Post Doctoral Students
Pedro Afonso Leite (Post Doctoral Researcher, 2023 – current; PhD student, 2017 – 2023; M.S., 2014–2016)
Pedro is currently working at the Sonora research station for his PhD. His research involves application of COSMOS rover and Electromagnetic methods for soil moisture estimation in shrublands. He graduated with his MS thesis in 2016 on land use and forest regrowth influences on soil hydraulic properties in the Caatinga, a semi-arid region in Brazil.
Pedro is interested in the effects of land use and land cover change on hydrological processes and other ecosystem functions. He is particularly interested in how insects modify landscape processes at different scales. He acquired his Bachelors in Biology from Universidade de Sao Paulo in 2014 in Brazil before moving to US for his masters. For his undergraduate research, he studied ecosystem services provided by social insects in the Atlantic rainforest. He enjoys outdoor activities – fishing, camping and climbing.
Doctoral Students
Horia Olariu (PhD candidate, 2020 – current)
For his Ph.D., Horia is currently working at the regional scale to investigate the impacts of woody plants on the hydrological cycle in temperate grasslands and savannas, with a specific focus on evapotranspiration. He completed his master’s thesis in 2018 at James Madison University, assessing the role of state TMDLs in achieving Chesapeake Bay pollution control goals. He earned his Bachelor of Science from the University of Maryland, College Park, where he worked on a capstone project that monitored water quality in Baltimore Harbor and quantified the effects of both point and nonpoint source pollution.
Horia is interested in understanding how changes in climate—including variations in precipitation and temperature—as well as shifts in woodland structure impact water cycling at both regional and national levels. This work involves using big data in combination with machine learning and deep learning applications to model hydrological systems, particularly in dryland areas. His ultimate goal is to lead his own research group at an R1 university, addressing the world’s most pressing water resource challenges.
Jordan Anderson (PhD student, 2022 – current)
Jordan is currently working across the Texas Post Oak Savannah for her PhD. Her research focuses on understanding the impacts of woody encroachment on regional groundwater recharge and other ecohydrological functions. She is particularly interested in defining the ecohydrological impacts of Yaupon Holly on regional soil-water dynamics and other ecological processes. Her research primarily involves the use of stable isotopes, evapotranspiration partitioning, soil moisture modeling, and canopy interception monitoring. Jordan hopes that her research will help provide a rationale for restorative efforts across the Post Oak Savannah.
Before joining Texas A&M, she graduated in 2022 from University of Houston – Clear Lake with her Bachelor’s in Environmental Biology studying the impacts of wetland restoration on ecosystem biodiversity and health. In her free time, she enjoys camping, paddle boarding, and roller derby.
Master’s Students
Austin Kelly (MS Thesis, 2021- Current)
Austin Kelly received two bachelor’s degrees from Texas A&M University in 2020 in with 2 minors and is currently working on his Ph.D. in Ecology & Conservation Biology studying ecological patterns and restoration potential of rangeland and savannah ecosystems. Austin’s work primarily focuses on understanding various rangeland management practices, including multi-species livestock grazing and prescribed burning, and studying the effects these have on plant ecology and ecohydrologic processes.
Austin has been a botanist and environmental consultant for over 10 years, and has worked in over 8 states from Idaho to Arizona to South Carolina and all over Texas. He has studied in Brazil and China and has collaborated with scientists from there as well as hosting botanists from Czech Republic, France, and Great Britain.
Austin has served as a teaching assistant and lab instructor at Texas A&M for 14 semesters, teaching hundreds of student in courses such as Rangeland Plant Taxonomy, Agrostology, Principles of Ecology, and Vegetation Sampling and Analysis. Austin has also served as the Coach for the state winning collegiate Plant Identification Team for the last 3 years.
Brooke Dominici (MS Thesis, 2023- Current)
Brooke is currently working on a project looking at the transpiration dynamics of the Post Oak Savanna of Texas. She primarily focuses on using Sap Flux measurements to quantify how thicketization influences the transpiration of native trees and grasses. She is also interested in the influence of thicketization on soil infiltration rates.
Prior to attending Texas A&M University, Brooke acquired her Bachelors in Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation from Mississippi State University in 2023. For her undergraduate research, she studied the effects of short rotation woody crop riparian buffers on nitrate and ammonia mitigation through the use of ion exchange resins. In her free time, she enjoys camping, reading, and cooking.
Visiting Scholars
Andra Dalbeto (PhD Candidate, 2022 – Current)
Andra is a visiting scholar in our lab for one year (2024 – 2025), studying the effects of woody plant encroachment on hydrological processes. She is a PhD candidate in the Ecology graduate program at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), Brazil. Her research focuses on the variability of wet grasslands at different spatial scales and the factors that influence them in the Brazilian Savanna. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Forestry Engineering from São Paulo State University (UNESP) in 2019.
In her free time, she enjoys trekking, watching movies, cooking, and perfecting her sushi-making skills.