TD Geomorphology Lab

Principal Investigator

Tian Y. Dong, PhD

Current

Background 

  • PhD in Earth Science, Rice University
  • MS in Earth Science, Rice University
  • BS in Geological Sciences, University of Texas at Austin
  • Hometown: Baoding, China/Houston, TX
  • Fun Fact: I can juggle!

Staff

Deepali Singh, PhD

Current

Background 

  • PhD in Environmental Science (Specialization: planetary science), Jawaharlal Nehru University, India
  • ME in Biotechnology, National Institute of Technology (Bhopal), India
  • BE in Biotechnology, Amity University, India
  • Hometown: Agra, India
  • Fun Fact: I write poetry!

Esmeralda Mendez, MS 

Current

  • Program Coordinator
  • Project: NASA MUREP MCA – Remote-sensing and Analytics for Integrating Science Education with NASA SMD to Strengthen Student Research Capacity at MSI (RAISE)
  • esmeralda.mendez03@utrgv.edu
  • Google Scholar

Background 

  • MS in Agriculture, Environmental, and Sustainability Sciences, UTRGV
  • BS in Biological Sciences, UTRGV
  • Hometown: Weslaco, Texas
  • Fun Fact: I like traveling!

Olagoke Daramola, PhD

Current

Background 

  • PhD in Marine Science (Hydrography), University of Southern Mississippi
  • MS in Surveying and Geoinformatics, University of Lagos, Nigeria
  • BS in Surveying and Geoinformatics, University of Lagos, Nigeria
  • Hometown: Ise-Ekiti, Nigeria
  • Fun Fact: I love this C. S. Lewis quote: “There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind.”

Graduate Students

Aleen Pertuz Paz, MS

Current

Background 

  • MS in Hydraulic Resources Engineering, Universidad Nacional de Colombia
  • BS in Geological Engineering, Universidad Nacional de Colombia
  • Hometown: Medellin, Colombia
  • Fun fact: I love to play Underwater Rugby even more with my team Makos!

Andrew Ward

Current

  • Expected 2027, MS in Ocean, Coastal, and Earth Sciences
  • Research Project: Geomorphology and Preliminary Chronology of the Stabilized Lunette Dunes (Lomas) in the Rio Grande Delta, south Texas, USA, and northern Tamaulipas, Mexico
  • andrew.ward02@utrgv.edu

Background 

  • BS in Environmental Science, UTRGV
  • Hometown: Chesapeake, Virginia
  • Fun Fact: I’ve lived in four different states through my life!

Annette Obregon

Current

  • Expected 2026, MS in Ocean, Coastal, and Earth Sciences
  • Research Project: Time Distribution of the Abandoned Channel Belts in the Rio Grande Delta
  • annette.obregon01@utrgv.edu

Background 

  • BS in Environmental Science with a concentration in Multidisciplinary Studies, UTRGV
  • Hometown: Weslaco, Texas
  • Fun Fact: I play volleyball!

Naydelyn Nunez

Current

  • Expected 2028, MS in Ocean, Coastal, and Earth Sciences
  • Research Project: Hydrodynamic modeling of the Bahia Grande
  • naydelyn.nunez01@utrgv.edu

Background 

  • BS in Environmental Science with a concentration in Earth and Ocean
  • Hometown: Mission, Texas
  • Fun Fact: I own a Quaker parrot who likes eating cheetos with me!

Undergraduate Students

Natalie Gonzales

Current

  • Expected 2026, BS in Environmental Science
  • Research Project: Assessing the impact of 2024 Windy Deuce Wildfire on the Geomorphology and Sedimentology of McBride Canyon near Amarillo, Texas
  • natalie.gonzales02@utrgv.edu

Background 

  • Hometown: Weslaco, Texas
  • Fun Fact: I do art on the side oil painting!

Sebastian Lopez 

Current

  • Expected 2026, BS in Environmental Science
  • Research Project: Reconstruction of the Holocene Rio Grande Delta Avulsions using a relative age model of the abandoned channel belts.
  • sebastian.lopez03@utrgv.edu

Background 

  • Hometown: Roma, Texas
  • Fun Fact: I am a basketball and book lover!

Past Members

Postdocs and Staffs

  • 2026, Olagoke Daramola, PhD, University of Texas at the Rio Grande Valley; Now: Assistant Professor at Kennesaw State University
  • 2024-2025, Haiqing Xu, PhD, University of Texas at the Rio Grande Valley; Now: Assistant Professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Visiting Students

  • 2024, Bence Csiti, MS, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary; Now: PhD student at Umea University, Sweden

Graduate Students

  • 2024-2026, Aleen Pertuz Paz, MS, University of Texas at the Rio Grande Valley; Now: PhD student in Geosciences at Virginia Tech
  • 2024-2026, Ana Y. Casillas Mohamad, MS, University of Texas at the Rio Grande Valley; Now: Hydrologist at Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
  • 2023-2025, Waqid Nabi, MS, University of Texas at the Rio Grande Valley; Now: PhD student in Geological Sciences at Indiana University, Bloomington
  • 2023-2025, Kynan Rutan, MS, University of Texas at the Rio Grande Valley

Undergraduate Students

  • 2022-2026, Sebastian Lopez, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley; Now: PhD student at The Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin
  • 2020-2026, Natalie Gonzales, University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley; Now: PhD student at Louisiana State University
  • 2023-2025, Celeste Alvarez, University of Texas at the Rio Grande Valley; Now: Community Planner at Langford Community Management Services
  • 2022, Benjamin A. Chapa, Texas A&M University-Kingsville; Now: MS student in Hydrogeology at University of Texas at Austin
  • 2020, Cheyenne Hibbitts Kleiner, Angelo State University; Now: PhD student in Earth and Environmental Sciences at Michigan State University