Research Groups and Labs
The Active Tectonics Lab focuses on answering questions about the study of active faults and folds, earthquakes and associated hazards, earthquake recurrence, estimating paleo-earthquake magnitude by relating observed deformation and earthquake timing between paleoseismic sites along a fault, and earthquake triggering.
The Applied Coastal Ecology Lab conducts collaborative research and outreach focused on the transition zone between land and sea, including: examining organism movement and nutrient/energy flow among terrestrial-coastal-subtidal systems; quantifying effects of human disturbance to one system on functioning and community composition of downstream ecosystems; identifying distribution and effects of emerging contaminants on species and communities; and understanding socio-ecological coastal systems such as marine reserves and coastal communities.
Alida Cantor’s lab focuses on the management of water in the U.S. West, particularly the interfaces between resource management, law and policy, political economy, and social discourses.
The Cascadia Meteorite Laboratory, one of the few university-based meteorite research labs in the country and home to a carefully curated collection of meteorites, conducts meteorite research to help understand our place in the universe, and to share this knowledge with the wider community.
The Climate Science Lab leverages a wide range of observational and model-based datasets to advance our understanding of the key atmospheric drivers of weather and climate extremes. The lab participates in applied and basic research across a wide range of geographies, including local and regional-scale research in the Pacific Northwest.
The De Rivera Lab studies how anthropogenic changes in habitat connectivity — whether because of biological invasion, the built environment, or sea level rise — affect animal populations and communities and ecosystem function. They combine behavioral ecology techniques with modeling and experiments to address questions about invasions ecology, climate change ecology, ecology of the built environment, and restoration ecology.
Geoffrey Duh’s lab focuses on developing geocomputational theory and techniques to integrate GIS and remote sensing technologies in spatial decision-making. Specific projects focus on applying spatial modeling, simulation, and optimization techniques to support land-use planning, emergency planning, and resources management.
Research in the Earth Surface Processes Group aims to quantitatively answer two deceptively simple questions: What does the surface of the earth look like? and Why? The group is especially interested in deriving and testing the equations that describe landscape evolution in order to interpret and predict how landscapes respond to changing tectonic and climatic forcing.
The Environmental Biogeochemistry Lab focuses on the ecosystem functions that affect water quality, climate regulation, and carbon sequestration in natural and human-modified ecosystems. They study the retention and processing of nutrients (nitrogen, carbon, and phosphorus) and the flux of greenhouse gases in wetlands, streams, forests, agricultural, and urban ecosystems, using approaches from ecosystem ecology and biogeochemistry.
The FLIES project is an intentional hybrid physical/remote space in which participants can develop a collaborative, feminist exploration of sexual selection, pigmentation and climate change through establishing and experiencing relationships with fruit flies (Drosophila).
The Global Environmental Change Lab conducts use-inspired science and supports translational research in the areas of vegetation dynamics and disturbance ecology (fire, insect outbreaks, volcanic eruptions, and other disturbances), landscape ecology, land-use change, forest policy, and management practices, and relies on cross-scale approaches that include statistical and process-based modeling, dendrochronology, GIS and remote sensing, and paleoecology.
The López-Duarte Lab focuses on the behavior and ecology of invertebrates and fish, especially the factors controlling larval dispersal from and recruitment to adult habitats.
The Marshalling Science Lab centers on two overlapping themes: 1) how variations in rock properties and climate-mediated changes in processes control the rates and style of landscape evolution and 2) dis-entangling the geomorphic legacy of Pleistocene glacial intervals in regions that remained unglaciated during cold intervals.
The Natural Resource Policy and Management Lab supports research on the human dimensions of natural resource and environmental policy and management. They use a mix of social science tools (e.g., surveys, interviews, and focus groups) and modeling to answer questions about the role of institutions and human behavior in natural resource and environmental management.
The Paleoclimate & Basin Analysis Lab focuses on paleoclimate, stable isotope geochemistry, stratigraphy, and basin analysis.
Ben Perkins’ lab focuses on hydrogeology and aqueous and sedimentary geochemistry. They use a variety of techniques including field studies, laboratory experiments and analyses, and groundwater and geochemical modeling to explore the interplay between groundwater and surface waters and water-rock interactions.
The Snow Hydrology Lab is broadly interested in the interactions and feedbacks of hydrology, climatology, and ecology, including: ecosystem disturbance and mountain hydroclimatology; integrated modeling of hydroclimatology; soil-forest-atmosphere interactions; and geo-spatial analytics.
The Sustainable Atmospheres Research Lab conducts research about the atmosphere as it relates to human activities. One of their main areas of research involves investigating the impact of the sources of air pollution on air quality at high spatial resolution and chemical speciation.
The Sustaining Urban Places Research Lab focuses on topics such as healthy urban futures, social/environmental justice, and climate resilience.
With an integrated framework, the WISE research group seeks to answer the following questions: How much water will we have and will we need in the future with projected climate change and population growth? What are the effects of changes in land cover and water management on runoff and water quality across scales? What are the biophysical and sociodemographic determinants of water-related hazards at different scales? What is the role of water infrastructure and nature-based solutions to make the water system more resilient to internal and external stresses? How do the water system and the human system co-evolve?
Centers & Institutes
Since 1986, the Center for Geography Education in Oregon has provided teachers with in‐service, pre‐service, and informal professional enrichment activities and materials to support student growth in spatial thinking, geography content, and geospatial technology skills.
The Center for Lakes and Reservoirs was established by the Oregon State legislature to address lake management and invasive aquatic species issues in Oregon.
The Center for Spatial Analysis and Research serves researchers and organizations in the greater Portland area for projects involving four broad areas of expertise: cartography, GIS, remote sensing, and education.
The Rae Selling Berry Seed Bank and Plant Conservation Program is dedicated to the conservation and restoration of Pacific Northwest native plants, with an emphasis on the rare and threatened plants of Oregon. Services include seed banking, rare plant research, and germination and greenhouse trials.