Members
Lab Group Members:
Researchers in our group have a wide range of experience and skills which we all benefit from by sharing our science as linked through our common interests. Depending on funding, group members include masters and doctoral graduate students, undergraduates and postdoctoral research associates.
Current Members
Dr. Amy Hansen
Assistant Professor
Dr. Hansen leads the Eco Fluids Lab in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering at the University of Kansas.
She received her Ph.D from the University of Minnesota (2012) in Civil Engineering with an Ecology Evolution and Behavior Minor. She completed a M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan and a B.S. in Engineering and Applied Sciences from Caltech.amy.hansen@ku.edu
Dr. Hadi Mohammed
Env. Engineering – Post-Doctoral Scholar
Hadi received his PhD in Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering in 2019 from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). Prior to that, he received his MSc. in Geophysics in 2013 at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana, and his BSc. in Physics from the same university in 2008.
His research focuses on 1) Watershed hydrological-hydrodynamic and water quality modeling, 2) Hydrologic/Environmental data science and big data analysis, 3) Machine/Deep learning applications in water resources and infrastructure management, 4) Climate and land use impact assessment in freshwater resources, and 5) Environmental risk assessment.
Sophie Terian
Env. Engineering – PhD student
Sophie is interested in the water quality impacts of wetlands and in optimizing contaminant removal simultaneously with other ecosystem services. She aspires to improve water quality models for underserved communities and ultimately use her expertise to guide policy decisions. She is currently working to improve predictions of ammonium concentrations in a watershed-scale wetland-river network model. She received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Kansas in 2023. In her free time, she enjoys singing, cooking and baking, being outdoors, and playing with her cats.
Sophie is also a member of the Madison and Lila Self Graduate Fellowship.
Vic Secondine
Environmental Science - PhD Student
Vic earned their B.S. in environmental science at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, KS. They are a citizen of the Delaware Tribe of Indians. During their post-bacc year in KU's PREP program, Vic did soil sampling in the Baker and Haskell wetlands to compare restoration management styles on soil properties over time. Vic's doctoral research is on wetland stewardship, focusing on Indigenous cultural fire practices. They are interested in fire's effects on wetland biogeochemical and ecological processes. In their free time, Vic loves to read fantasy books and spend time with their family; their partner, two children, two dogs, and two cats.
Gift Manyonga
Environmental Science - Masters Student
gmanyonga@ku.edu
Gift got his B.S. at Ankara University in Turkey. Gift is passionate about addressing the challenges posed by climate change and land-use transformations. His research focuses on the future planning and sustainability of farm ponds and other wetlands, particularly in the context of shifting agricultural practices and evolving environmental conditions. In his free time, Gift likes to backpack.
Sidhant Tiwari
Environmental Science - Masters Student
sidtiwari25@ku.edu
Sidhant Tiwari obtained his bachelor’s in civil engineering from Tribhuvan University, Nepal. Enrolled in master’s degree in environmental and water resources engineering at KU, he is interested in assessing the causes and effects of hydroclimatic hazards on the environment and applying adaptive measures. He has hands-on experience in identifying communities vulnerable from flood and landslide hazards, then proposing nature-based solutions to safeguard them. His current research focuses on understanding the role of vegetation in removal and exchange of nitrogen compounds in riparian wetlands. It aims to understand the conditions under which wetlands can improve water quality for proper water resources management and planning in agricultural landscapes. In his free time, Sid loves to workout, binge movies, and go on hikes.
Julia McDonald
Undergraduate Research Assistant - Human Biology
Julia is assisting with graduate research and fieldwork as well as performing various tasks within the lab.
Cassie Amrein
Undergraduate Research Assistant - Chemical Engineering
Cassie is pursuing an Environmental emphasis for her degree and is assisting where needed both in the lab and in the field to support EcoFluids research.
Chae Park
Undergraduate Research Assistant - Aerospace Engineering
Chae assists with lab work, fieldwork, and graduate research projects, collaborating with both graduate and undergraduate students, as well as faculty. Chae loves tinkering with things, taking them apart, and learning how they work. She also enjoys staying active by hiking and trying out various sports.
Ezra Joseph
Undergraduate Research Assistant - Biochemistry
Ezra assists graduate students with various lab and fieldwork tasks in the Ecofluids lab. In his free time, he enjoys reading, listening to/making music, and riding his bike.
Cesar Martinez
Undergraduate Research Assistant - Chemical Engineering
Cesar Xavier Martinez is a freshman from Topeka and a first-year Emerging Scholar. He decided to study engineering because he wants to learn how things work, and math and science are his strongest skills. He took an interest in Chemical Engineering because he loves the hands-on aspect of the job and because he wants to play a role in the mitigation of climate change.
Jonah Rosebaugh
Undergraduate Research Assistant - Botany
Jonah Rosebaugh grew up in southwest Missouri with a lifelong fascination for the natural world. He is currently pursuing a degree in Botany and is excited to contribute to the farm pond research project. He has experimented with converting a pond in his hometown into a wetland-- a side project that sparked his curiosity about ecological restoration. Outside of academics, he enjoys competitive swimming, cooking, baking, and hiking. He is eager to gain hands-on experience through research, with the goal of continuing to work in environmental research at KU after graduation.
Daniel Liang
Undergraduate Research Assistant - Mechanical Engineering
Daniel is a freshman first-year Emerging Scholar. He helps build data collection devices in the lab, and he assists where else is needed. Daniel joined this lab because he believes the environment is a vital, interesting, and important thing to research and understand. Daniel loves nature and is excited to do research to better understand the wetlands in his home state, Kansas. Daniel hopes to use information learned in this lab in combination with his degree to earn a career in Renewable Energy Engineering.
Previous Members
Joey Craft
Civil Engineering – Undergraduate Research AssistantJoey researched flow and freshwater mussels interactions and set up a model with replica mussels in the EcoFluids sediment flume. He is now working at USGS as a Hydrologic field assistant.
Hannah Minn
Civil Engineering - Undergraduate Research AssistantHannah studied flow and freshwater mussels interactions and set up a model with replica mussels in the EcoFluids sediment flume.
Hadi Mohammed
Env. Engineering – Post-Doctoral ScholarHadi trained as a Water and Environmental Engineer at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. His expertise covers hydrological-hydrodynamics and water quality modeling as well as advanced machine learning techniques for water resource management. He now has a faculty position back in Norway.
Sudipta Sarker
Env. Engineering – Masters of ScienceSudipta graduated with a master’s degree in environmental engineering on corn-soy expansion and water quality related issues within the Delaware River basin in NE Kansas. He is now employed at at KDHE in Topeka KS.
Erin Reinkemeyer
Civil Engineering – Masters of ScienceErin used hydraulic modeling to identify changes in wetland classifications for her MS. She works full time with the U.S. Corps of Engineers.
Joseph Hawker
Env. Studies – Undergraduate Research AssistantJoseph was an Emerging Scholar and assisted in several of the group’s research projects, particularly interested in field work.
Bre Rivera Waterman
PhD Student - Environmental ScienceBre's PhD research focused on improving understanding of water resources management through the application of biogeochemical and hydrological principles. She is now a Post-Doctoral Scholar at the Kansas Geologic Survey.
Pawan Upadhyay
Post-Doctoral ScholarPawan is now the Water Resources Director at Shoshone Paiute Tribes in Nevada
Kara Miller
CEAE Engineering – Undergraduate Research AssistantKara is now a transmission Line Design Engineer at POWER Engineers in Olathe KS.
Allison Dobbie
CEAE Engineering – Undergraduate Research Assistant
Oladipo Bolade
Environmental Engineering - PhDOladipo’s research investigated how biogeochemistry, watershed structure and hydrochemical processes control nutrient transformation in order to improve surface water quality. He is currently a Senior Staff Professional at Geosyntec Consultants.
Nada Jumaa
Post DocAs a Post-Doctoral Scholar, Nada worked to simulate the SWAT model using machine learning. She is now a Post-Doctoral Scholar at Texas A&M University.
Luisa Ortega
Undergraduate Research Assistant - Civil EngineeringLuisa completed water chemistry analysis and helped to write lab protocols. She helped with field work and kept the lab organized, clean and safe.
Sameep Adhikari
Civil Engineering – Masters of ScienceSameep's masters research investigated the bond strength between concrete and carbon fiber reinforced polymer laminates when subjected to hydraulic loading conditions. Currently he is working as a hydraulic designer for GFT Infrastructures, Inc. in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.