Graduate Student Members
John Sisser
John Sisser graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2014 with a BS in environmental sciences, policy, and management. During his undergraduate studies, John conducted research on municipal, state, and federal policy approaches to issues such as agricultural nonpoint source water pollution, sustainable urban development, and residential lawn management. Most recently, he has worked for the Izaak Walton League of America, coordinating the organization’s agricultural policy development on topics including wetland conservation in the Prairie Pothole Region and crop insurance reform. Prior to his time at the League, John interned on Capitol Hill with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, where he assisted with 2014 Farm Bill implementation efforts and helped write the group’s comments on the Environmental Protection Agency’s “Waters of the U.S.” rule. John is particularly interested in studying how market mechanisms might offer solutions to not just water supply challenges in the American West, but also water quality issues nationwide.
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Karina Herrera
Karina Herrera graduated from Harvard University in 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts in Engineering Sciences with a specialization in Environmental Science and Engineering and a secondary in Ethnic Studies. During her time at Harvard she was actively involved with Engineers Without Borders and its ongoing water quality projects in the Dominican Republic. Post-graduation, Karina participated in AmeriCorps*VISTA where she worked on two projects: increasing STEM student retention at Fresno State through high-impact practices and addressing low literacy skills in primary education through increased classroom volunteer engagement. She is currently a first-year graduate student at Bren, and would ultimately like to work California's water quantity issues through water resource and post-treatment water management.
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Zachary Voss
Zachary Voss graduated from University of California, San Diego in 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Systems. At UCSD, he performed market research and analysis for a private local firm aiming to solve environmental issues through sustainable solutions such as cogeneration and electrocoagulation. Zach developed key insights for agencies to adopt cost-effective, environmentally sustainable solutions that benefit themselves and the environment as a whole. In addition, he worked at the City of San Diego to acquire a broader understanding of the environmental regulatory process, specifically in regards to storm water conveyance systems. Zachary developed an analysis of mitigation opportunities for wetlands impacts within the City of San Diego which was presented as his senior thesis for UCSD. His project was recognized by the San Diego Environmental Professionals group as one of the top two entries following its public presentation.
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Sravan Chalasani
Sravan Chalasani, a first-year master’s student at the Bren School, graduated in 2015 with a Bachelor of Technology degree in Civil Engineering from National Institute of Technology Calicut, India. After graduation, Sravan’s interests in solving environmental problems and the diverse impacts of climate change led him to an internship at World Resources Institute’s office in India. There he was part of the IndiaGHG Program, which helps organizations measure and manage their GHG emissions. At the Bren School, Sravan is interested in studying topics around climate change mitigation, environmental and natural resource economics. His career goal is to help local, state and national governments achieve their climate and sustainability goals.
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Faculty Advisors
Professor -- Hydrology, Terrestrial Ecology, Coupled Natural-Human Systems
PhD, BA, Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia Kelly Caylor is the director of the UCSB Environmental Research Institute and holds joint appointments at the Bren School and the Department of Geography. In his research, Professor Caylor seeks to develop improved insight into the way that land use and climate change are interacting to affect the dynamics and resilience of global drylands. His primary research sites are in sub-Saharan Africa, where he is focused on understanding the vulnerability of pastoral and subsistence agricultural communities to current and future changes in hydrological dynamics. Professor Caylor conducts research at a number of spatial and temporal scales; from small-scale experiments during individual rainfall events all the way up to continental-scale analyses of climate trends. A major focus of his research is the development of new methods to improve the measurement and prediction of ecosystem water-use efficiency and novel observation networks for characterization of coupled natural-human system dynamics. Professor Caylor has served on the editorial board of Water Resources Research; the Journal of Gophysical Research — Biogeosciences; Vadose Zone Journal, and Environmental Research Reviews, Environmental Research Letters. He was a recipient of an Early Career Award from the NSF, and was the inaugural recipient of the Early Career Award in Hydrological Sciences given by the American Geophysical Union (AGU). |
Professor -- Fate and Transport, Watershed Management, Remediation, Pollution Prevention
PhD, MS, Civil (Environmental) Engineering, Stanford University; BA, Chemistry, Cornell University Dr. Keller's research focuses on the sustainable use of chemicals and materials in our modern society, by understanding and quantifying their potential impacts, and seeking ways to minimize impacts while achieving the benefits. He is particularly interested in emerging materials, such as nanoparticles and biochemicals, for which little information is available. He also does work at large scales to design better management strategies for common chemicals such as fertilizers and pesticides. |