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Alumni and Visiting Scholars
Postdoctoral Fellow
Nicole Blin
Dr. Blin studied Civil Engineering at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, specializing in Hydraulic Engineering and Hydrogeology. Her research primarily focuses on the impacts of climate change on groundwater dynamics, basins of the Andean Altiplano, employing advanced groundwater modeling, innovative remote sensing techniques, and statistical processing of General Circulation Models (GCMs). Dr. Blin has made professional contributions through consulting hydrogeological projects with DICTUC in Chile. She held a Postdoctoral Research Associate position at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is now an Assistant Professor at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.
PhD Alumni
Marsha Allen
Dr. Allen is a Project Hydrogeologist at Haley & Aldrich. Her research uses geochemistry to track the mixing of different water types along flow paths, environmental tracer analysis to age date groundwater, and 3-dimensional groundwater flow modeling to calculate the changes in the aquifer recharge and storage over time. Dr Allen applies these methods to understanding complexly fractured rock aquifer systems globally to aid these locations' water management authorities so that they are equipped with the knowledge to prepare and prevent water shortages during droughts or plan for population growth in the future.
M.S./PhD Alumni
Sarah McKnight
Dr. McKnight is currently an Assistant Professor of Hydrogeology at the Department of Geology and Environmental Sciences at the University of Dayton. She recently graduated with a PhD from the Department of Geosciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Her research uses numerical simulations and remote sensing techniques to study density-driven flow dynamics of brine-rich groundwater in arid basins, and resulting geochemical and surface water interactions.
M.S./PhD Alumni
Daniel Corkran
Dr. Corkran has ten years of experience in environmental and geotechnical consulting. He specializes in hydrogeologic investigations, digital data collection, and groundwater flow modeling. He received his masters and PhD in hydrogeology while apart of the research group. He is now a consultant at Integral Consulting Inc.
PhD Alumni
Evan Earnest
Dr. Earnest is a geologist specializing in characterization and modeling of naturally fractured reservoirs with application to geothermal, enhanced geothermal, carbon mineralization, CCUS, hydrocarbon reservoirs and my true passion — fractured hard rock aquifers. He is an expert in natural fracture characterization (downhole, outcrop), prediction, Discrete Fracture Network modeling (DFN, DPDK, EDFM), and hydromechanical coupling.
Visiting PhD Candidate
Yanina Müller
Yanina Müller specializes in karst hydrogeology. Her research focuses on transport processes of solutes and particles in karst aquifers, which she investigates by performing tracer tests and water quality monitoring at Germany’s second largest karst spring and in it’s attached cave system. The results provide insights into this karst system and contribute to a better understanding and management of karst springs overall. She is currently a PhD student at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.
Associate Professor
Alex Manda
Dr. Manda is an associate professor of Water Resources in the Department of Geological Sciences and co-Director, ECU Natural Resources & Environment Research Cluster at East Carolina University. He has interests in coastal hydrology, borehole geophysics, groundwater modeling, citizen science, water resources management, and geoscience education.
M.S. Alumni
Rachel King
Ms. King received her masters in hydrogeology while apart of the research group. She studied the mechanisms of streamflow within ephemeral and intermittent streams in the high Andes. Her research interests include groundwater-surface water interactions, geophysics, and arid hydrology. She is now a Hydrogeologist at Wright Pierce.
M.S. Alumni
Aidan Wills
Mr. Wills received his masters and bachelors degrees within the research group. He recieved his masters in hydrogeology as part of the one year professional masters program. As an undergraduate student at UMass he studied mechanical engineering and later switched to environmental science with a focus on hydrogeology and water resources. His research interests include PFAS contamination, understanding water budgets, and hydrologic mapping. He is now working at Sanborn, Head & Associates.
M.S. Alumni
Aeon Russo
Mr. Russo is currently a PhD student at the University of Alaska - Anchorage. He is a research professional in the Alaska CM Hydro Lab specializing in dynamic numerical watershed and groundwater modeling. In addition to his strong scientific technical skills he is a certified drone pilot and whitewater kayaker.
M.S. Alumni
Lilly Corenthal
Ms. Corenthal is currently a Lead Hydrogeologist at Sanborn, Head & Associates. She specializes in hydrogeology and environmental site characterization. She uses her skills to provide field and technical support to hydrogeologic and environmental investigations. She also has extensive experience in field data collection, as well as analysis and presentation of data.
M.S. Alumni
Patrick Diggins
Mr. Diggins is a former Master's student in the group. He is now the Vice President at AKRF, Inc.
M.S. Alumni
Brandon Fleming
Mr. Fleming earned is B.S. and M.S. in Geosciences from UMass Amherst. He now works as a groundwater hydrologist for the Pennsylvania Water Science Center.
M.S. Alumni
Liam Bevan
Mr. Bevan is an alumni of UMass Amherst, receiving his B.S. in Geology and M.S. in Hydrogeology with the Boutt group. His research focused on studying groundwater fluxes at the till/bedrock interface within the Assabet River Basin, Eastern Massachusetts.
M.S. Alumni
Graham Thomas
Mr. Thomas is a M.S. alumni of the group. His research focused on temperature modelling in the Salar de Atacama.
M.S. Alumni
Erin Bradley
Ms. Bradley is an alumni of the Boutt group. She earned her M.S. in Geosciences with a focus in hydrology. Her research studied natural hydraulic fractures in sandstones by observing their surfaces and characterizing the microcracks associated with the fractured tips.
B.S. Alumni
Alexander Kirshen
Mr. Kirshen worked as a post-graduate research fellow, and he is an alumni of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He has experience in hydrogeologic research with a focus on developing 3D geologic and groundwater flow models, interpreting geophysical data, and understanding basin-scale water budgets.
B.S. Alumni
Hannah Grimm
Ms. Grimm is an alumni of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and she worked as a research assistant specializing in Geographic Information Systems and Technology. She focused on remote sensing and GIS projects within the group.
B.S. Alumni
Charlie Weinstock
Mr. Weinstock is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He is currently applying to graduate schools and working as a geological consultant. His current research interests include geochronology and structural geology with an emphasis on planetary geology and radioactive minerals. He is also fascinated by sound physics and is currently manufacturing a Chladni instrument.