasonality in the transport characteristics of mud in Appalachian streams

Brayden Schiller
MS Student
Email: braydens19@vt.edu
BS Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech
Research Topic: Fine sediment in gravel-bed rivers

Sam Kraus
MS Student
Email: samakraus@vt.edu
BS Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech
Research Topic: Hydraulic stability of mounded chub nests

Torrey Schwab
MS Student
Email: torreyschwab@vt.edu
BS Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech
Research Topic: Vertical profile of floc sizes through the Mississippi River saltwedge

Ted Balabanski
Undergraduate Student
Email: lbalabanski3@vt.edu
Research Topic: Particle velocity in the viscous sublayer
Past Students and Postdocs

Mikey Zedan
MS Student
Email: zedan3@vt.edu
BS Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ohio State University
Research Topic: Bedding plane orientation controls on plucking of bedrock.

Ehsan Abolfazli
PhD Student
Email: abolfazli@vt.edu
BS Mechanical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology
MS Biomedical Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology
MS Oceanography, Louisiana State University
Research Topic: Flocculation in the Fluvial to Marine Transition

Tom Ashley
Postdoctoral Research Associate 2020-2022
Email: tcashley@vt.edu
Office: Hancock Hall 111
BA, Geology, Colorado College,
PhD, Geology, University of Wyoming
website

Maureen Fuller
MS 2022
Email: MaureenFuller@vt.edu
BS Civil & Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech
Research Topic: Sediment Dynamics Associated with Mounded Bluehead Chub Nests

Ryan Osborn
MS 2021
Email: rtosbor2@vt.edu
MS Civil Engineering, Virginia Tech
BS Engineering Mechanics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Thesis: The Development of an In-situ Mud Floc Microscope Imaging Device and In-situ Floc Observations from the Lowermost Mississippi River

Annie Tkacik
MS 2021
MS Civil Engineering, Virginia Tech
BS Civil & Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech
Research Topic: Analysis of By-Size Class Bedload Transport Data Collected with PressureDifference Sediment Samplers

Jeff Culp
MS 2019
Email: jeffculp@vt.edu
Thesis: Sorting of silt and clay in boundary flows

Shantanu Bhide
MS 2019
Email: bhidesv@vt.edu
Thesis: Hyperpycnal river plunging

Melissa Joye
BS 2019
Email: mellj97@vt.edu
Research Topic: Temporal dynamics of mud accumulation and release in Stroubles Creek

Rachel Kuprenas
MS 2018
Email: kuprenas@vt.edu
Thesis: Improvements to the Modeling of Average Floc Size in Turbulent Suspensions of Mud

Duc Tran
PhD 2018
Email: datran6@vt.edu
Website: https://sites.google.com/vt.edu/ductran/home
Dissertation: Experiments on the Transformation of Mud Flocs in Turbulent Suspensions

B. Nilay İşcen
MS 2018
Email: niscen@vt.edu
Research Topic: Morphodynamic And Hydraulic Co-Evolution Of Cohesive Alluvial Fans

Elizabeth Angel
MS 2018
Email: eangel@vt.edu
BS Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech
Research Topic: Wave Drag

Christian Mooneyham
MS 2016
Email: cdmooney@vt.edu
Thesis: Large Interaction of Clay Wash Load with Gravel Beds

Mohamad Rouhnia
PhD 2016
Email: mohamadr@vt.edu
Dissertation: Vertical Transport of Sediment from Muddy Buoyant River Plumes in the Presence of Different Modes of Interfacial Instabilities

Hossein Hosseiny
MS 2015
Thesis: Methodological Considerations in the Calculation of Effective Discharge: Application for the Trinity and Brazos Rivers

Paul Hamilton
PhD 2015
Dissertation: Autogenic Processes on Supercritical Submarine Fans
MS 2012
Thesis: Hydraulics of Autogenic Cycles in Alluvial Fan Development

Ali Keyvani
PhD 2013
Dissertation: Flocculation Processes in Fluvial to Marine Transitions

Mehrdad Salehi
PhD 2012
Dissertation: Mud Transport in the Microtidal San Jacinto Estuary

Ruosen Qian
MS 2011
Thesis: 1D Morphodynamic River Modeling with a Contraction Structure

Remya Kumar
MS 2009
Thesis: Settling Velocity and Floc Properties of Houston Ship Channel Sediment
Visiting Students & Scholars

Sunmin Choi
Visiting PhD Student 2/2022 – 7/2022
Inha University, South Korea
Department of Ocean Sciences
Advisor: Ho Kyung Ha

Oral Yagci
Visiting Scholar 2018-2019
Associate Professor
Istanbul Technical University
Civil Engineering Department
Division of Hydraulics
Email: yagciora@itu.edu.tr
website http://web.itu.edu.tr/~yagciora/

Mohammad Sofiyan
Visiting PhD Student Summer 2010
Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Pulau Pinang, Malaysia.
Water Resources Engineering and Management Research Centre (WAREM)
Advisor: Dr. Shanker Kumar Sinnakaudan
Other Undergraduate Students

Carlos Guerrero
BS Student
BS Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech
Research Topic: Underwater imaging of sediment

Colton Keene
BS Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech
Elizabeth Angel
BS Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech 2016
Topic: Flow Visualization with Phosphorescent Particles
Jose Mendiola
Topic: Theoretical investigation of hydraulic jumps in the presence of expansions and channel steps
Daniel Timme
Topics: Manning n Determination for Industrial Pipe Fittings Conduit; Suspended sediment sampling on Buffalo Bayou, Brazos River, and Trinity River
Jaxon Gluck
Topics: Suspended sediment sampling on Buffalo Bayou and the Trinity River
Frederic Ma
Topic: Manning n Determination for Industrial Pipe Fittings Conduit; Suspended sediment sampling on Buffalo Bayou, Brazos River, and Trinity River
Miguel Albuja
Topic: Manning n Determination for Industrial Pipe Fittings, Hydraulic Performance of Staggered-Barrel Culverts for Stream Crossings
Guillermo Machado
Topics: Geomorphology of headwater streams in Texas Hill Country, Salt Creek Evaporator Design for Brine Disposal
Jennifer Ngo
Topic: Hydraulic Performance of Staggered-Barrel Culverts for Stream Crossings
Others…
Jessica Lucas, NSF REU Summer 2008
Alain Chamberlain, PURS undergraduate research student, Spring 2008
David Kuhns, NSF REU Summer 2007
Undergraduate Research Assistants: Jared Williams, William Regner, Georges Comair, David Zettlemoyer, Jordan Boucher, Brent Lindelof