Post Doctoral Students
Shishir Basant (Post Doctoral Researcher, 2022 – ; PhD student, 2014–2021)
Shishir is currently working as a post doctoral researcher on a project looking potential for increasing groundwater recharge through savanna and grassland restoration in Post Oak savanna, Texas. For his PhD, Shishir did his field work in the South Texas mesquite shrublands where he investigated interaction of lateral redistribution of water with vegetation patterns and sap flux rates in the dominant woody species. For a part of his PhD work, he also studied the effect of thicketization in oak woodlands in Post Oak savannas on chloride accumulation in soils and soil moisture/water storage which was the basis for our most recently awarded grant (USDA-NIFA) of $ 750,000.
Prior to his graduate school in Texas, Shishir worked with startups and NGOs in India until 2014. He acquired his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from National Institute of Technology, Nagpur, India in 2009. He worked in the energy sector till 2011 before switching to working on natural resource management issues in rural and semi-urban environments.
Shishir enjoys field work in ecology and hydrology and investigating questions related to connection between water resources and land management. He is broadly interested in producing science relevant for improving management and helping with better policy making.
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.
PhD Students
Jordan Anderson (PhD student, 2022 – current)
Jordan is currently working to understand how woody encroachment in the Texas Post Oak Savannah effects groundwater recharge and other ecohydrological functions. Jordan is particularly interested in defining the ecohydrological impacts of Yaupon Holly on regional soil-water dynamics and other ecological processes. She hopes that her research will help provide a rationale for restorative efforts across the Post Oak Savannah.
Jordan’s research primarily involves the use of stable isotopes, evapotranspiration partitioning, soil moisture modeling, and canopy interception monitoring.
Before joining Texas A&M in 2022, Jordan acquired her bachelor’s degree in environmental biology with an emphasis in Wetland Ecology from University of Houston – Clear Lake. Jordan enjoys camping, paddle boarding, and roller derby.
Master’s Students
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