Graduate Students

Danielle Merritt (M.S. 2016)
Thesis: Estimation of suspended particulate matter concentration in the Mississippi Sound using MODIS imagery
Current Position: Staff Geologist : Athena Engineering and Environmental

Asa Mullennex (M.S. 2016)
Thesis: Spatial correlation between framework geology and shoreline morphology in Grand Bay, Mississippi
Current Position: Geologist: Diversified Well Logging, LLC

Caitlin Ruby (M.S. 2017)
Thesis: Application of Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) to remotely operated vehicle (ROV) video data for enhanced geospatial analysis of deep sea environments
Current Position: Scientific Program Manager: NOAA Centers for Environmental Information

Brendan Lomago (M.S. 2018)
Thesis: Subsurface framework and fault timing in the Missourian Granite Wash Interval, Stiles Ranch and Mills Ranch fields, Wheeler County, Texas
Current Position: Staff Geologist: Seismic Surveys Inc

Daniel Adcock (M.S. 2019)
Thesis: Stratigraphic characterization of the Pleistocene paleodrainage network in the western Mississippi Sound
Current Position: Interdisciplinary Physical Scientist/Oceanographer: US Naval Oceanographic Office

Joseph French (M.S. 2020)
Thesis: Optimization of marsh terracing as a wetland restoration technique: Linking frontal and tropical storm passages to the erosion of cohesive sediments by wind driven waves
Current Position: Regulatory Project Manager: US Army Corps of Engineers

Taylor Lee (Ph.D. 2021)
Dissertation: A machine learning approach for predicting seafloor properties and their application in estimating a global methane hydrate inventory
Current Position: Geophysicist: U.S. Naval Research Laboratory

Zachary Peoples (M.S. 2022)
Thesis: Characterization of Quaternary stratigraphy in the Mississippi sound to evaluate the influence of geologic heterogeneity on submarine groundwater transport and discharge
Current Position: Surveyor (Marine): Fugro

Jake Freeman (M.S. 2023)
Thesis: Automated Mapping of Oblique Imagery Collected with Unmanned Vehicles in Coastal and Marine Environments
Current Position: Interdisciplinary Physical Scientist/Oceanographer: US Naval Oceanographic Office

Rebecca Gilpin (M.S. 2023) (Co-Advised with J. Cebrian)
Thesis: Summer fish and macroinvertebrate recruitment to a shallow vegetated coastal system in the northern Gulf of Mexico
Current Position: Researcher and Shellfish Aquaculture Manager: Rutgers University

Jonathan Leard (M.S. 2023) (Co-Advised with D. Schmitz)
Thesis: Surficial geologic mapping of the Starkville 7.5-minute United State Geological Survey Quadrangle 33088-D7 in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi
Current Position: Geologist: Office of Geology, Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality

Gabriel Hernandez (M.S. 2023)
Thesis: Evaluating the Relationship Between Methane Seeps and Seafloor Geomorphology on the Northern US Atlantic Margin
Current Position: Staff Geoscientist: Fugro Marine USA

Tia Offner (M.S. 2023) (Co-Advised with J. Cebrian)
Thesis: Habitat utilization of fringing marsh and adjacent submerged landscape by nekton in a Gulf of Mexico tidal oligohaline environment
Current Position: Fish and Wildlife Technician II: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

Mitchell Brown (M.S. 2024)
Thesis: TBD
Current Position: Civil Engineering Technician IV: US Army Corps of Engineers - Engineer Research and Development Center

Jonathan Leard (Ph.D. 2027) (Co-Advised with D. Schmitz)
Current Position: Geologist: Office of Geology, Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHERS

Mali’o Kodis (B.S. Brown University 2014)
Current Position: Project Manager: Environmental Defense Fund

Maleen Kidiwela (B.S. 2019)
Current Position: Ph.D. Student in Marine Geophysics: University of Washington

Jake Freeman (B.S. 2020)
Current Position: Interdisciplinary Physical Scientist/Oceanographer: US Naval Oceanographic Office

Gabriel Hernandez (B.S. 2021)
Current Position: Staff Geoscientist: Fugro Marine USA

Linah Turner-Chism (B.S. 2022)
Current Position: Geologist: PELA GeoEnvironmental Inc.

McKenna Alden (B.S. 2023)
Current Position: M.S. Student in Oceanography: Dalhousie University

Morgan Trotter (B.S. 2024)

Surabhi Gupta (B.S. 2025)