Hydrologic Modeling and Assimilation Lab

I am an Assistant Professor and Director of Hydrologic Modeling and Assimilation Lab in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Portland State University (PSU).

Prior to this, I held a postdoctoral research associate position at the Integrated Groundwater Modeling Center in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Princeton University, working with Prof. Reed Maxwell. I hold a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Alabama, working with Prof. Hamid Moradkhani at Center for Complex Hydrosystems Research. In our research group, we study the surface and subsurface hydrologic processes and their interactions to improve the predictability of extreme hydroclimate events under climate change. In general, we seek solutions in a multidisciplinary manner by bridging the fields of engineering, statistics, and data science.

Our research focuses on advancing the understanding and prediction of surface and subsurface hydrologic processes through the integration of data assimilation techniques, remote sensing observations, and physically based land surface and hydrologic models. We aim to improve the predictability of water and energy fluxes and better characterize hydroclimatic extremes—such as floods, droughts, and compound events—under changing climate conditions. A key component of our work involves leveraging remote sensing data to inform and constrain numerical models, using state-of-the-art data assimilation methods. In addition to physics-based modeling, we develop hybrid frameworks that incorporate AI and Machine Learning (AI/ML) techniques to enhance model accuracy, computational efficiency, and parameter estimation. These AI-enhanced models are particularly valuable in regions with sparse in-situ data or complex land-atmosphere interactions.