People of the Dong Geomorphology Lab
Fall 2026
Spring 2026
Spring 2025
Principal Investigator
Tian Y. Dong, PhD
Assistant Professor, UTRGV
Tian studies how water, wind, and ice move sediment—and how rivers, deltas, and channel belts preserve that history on Earth and Mars. His group combines field observations, remote sensing, theory, and modeling.
Current team
Staff & postdoctoral researchers
Esmeralda Mendez, MS
Program Coordinator
Esmeralda coordinates the NASA RAISE program and supports student learning and research.
Ana Y. Casillas Rodriguez, MS
Part-time Research Staff
Ana studies how human activities affect water balance, sediment discharge, and channel morphology in the coastal Rio Grande.
Deepali Singh, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Deepali uses experiments to study how biogenic organic molecules evolve under Martian surface conditions.
Xiangwei Guo, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
Xiangwei studies geomorphic change in the lower Rio Grande Valley using airborne LiDAR.
Graduate researchers
Annette Obregon
MS candidate
Expected graduation: Fall 2026
Annette studies the timing and evolution of abandoned channel belts in the Rio Grande delta.
Andrew Ward
MS candidate
Expected graduation: Spring 2027
Andrew studies stabilized lunette dunes and lomas in the Rio Grande delta and northern Tamaulipas.
Naydelyn Nunez
MS student
Expected graduation: Fall 2027
Naydelyn uses hydrodynamic modeling to investigate the Bahia Grande coastal wetland system.
Andrew Popan
MS student
Expected graduation: Spring 2028
Andrew uses hydrodynamic modeling to study tidal lakes in South Texas.
Alex Leal
MS student
Expected graduation: Spring 2028
Alex uses hydrodynamic modeling to study tidal lakes in South Texas.
Lab companions
Nala
Fall 2017–present
Piston
Spring 2018–present
Student success
Since 2025, lab students have received GSA research and travel grants, UTRGV presentation awards, an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Honorable Mention, and the South Texas Geological Society Jones-Amsbury Research Grant.
Geological Society of America
Annette Obregon · Ana Y. Casillas Rodriguez · Waqid Nabi
Graduate Student Research Grants, 2025–2026.
Aleen Pertuz Paz · Kynan Rutan · Waqid Nabi · Celeste Alvarez
Travel Awards, 2025.
Celeste Alvarez
Undergraduate Oral Presentation Award, 2025.
UTRGV COS STEM Conference
Andrew Ward · Outstanding Poster Presentation, 2026.
Ana Y. Casillas Rodriguez · Outstanding Oral Presentation, 2026.
National Science Foundation
Natalie Gonzales
Graduate Research Fellowship Program Honorable Mention, 2026.
South Texas Geological Society
Aleen Pertuz Paz
Jones-Amsbury Research Grant, 2025.
Past members
Postdocs
- Olagoke Daramola · 2026
Now: Assistant Professor, Kennesaw State University - Haiqing Xu · 2024–2025
Now: Assistant Professor, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Graduate students
- Aleen Pertuz Paz · Fall 2024–Spring 2026
Now: PhD student, Virginia Tech - Ana Y. Casillas Rodriguez · Spring 2024–Spring 2026
Now: Hydrologist, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality - Waqid Nabi · Fall 2023–Spring 2026
Now: PhD student, Indiana University Bloomington - Kynan Rutan · Spring 2024–Fall 2025
Visiting students
- Bence Csiti · 2025
Now: PhD student, Umeå University
Undergraduate students
- Natalie Gonzales · Spring 2025–Spring 2026
- Sebastian Lopez · Spring 2023–Spring 2026
Now: PhD student, The University of Texas at Austin - Celeste Alvarez · Spring 2023–Spring 2025
Now: Research Analyst | Brokerage Liaison, Land Advisors Organization