Our Affliates
Faculty and research and extension associates will be invited to join the Institute as affiliates. The affiliates will be individuals with demonstrated expertise in teaching, research and/or extension related to water resources.
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Carmen Agouridis, PhD, PE, MPP
Senior Associate Dean for Instruction in the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Extension Professor
Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment
​Center for Student Success; Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering
Research Interests
Water Quality, Watershed Management, Community Engagement, Water and Ecosystem Services, Water and Climate, Flooding, Water and Agriculture
Education
PhD Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, University of Kentucky; MA Public Policy, University of Kentucky; MS Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, University of Tennessee; BS Agricultural Engineering, University of Tennessee
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Education
Scott Berry, PhD, MBA
Associate Professor
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Research Interests
Environmental Surveillance, Wastewater-Based Epidemiology, Microfluidics, Community Engagement, Citizen Science
PhD Mechanical Engineering, University of Louisville; MBA, University of Louisville; MEng Mechanical Engineering; University of Louisville; BS Mechanical Engineering, University of Louisville
Pigman College of Engineering
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Diana Byrne, PhD
Assistant Professor
Pigman College of Engineering
Civil Engineering
Research Interests
Sustainable Design, Sustainable Infrastructure, Life Cycle Assessment, Life Cycle Costing, Risk Assessment.
Education
Ph.D. Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; M.S. Civil Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; B.S. Civil Engineering, Saint Louis University
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Associate Professor
Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment
Plant and Soil Sciences
Elisa D'Angelo, PhD
Research Interests
Wetlands, Harmful Algal Blooms, Cyanobacteria, Metatranscriptomics, Coal Slurry Impoundments, Eutrophication
Education
PhD Soil and Water Science, University of Florida; BS Limnology and Biology, University of Central Florida
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Education
Isabel Escobar, PhD
Professor, Chemical Engineering; Chellgren Endowed Chair, Director of the Chellgren Center for Undergraduate Excellence
Chemical Engineering
Research Interests
Water Treatment, Algal Toxins, PFAS, Membrane Separations
PhD Environmental Engineering, University of Central Florida; MS Environmental Engineering, University of Central Florida; BS Environmental Engineering, University of Central Florida
Pigman College of Engineering
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Amanda Gumbert, PhD
Extension Specialist for Water Quality
Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food & Environment
Department of Forestry and Natural Resources
Research Interests
Water Quality, Watershed Management, Community Engagement, Water and Ecosystem Services, Water and Climate, and Water and Agriculture
Education
PhD Soil Science, University of Kentucky; MS Plant and Soil Science, University of Kentucky; BS Plant and Soil Science, University of Kentucky
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Minjae Kim, PhD
Assistant Professor
Pigman College of Engineering
Civil Engineering
Research Interests
Environmental Remediation, Microbial Ecology, Bioinformatics, Antibiotic Resistance, Water Quality, Sustainable Engineering
Education
PhD Environmental Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology; MS Environmental Science and Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology; BS Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Sogang University
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Lee Moser, MS
Agriculture Extension Associate Senior
Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment
Department of Forestry and Natural Resources
Research Interests
Water Quality, Watershed Management, Community Engagement, Water and Ecosystem Services, Water and Climate, Water and Agriculture.
Education
MS Digital Mapping, University of Kentucky; MS Forestry, University of Kentucky; BS Natural Resource Conservation and Management, University of Kentucky
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Kelly Pennell, PhD, PE
Professor, Earl Parker Robinson Chair
Pigman College of Engineering
Civil Engineering
Research Interests
Environmental Health, Stakeholder Engagement, Fate and Transport
Education
PhD Civil Engineering, Purdue University; MS Environmental Engineering, Rose Hulman Institute of Technology; BS Chemical Engineering, Brown University
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Education
Olga Tsyusko, PhD
Associate Professor
Research Interests
Water Treatment, PFAS, Nanofiltration, Toxicity, Nanomaterials
PhD Toxicology, University of Georgia; BS Biology, Uzhgorod National University
Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment
Plant and Soil Sciences
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Chris Barton, PhD
Forestry and Natural Resources
Professor
Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment
Research Interests
Water Quality, Watershed Management, Community Engagement, Water and Ecosystem Services, Water and Climate, Flooding, Water and Agriculture
Education
PhD Soil Science, University of Kentucky; MS Plant and Soil Science, University of Kentucky; BS Biology, Centre College
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Steven Buck, PhD
Associate Professor of Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment
Department of Agricultural Economics
Research Interests
Benefit Cost Analysis, Forecasting Water Use, Workforce Development, Water Affordability, Water Infrastructure, Economic Development
Education
PhD Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of California, Berkeley; M.S., Agricultural and Applied Economics, Virginia Tech; MS Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, University of Tennessee; M.S. Mathematics, Virginia Tech
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Lauren E. Cagle, PhD
Associate Professor of Writing, Rhetoric, & Digital Studies; Director of Environmental & Sustainability Studies
College of Arts & Sciences
Writing, Rhetoric, & Digital Studies
Research Interests
Environmental Rhetoric, Climate Change Communication, Disability Studies, Feminist Ethics, Technical Communication, Rhetoric of Science, and Science Communication.
Education
PhD Rhetoric and Composition, University of South Florida; MA Literature and Composition, University of Nevada Las Vegas; BA English, Rhodes College
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Andrea Erhardt, PhD
College of Arts and Sciences
Earth & Environmental Sciences
Associate Professor of Isotope Geochemistry
Research Interests
Paleoceanography, Isotopes as Environmental Tracers, Low Temperature and Environmental Geochemistry
Education
PhD Isotope Geochemistry, Stanford University; MS Geology, Colorado School of Mines; BS Environmental Engineering and Geological Sciences, Northwestern University
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William Ford, PhD
Associate Professor
Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment
Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering
Research Interests
Sediment Erosion and Transport, Agricultural Water Management, Numerical Modeling, Nutrient Fate and Transport, Preferential Flows, Stable Isotope Fingerprinting
Education
PhD Civil Engineering, University of Kentucky; MS Civil Engineering, University of Kentucky; BS Civil Engineering, University of Kentucky
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Alan E. Fryar, PhD
Professor
College of Arts and Sciences
Earth & Environmental Sciences
Research Interests
Hydrogeology, Low Temperature Geochemistry, Groundwater
Education
PhD Geology, University of Alberta; MS Geology, Texas A&M University;
BS Geology, Duke University
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Tiffany L. Messer, PhD, EIT
Associate Professor
Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment
Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering
Research Interests
Water Quality, Best Management Practices, Emerging Contaminants, Wetlands, Stormwater,
Education
PhD Biological and Agricultural Engineering, North Carolina State University; MS Biological and Agricultural Engineering, North Carolina State University; BS Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, University of Kentucky
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Lindell Ormsbee, PE, PH, PhD, BC.WRE, F.ASCE, F.EWRI
Professor, Earl Parker Robinson Chair
Pigman College of Engineering
Civil Engineering
Research Interests
Water Infrastructure, Watershed Management, Stormwater Management, Hydrology and Hydraulics, Systems Analysis, Stakeholder Engagement
Education
PhD Civil Engineering, Purdue University; MS Civil Engineering, Virginia Tech; BS Civil Engineering, University of Kentucky
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Education
Kenton Sena, PhD
Lecturer
University of Kentucky
Lewis Honors College
Research Interests
Forest Hydrology, Urban Stream Restoration, Forest Restoration, Urban Forestry, Riparian Zone Management.
PhD Integrated Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Kentucky; MS Forestry, University of Kentucky; BS Biology, Auburn University