River Delta, Rio Grande & Planetary Geomorphology Research
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 rivers build channel belts over time—and how planform geometry records that behavior on 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 cover and climate change.
AGU 2024: Sediment export at a Greenland delta
Ocean Sciences 2024: Channel migration and progradation
Education
Research pathways
From coursework to NASA and partner institutions
Students build remote-sensing and analytical skills through coursework, mentored research, and internships at NASA and partner institutions.
NASA RAISE project page · NASA award story · 2025 AGU education abstract · Student internship story
Outreach
Science in conversation with South Texas
The lab brings Earth and planetary science to South Texas through school programs, public events, mentoring, and the South Texas Space Science Institute.
South Texas Space Science Institute
As STSSI’s Professional Outreach Lead, Tian connects 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.
Since 2020
Funding at a glance
Total project
award value
External award value
as tenure-track PI
Awards
supported
Figures show full award values, not institutional credit or funds received. The tenure-track PI subtotal is part of the total and excludes co-PI awards, UT System funding, and the NSF postdoctoral fellowship.
Funding timeline
2025–2027 · NSF · RESEARCH
$49,512
Institutional credit9% · $4,456
RAPID: Post-Hurricane Helene floodplain deposition
Co-PI · award 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
Institutional credit100% · $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
Institutional credit100% · $199,806
HSI Pilot: Research-based learning for biomanufacturing skills
PI · award transferred · Applies a research-based learning approach to strengthen biomanufacturing skills.
2023–2027 · USGS · RESEARCH
$300,000
Institutional credit100% · $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.
2023–2027 · DOE · RESEARCH
$750,000
Institutional credit39% · $292,500
FAIR: Rio Grande alluvial-ridge basins and resacas
PI · Evaluates water, sediment, and nutrient transport and accumulation between abandoned river channels.
2023–2027 · NASA · EDUCATION
$1,200,000
Institutional credit44% · $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
Institutional credit100% · $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
Institutional credit100% · $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.