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