Our Team

The interdisciplinary N-EWN team includes over 30 researchers with expertise in a wide range of disciplines, including engineering, environmental sciences, social sciences, economics, landscape architecture, communication and public policy and law. 

Leadership

Brian Bledsoe

Director of IRIS and College of Engineering Professor with the University of Georgia

Specialties: Hydrology, hydraulics and fluvial geomorphology, infrastructure sustainability and resilience, ecological engineering and ecosystem restoration, stormwater and floodplain management

Todd Bridges

US Army Senior Research Scientist for Environmental Science, Army Corps of Engineers

Specialties: Engineering of sustainable infrastructure development, risk and decision analysis methods, management of sediment and environmental contaminants

Jeff King

EWN Deputy National Lead, Research Environmental Engineer, Army Corps of Engineers

Specialties: Design and application of nature-based features, promoting landscape architecture concepts, fostering collaborative partnerships

Researchers

Safra Altman

Research Ecologist with the Army Corps of Engineers

Specialties: Coastal systems ecology, marine bioinvasions, data integration, management and statistical analysis, natural infrastructure, dune management

Matthew Bilskie

Assistant Professor in the School of Environmental, Civil, Agricultural, and Mechanical Engineering, University of Georgia

Specialties: Hurricane storm surge modeling for present and future conditions, real-time flood inundation forecasting, and natural infrastructure implementation and assessment

Jeb Byers

Professor in the Odum School of Ecology

Specialties: invasive species, ecosystem engineers, ecological parasitology, species range boundaries, phyiscal-biological coupling

John Calabria

Associate Professor, College of Environment and Design, University of Georgia

Specialties: Ecological enhancement and restoration in the human context

Catie Dillon

Research Hydraulic Engineer, Army Corps of Engineers

Specialties: Numerical wave modeling, wave attenuation for wetland restoration, coastal flood risk

Susana Ferreira

Associate Professor of Environmental Economics, University of Georgia

Specialties: Economics of natural disasters, environmental valuation, environmental determinants of well-being

Sam Fielding

Knauss Marine Policy Fellow, Army Corps of Engineers

Specialties: Environmental economics, non-market valuation, coastal policy, flood insurance, natural infrastructure

Joe Gailani

Research Hydraulic Engineer, Army Corps of Engineers

Specialties: Cohesive sediment processes, sediment transport modeling, beneficial use of dredged material

Chris Haring

Research Physical Scientist, Army Corps of Engineers

Specialties: Fluvial geomorphology, hydrology, river engineering, watershed assessments and restoration

Rhett Jackson

John Porter Stevens Distinguished Professor of Water Resources, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia

Specialties: Physical, chemical, and biological stream responses to non-point source pollution

Shana Jones

Public Service Faculty, Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia

Specialties: Coastal and  environmental law

Darixa Hernandez-Abrams

Research Ecologist, ERDC-EL

Specialties: Tropical stream ecology, stream restoration, ecological modeling and water resource management

Rod Lammers

Assistant Professor, Central Michigan University

Specialties: Hydrology and hydraulics, sediment transport, water quality, numerical modeling

Craig Landry

Professor, Natural Resource Economics, University of Georgia

Specialties: Natural resource management, non-market valuation, experimental economics, coastal erosion

Brian McFall

Research Civil Engineer, Army Corps of Engineers

Specialties: Wave mechanics, beneficial use of dredged sediment 

Kyle McKay

Research Civil Engineer, Army Corps of Engineers

Specialties: Integrated water resource management, ecological model development, watershed restoration

Don Nelson

Associate Professor, Anthropology, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, University of Georgia

Specialties: Governance , risk and vulnerability assessments, mental models, disaster mitigation and recovery

Nate Nibbelink

Professor, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia

Specialties: Landscape-level decision-support, landscape ecology, GIS, species habitat modeling

Candice Piercy

Research Environmental Engineer, Army Corps of Engineers

Specialties: Coastal wetland dynamics, modeling hydrodynamic and ecological interactions 

Scott Pippin

Public Service Faculty, Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia

Specialties: Law, policy, planning, urban design

Mark Risse

Director, Georgia Sea Grant, University of Georgia

Specialties: Non-point source pollution control, ecological engineering, living shorelines, community engagement

Amy Rosemond

Professor of Ecology, Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia

Specialties: Freshwater ecosystem structure and function, effects of global change stressors on rates and fates of nutrients and carbon in streams

Tosin Sekoni

Research Ecologist, Army Corps of Engineers

Specialties: Vegetation ecology, using plant communities and natural features in engineering practices

Marshall Shepherd

Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor, Director, Atmospheric Science Program, University of Georgia

Specialties: Meteorology, climatology, remote sensing

Dave Smith

Ecologist, Army Corps of Engineers

Specialties: Ecohydraulics, fish movement modeling, engineering design support

Burton Suedel

Research Biologist, Dredging Operations Technical Support (DOTS) Program Manager, Army Corps of Engineers

Specialties: Dredging effects on the environment

Todd Swannack

Integrated Ecological Modeling, Army Corps of Engineers

Specialties: Ecosystem modeling, integrating ecological and engineering approaches across scales

Amanda Tritinger

Hydraulics Research Engineer, Army Corps of Engineers

Specialties: Oceanographic engineering and hydrodynamic modeling

Meredith Welch Divine

Interim Associate Dean, Graduate School, University of Georgia

Specialties: Climate change adaption, impacts of sea level rise on coastal communities, conservation policy

Seth Wenger

Professor, Odum School of Ecology, Director of the River Basin Center, University of Georgia

Specialties: Freshwater ecology, conservation biology and modeling

Brock Woodson

Associate Professor, College of Engineering, University of Georgia

Specialties: Environmental Fluid Mechanics and Coastal Sustainability and Resilience


Post-Doctoral Researchers

Jonathan Hallemeier

ORISE Research Fellow, USACE Environmental Lab

 Contact
jhalleme@uga.edu

Charles Van Rees 

Post-doctoral research associate, University of Georgia

 
Contact
charles.vanrees@uga.edu

Andressa Vianna Mansur

Post-doctoral research associate, University of Georgia

Contact:
andressa.viannamansur@uga.edu

Matthew Shudtz

Law and Policy Fellow, University of Georgia

Contact:
mshudtz@uga.edu

John Ogbeleakhu Aliu

Post-doctoral research associate, University of Georgia

Contact:
john.aliu@uga.edu

Janaki M

Post-doctoral research associate, University of Georgia

Contact:
janaki.m@uga.edu

Liya Abera

Post-doctoral research associate, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Contact:
liya.eshetu.abera@gmail.com

Suman Jumani

Post-doctoral research associate, University of Georgia

Contact:
sumanjumani@gmail.com

Dan Coleman

Post-doctoral research associate, University of Georgia

Contact:
daniel.coleman@uga.edu

Staff

Gin Talati Bacon

Director of Operations, Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems, University of Georgia

Contact:
vbtalati@uga.edu

Anouk Savineau

Senior Water Resources Engineer, LimnoTech

Contact: 
asavineau@limno.com

Sarah Buckleitner

Communications Coordinator, Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems, University of Georgia

Contact: sarah.buckleitner@uga.edu

Courtney Chambers

Communications Lead, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

Contact: Coutney.e.chambers@usace.army.mil