Coastal Hydrology, Hydrodynamics, and Oceanography
(Coastal H2O)
Louisiana State University

Current Members

Matt Hiatt, PhD

Associate professor
mhiatt1@lsu.edu; Matt's CV; Google Scholar; ORCID; ResearchGate
- PhD in Civil Engineering, University of Texas at Austin
- MSE in Civil Engineering, University of Texas at Austin
- BSCE in Civil Engineering, University of Kansas

Jesbin George, PhD

Postdoctoral Scholar (co-supervised by Prof. Clint Willson)
Research topic: Impacts of coastal ecosystem design strategies on nearshore processes
- PhD in Marine Sciences, Bharathidasan University (India)
- M.Tech in Oceanography, Cochin University of Science and Technology (India)
- B.Sc in Physics, Mahatma Gandhi University (India)

Caitlin Turner

PhD Student (Spring 2021 - Expected 2026)
Thesis topic: Physical drivers of algal bloom prevalence and toxicity
- BS in Marine Science: Oceanography, Stockton University
- BA in Multidisciplinary Studies, Westfield State University

Sajjad Feizabadi

PhD Student (Spring 2022 - Expected 2025; Co-advised with Prof. Chunyan Li)
Dissertation Topic: Numerical modeling of hydrodynamic responses to atmospheric disturbances
- MS in Civil Engineering, Tarbait Modares University (Iran)
- BS in Civil Engineering, Shahrood University of Technology (Iran)

Madoche Jean Louis

PhD Student (Fall 2022 - Expected 2025)
Dissertation Topic: Dynamic Water Transport Timescales
-MS in Hydraulics and River Basin Development, IHE Delft Institute for Water Education (Netherlands)
-BS in Civil Engineering, Pachuca Institute of Technology (Mexico)

Sarah Brannum

PhD Student (Spring 2023 - Expected 2027; co-advised with Dr. Kory Konsoer)
Dissertation Topic: Impacts of Roseau cane die-back on hydrodynamics in the Mississippi River Delta
-BS in Geological Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Noah Flaherty

MS Student in Coastal & Ecological Engineering (Fall 2024 - Expected 2027; co-advised with Dr. Clint Willson)
Thesis Topic: Surface and porewater salinity dynamics in a Louisiana brackish marsh
- BS in Coastal Environmental Sciences, Louisiana State University

Maya Maes-Johnson

PhD Student starting Fall 2025
Dissertation Topic: TBD
- BS in Applied Mathematics, Colorado School of Mines

Omid Boushehri

BS student in Coastal Environmental Sciences
Research Topic: Hydrodynamic responses to Hurricane Francine

Eddie Weeks

Research Engineer

Tofu

Dog
Pursuing a PhD in walking on the leash
MS in being a good boy
Alumni


Hemanth Vundavilli,PhD (Postdoc 2023-2025)
Post-LSU position: Assistant professor at Coastal Carolina University


Lily Vowels (MS in DOCS 2025)
Thesis topic: Investigating the relationships among suspended sediment concentration, hydrodynamics, and marsh edge erosion in Barataria Bay, LA
Position post-graduation: Illinois Geological Survey Prairie Research Institute


Muzahidul "Mojo" Islam (MS in DOCS 2024)
Thesis topic: Impacts of Morphological Changes on Water Residence Times in River Deltas
Position post-graduation: Ph.D. student at LSU in Geography & Anthropology


Jay Merrill (MS in DOCS 2022)
Thesis topic: Effects of meteorological events on wave climate and current regime in a shallow, microtidal bay
Position post-LSU: Ph.D. student at Oregon State University


Kifayath Chowdhury (MS in DOCS 2020)
Thesis topic: 3D flow structure of channel-wetland exchange in a coastal river delta
Position post-LSU: Ph.D. student at TU Delft (Netherlands)


Tank (2010-2019)
PhD in sleeping and moral support
Undergraduate Alumni

Frank Bussot
Gulf Scholars 2024

Hannah Blackmon
BS 2022

Noah Flaherty
BS 2024

Jacob Reinhardt
BS 2022

Brodie Horn
BS 2023

Will Arthur
BS 2020
