Research Themes
Delta networks & land building
How branching channel networks distribute water and sediment, scale with delta area, and construct new land.
Science 2026: Apparent Hack’s law
WRR 2020: Water and sediment partitioning
Rio Grande delta dynamics
How dams, water use, floods, wind, abandoned channels, and coastal processes reshape the lower Rio Grande.
Geomorphology 2023: Coastal Rio Grande
AGU 2025: Damming and flood risk
Channel belts on Earth & Mars
How single- and multichannel river networks build channel belts over time, and how planform geometry preserves their behavior across Earth and Mars.
Geology 2022: River and channel-belt patterns
Nature Geoscience 2023: Sinuosity on Earth and Mars
Polar sediment routing
How Arctic deltas and proglacial systems move, store, and export sediment as ice and climate conditions change.
AGU 2024: Sediment export at a Greenland delta
Ocean Sciences 2024: Channel migration and progradation
Education
Research experiences that open pathways
From coursework to national research labs
Students build remote-sensing and analytical skills through coursework, mentored research, and internships at NASA and partner institutions.
NASA award story · 2025 AGU education abstract · Student internship story
Outreach
Science in conversation with South Texas
The lab shares Earth and planetary science through schools, public programs, mentoring, and the South Texas Space Science Institute.
South Texas Space Science Institute
As Professional Outreach Lead, Tian helps connect regional students and families with space science, researchers, and hands-on discovery.
Schools, mentoring & public talks
Activities include school interviews, Letters to a Pre-Scientist, career advising, and public conversations about planetary geomorphology.
Timeline
2025–2027 · NSF · RESEARCH
$49,512
Tian’s share: 9% · $4,456
RAPID: Post-Hurricane Helene floodplain deposition
Co-PI (transferred) · Congaree National Park, South Carolina · Field sampling constrains floodplain-wide deposition of sand and mud.
NSF award · Research output forthcoming
2024–2026 · NSF · RESEARCH
$16,742
Tian’s share: 100% · $16,742
RAPID: Post-fire sediment transport in the Texas Panhandle
Co-PI · Measures the magnitude and timing of sediment movement after the 2024 Windy Deuce Fire.
2024–2026 · NSF · EDUCATION
$199,806
Tian’s share: 100% · $199,806
HSI Pilot: Research-based learning for biomanufacturing skills
PI (transferred) · Applies a research-based learning approach to strengthen biomanufacturing skills.
2023–2027 · USGS · RESEARCH
$300,000
Tian’s share: 100% · $300,000
Geomorphic change along the U.S.–Mexico border
PI · LiDAR and remote sensing document erosion and landscape change across the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
2023–2026 · DOE · RESEARCH
$750,000
Tian’s share: 39% · $292,500
FAIR: Rio Grande alluvial-ridge basins and resacas
PI · Evaluates water, sediment, and nutrient transport and accumulation between abandoned river channels.
2023–2026 · NASA · EDUCATION
$1,200,000
Tian’s share: 44% · $528,000
MUREP MCA RAISE: NASA science education and student research capacity
PI · Remote sensing and analytics integrate NASA science into coursework, mentored research, internships, and career preparation at a minority-serving institution.
NASA award story · 2025 AGU education abstract · Student internship story
2022–2026 · UT System · RESEARCH
$300,000
Tian’s share: 100% · $300,000
Rising STAR Faculty Grant
PI · Builds research capacity, field capability, and student opportunities across the lab’s four science themes.
2020–2022 · NSF · RESEARCH
$174,000
Tian’s share: 100% · $174,000
EAR-PF: Channel geometry and channel-belt properties
PI · Uses distributions of channel geometry and channel-belt properties to distinguish meandering and braided deposits in the rock record.
TD Geomorphology Lab 