Subsurface Biogeochemical Laboratory

I am the SBLAb director and Assistant Research Professor in the Division of Hydrological Sciences at the Desert Research Institute (DRI).

I did my undergraduate and graduate studies in Geology (BSc & MSc) and Geochemistry (MSc) at University of Oviedo (Oviedo, Spain) and Uppsala University (Uppsala, Sweden). I obtained my PhD degree in subsurface hydrology from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (Barcelona, Spain) and the Spanish National Research Council (Barcelona, Spain). After obtaining my PhD, I joined DRI (Reno, USA) in 2019 for my postdoc to develop novel experiments for porous media research.

Since 2021 I am an Assistant Research Professor at DRI. My investigations focus on biogeochemistry, geochemical modeling, artificial intelligence, and fluid flow and transport modeling in porous media.

I grew up in Bayamo (Cuba) before moving to Gijon (Spain) with my family. In my free time, I enjoy/suffer watching Sporting de Gijon football games. I am a tea drinker, fan of Jack Ryan’s novels, and you might find me in the gym listening to Armchair Expert podcast.

My research project focuses on arsenic removal from groundwater. I am currently working on developing an alternative arsenic removal strategy using an iron-based metal-organic framework (Fe-MOF), a porous material consisting of Fe ions and organic ligands. I use laboratory column experiments and reactive transport simulations to study the influence of Fe-MOF on the geochemical evolution of the system. 

I come from Thailand. I’ve got my BS from Pennsylvania and move to Reno for master’s degree. I enjoy hiking and film photography.

My project hopes to develop a coupled geochemical-groundwater flow model that is able to predict potential groundwater chemistry changes caused by interaction of artificially injected surface water into an aquifer. This model is being developed utilizing data collected during a pilot study at the Reno-Stead Wastewater Treatment Facility in which A+ treated wastewater was injected into the aquifer. By utilizing data from this site to test and prove the effectiveness of this model, it may be able to be utilized in the future to evaluate other potential recharge locations for potential water quality changes cause by artificial injection.

I am from Rocklin, California and moved to Reno in 2015 for my undergraduate study. After graduating from UNR in 2018 with a B.S in Environmental Science, I was accepted back to UNR to complete a M.S in Hydrogeology. I expect to graduate in the Fall of 2021. My hobbies include anything outdoor related such as camping, hiking, skiing and mountain biking.

My research focuses on the intersection between bacterial biophysics and transport in porous media. Currently, I am using microfluidics and particle tracking to investigate the hydrodynamic influences on the transport of motile microbes in porous media. This research is important because a more thorough description of the transport of motile microbes in porous media is needed to develop more robust bioremediation models. In addition to my research on microbial motility, I also am working on a comparison of particle tracking codes and simulations of the hyporheic zone. Particle tracking is an important part of many microfluidics experiments, but there is currently no published comparison of tracking codes in porous geometries, which makes it difficult to pick the best code for a given geometry. For my research on the hyporheic zone, I am investigating the impact of different initial flow and permeability conditions on bioclogging using PFLOTRAN, which will provide general insights into modeling the hydro-biogeochemistry of the hyporheic zone.

I am from Redwood City, CA, and went to Columbia University in New York City for undergrad. After undergrad, I worked as a research assistant in the SLAC Floodplain Hydro-Biogeochemistry SFA, and I have been at UNR since 2020, working towards my Ph.D. with Rishi Parashar and Lazaro J. Perez. My hobbies include hiking, throwing balls for my dog, rock climbing, and video games.