Please give a brief professional biography, describing a little about your current work. Indicate where you will be working if off RPI campus:

I am currently a Geology PhD student working with Dr. Sasha Wagner in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. I earned a BS in Chemistry and Geology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2020. My research focuses on the cycling of organic matter—including fire-derived pyrogenic carbon—in burned watersheds. I recently was awarded the DOE Office of Science Graduate Student Research Fellowship. Through this fellowship I will work at the Pacific Northwest National Lab (PNNL) to develop a direct-inject anhydrosugar quantification method and predict the degradation and fate of pyrogenic carbon from wildfire-affected coastal streams using reactive transport modeling.  

What is your vision for the future? What do you expect to be doing after the fellowship/graduation?  

I am not sure yet how my future will look. Ideally, I want to continue researching organic matter in aquatic systems. Both academic and government research are appealing but hopefully time at a national lab will help me decide!

What advice to you have for students considering applying to competitive programs?

Just do it! I did not expect to get this fellowship, but I applied anyway. Talk to your advisors and mentors before applying. My PhD advisor was the one who connected me to Dr. Allison Myers-Pigg, my host scientist at PNNL. Additionally, my advisor gave constructive comments on the first draft of my proposal which strengthened my application, so don’t be afraid to ask for help. 

To read more about what Riley is doing see https://news.rpi.edu/content/2023/05/03/rpi-doctoral-student-one-87-nationwide-receive-research-opportunity-national-lab