Mentors
The InTERFEWS Program empowers an interdisciplinary team of mentors to guide and advise students in a variety of research themes, topics, and projects. The Program builds on diverse FEWS experiences to generate an atmosphere that fosters transdisciplinary education and research to train the next generation of FEWS experts.
Learn more about the Program mentors below.
InTERFEWS Mentor Responsibilities
- Mentor the trainee to conduct interdisciplinary research that addresses FEWS topics
- One chapter of trainee’s dissertation must include an interdisciplinary assessment or systems level analysis of a FEWS topic; OR they need to co-author and publish an interdisciplinary/transdisciplinary, peer-reviewed FEW article that includes researchers from different disciplines
- Guide the trainee to complete InTERFEWS Curriculum requirements (years 1 – 2)
- Enrollment in two InTERFEWS core courses
- Enrollment in GRAD 550: STEM Communication
- Enrollment in at least one technical course and one policy/economics course outside of the trainee’s core area of knowledge
- Support the trainee to participate in Professional Development workshops (completed years 1 – 3)
- Provide time and guidance for the trainee to participate in an apprenticeship (completed years 1 – 3)
- Participation in an apprenticeship is required by trainees for a duration of 3 weeks up to 4 months that offers new skill or experience that would not be offered through dissertation research conducted at CSU.
- Serve on the dissertation committee for the trainee as outside committee member (exceptions made on case-by-case basis)
- Attend annual team meeting
- Participate in evaluation activities
InTERFEWS Advisor Responsibilities
- Provide funding via a research project (e.g., Research Assistantship) or department resources (e.g., Teaching Assistantship) for 1-2 years (depending upon department requirements and whether student is a funded trainee).
- Mentor the trainee to conduct interdisciplinary research that addresses FEWS topics
- One chapter of trainee’s dissertation must include an interdisciplinary assessment or systems level analysis of a FEWS topic; OR they need to co-author and publish an interdisciplinary/transdisciplinary, peer-reviewed FEW article that includes researchers from different disciplines.
- Support the trainee to complete InTERFEWS Curriculum requirements (years 1 – 2)
- Enrollment in two InTERFEWS core courses
- Enrollment in GRAD 550: STEM Communication
- Enrollment in at least one technical course and one policy/economics course outside of the trainee’s core area of knowledge
- Support the trainee to participate in Professional Development workshops (completed years 1 – 3)
- Provide time and guidance for the trainee to participate in an apprenticeship (completed years 1 – 3)
- Participation in an apprenticeship is required by trainees for a duration of 3 weeks up to 4 months that offers new skill or experience that would not be offered through dissertation research conducted at CSU.
- Serve on the dissertation committee for the trainee
- Attend annual team meeting
- Participate in evaluation activities
InTERFEWS External Mentor Responsibilities
- Advise student on research to include components that raise all pragmatic outcomes for FEWS topics related to industry/organization.
- Provide mentorship on professional development skills.
- Provide networking opportunities, if possible.
- Meet (phone or in-person) at least 1-2 times/year to discuss research.
- Sit on student’s dissertation committee as external member, if possible.
Project 1: Urban Water Efficiency for Resource Allocation in Semi-Arid Regions
Sybil Sharvelle
InTERFEWS Director, Associate Professor
Civil & Environmental Engineering
Christopher Goemans
Associate Professor
Agriculture & Resource Economics
Mazdak Arabi
Borland Chair of Water Resources
Civil & Environmental Engineering
Stephanie Malin
Associate Professor
Sociology & Public Health
Thomas Bradley
Professor
Systems Engineering
Project 2: Co-digestion Capacity Assessment and Optimization of Agricultural Feedstocks in Municipal Wastewater Treatment Systems
Steven Conrad
Associate Professor
Systems Engineering
Jason Quinn
Assistant Professor
Mechanical Engineering
Thomas Bradley
Professor
Systems Engineering
Steven Simske
Professor
Systems Engineering
Brian Hurd
Professor
Agricultural Economics & Agricultural Business
Project 3: Assessing Links Between Social Environmental Justice Issues and FEWS in Semi-Arid Regions
Stephanie Malin
Associate Professor
Sociology & Public Health
Christopher Goemans
Associate Professor
Agriculture & Resource Economics
Keith Paustian
Professor
Soil & Crop Sciences
Sybil Sharvelle
InTERFEWS Director, Associate Professor
Civil & Environmental Engineering
Project 4: Thin-Film Photobioreactor System Fuel and Fertilizer Production
Ken Reardon
Professor
Chemical & Biological Engineering
Jason Quinn
Assistant Professor
Mechanical Engineering
Jesse Burkhardt
Assistant Professor
Agriculture & Resource Economics
Project 5: Role of Irrigation Decision Support Systems in Water-Energy Conservation in Ag systems
Mark Uchanski
Assistant Professor
Horticulture & Landscape Architecture
Jennifer Bousselot
Assistant Professor
Horticulture & Landscape Architecture
Diego Pons
Assistant Professor
Anthropology & Geography
Project 6: Understanding Linkages between Energy, Air Quality, and Animal Health
Shantanu Jathar
Assistant Professor
Mechanical Engineering
Emily Fischer
Associate Professor
Atmospheric Science
Jesse Burkhardt
Assistant Professor
Agriculture & Resource Economics
Sheryl Magzamen
Assistant Professor
Environmental & Radiological Health Sciences
Colleen Duncan
Associate Professor
Microbiology, Immunology & Pathology
Ilana Pollack
Research Scientist II
Atmospheric Science
Project 7: Forest Fire Impacts on Headwater Quality in the Rocky Mountains
Thomas Borch
Professor
Soil & Crop Sciences
Charles C. Rhodes
Research Biogeochemist
USDA – Forest Service
Mike Wilkins
Assistant Professor
Soil & Crop Sciences
Travis Warziniack
Research Economist
USDA – Forest Service
Tim Covino
Assistant Professor
Ecosystem Science & Sustainability
Patricia Champ
Economist
USDA – Forest Service
Project 8: Decarbonization of Heat for the Food and Beverage Industry
Todd Bandhauer
Assistant Professor
Mechanical Engineering
Jesse Burkhardt
Assistant Professor
Agriculture & Resource Economics
Jason Quinn
Assistant Professor
Mechanical Engineering
Jennifer Cross
Professor
Sociology
Sybil Sharvelle
InTERFEWS Director, Associate Professor
Civil & Environmental Engineering
Project 9: Anaerobic Treatment of Organic Wastes for Resource Recovery
Sybil Sharvelle
InTERFEWS Director, Associate Professor
Civil & Environmental Engineering
Susan De Long
Assistant Professor
Civil & Environmental Engineering
Christopher Goemans
Associate Professor
Agriculture & Resource Economics
Jim Ippolito
Associate Professor
Soil & Crop Sciences
Thomas Bradley
Professor
Systems Engineering
Project 10: Sustainable Household Energy Adoption in Rwanda (SHEAR): Promoting Rural Health with Solar and Natural Gas
John Volckens
Professor
Mechanical Engineering
Daniel Zimmerle
Senior Research Associate, Director of METEC
Energy Institute & Methane Emissions Technology Evaluation Center
Maggie Clark
Assistant Professor
Environmental & Radiological Health Sciences
Dale Manning
Associate Professor
Agricultural & Resource Economics
Project 11: Local Oil Refinery Study
Stephanie Malin
Associate Professor
Sociology & Public Health
Ramona Beltran
Associate Professor
Graduate School of Social Work, University of Denver
Project 12: Expanding Evaluation of Decentralized Wastewater Systems to Include Solids Treatment and Nutrient Recovery
Sybil Sharvelle
InTERFEWS Director, Associate Professor
Civil & Environmental Engineering
Cissy Ma
Research Engineer
Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response,
Office of Research & Development, US EPA
Jay Garland
Associate Director for Research
Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response,
Office of Research & Development, US EPA
Thomas Bradley
Professor
Systems Engineering
Michael Jahne
Environmental Engineer
Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response,
Office of Research & Development, US EPA
Project 13: Robust Monitoring, Reporting and Verification for Soil Carbon Sequestration in Rangelands
Francesca Cotrufo
Professor
Soil & Crop Sciences
Megan Machmuller
Postdoctoral Fellow
Soil & Crop Sciences
Dale Manning
Associate Professor
Agricultural & Resource Economics
Project 14: Integrating Solar Energy into Dryland Agriculture – Innovation at the Food-Energy-Water Nexus
Alan Knapp
Professor
Biology
Jay Ham
Professor
Soil & Crop Sciences
Mark Uchanski
Assistant Professor
Horticulture & Landscape Architecture
Christopher Goemans
Associate Professor
Agriculture & Resource Economics
Meagan Schipanski
Assistant Professor
Soil & Crop Sciences
Gene Kelly
Professor
Soil & Crop Sciences
Allan Andales
Professor
Soil & Crop Sciences
Jesse Burkhardt
Assistant Professor
Agriculture & Resource Economics
Melinda Smith
Professor
Biology
Project 15: Modeling Feedbacks Between Irrigation Practices, Regional Climate, and Agricultural Productivity in Colorado and the Semi-Arid West
Peter Nelson
Associate Professor
Civil & Environmental Engineering
Dale Manning
Associate Professor
Agricultural & Resource Economics
Russ Schumacher
Associate Professor
Atmospheric Science; Colorado Climate Center
Nathan Mueller
Assistant Professor
Environmental Science & Sustainability; Soil & Crop Sciences
Project 16: Sustainable Development of Rice Bran at the Food-Energy-Water-Health Nexus
Elizabeth Ryan
Associate Professor
Environmental & Radiological Health Sciences
Molly Lamb
Assistant Professor
Epidemiology
Kimberly Cox-York
Assistant Professor
Food Science & Human Nutrition
Jan Leach
Professor
Agricultural Biology
Project 17: Improved System Level Comparison of Wastewater-Based versus Diammonium Phosphate Fertilizers
Sybil Sharvelle
InTERFEWS Director, Associate Professor
Civil & Environmental Engineering
Cissy Ma
Research Engineer
Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response,
Office of Research & Development, US EPA
Jay Garland
Associate Director for Research
Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response,
Office of Research & Development, US EPA
Thomas Bradley
Professor
Systems Engineering
Michael Jahne
Environmental Engineer
Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response,
Office of Research & Development, US EPA
Project 18: Using Active Soil Restoration to Achieve Multidimensional Management Goals Across Western US Rangelands
Caroline Havrilla
Assistant Professor
Forest & Rangeland Stewardship
Seth Munson
Research Ecologist
U.S. Geological Survey
Retta Bruegger
Rangeland Management Specialist
CSU Extension
Hannah Farrell
Postdoctoral Research Ecologist
U.S. Geological Survey
Emily Lockard
Research Associate
Agricultural & Resource Economics
Project 19: Quantifying Tradeoffs and Synergisms Between Land-Based Photovoltaic Systems and Regenerative Grazing Systems
Keith Paustian
Professor
Soil & Crop Sciences
Richard Conant
Associate Dean
Ecosystem Science & Sustainability
Dale Manning
Associate Professor
Agricultural & Resource Economics
Other InTERFEWS Faculty
Patricia Aloise-Young
Associate Professor
Psychology
Aditi Bhaskar
Assistant Professor
Civil & Environmental Engineering
José Chávez
Associate Professor
Civil & Environmental Engineering
Steven Fonte
Assistant Professor
Soil & Crop Sciences
Peter Harris
Assistant Professor
Political Science
Becca Jablonski
Assistant Professor & Food Systems Extension Economist
Agricultural & Resource Economics
Yoichiro Kanno
Assistant Professor
Fish, Wildlife, & Conservation Biology
Jamie Neilson
Associate Professor
Chemistry
Kathleen Russell
Research Scientist
Southwestern Colorado Research Center
Scott Shrake
Director
Institute for Entrepreneurship
Pankaj Trivedi
Assistant Professor
Agricultural Biology
Ryan Bailey
Associate Professor
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Tami Bond
Professor
Mechanical Engineering
Jasmine Dillon
Assistant Professor
Animal Sciences
Neil Grigg
Professor
Civil & Environmental Engineering
Heidi Hausermann
Assistant Professor
Anthropology & Geography
Andrew Jones
Senior Research Scientist/Scholar
Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere
Daniel Mooney
Assistant Professor
Agricultural & Resource Economics
Jeffrey Niemann
Professor
Civil & Environmental Engineering
John Sanderson
Director
Center for Collaborative Conservation
Jordan Suter
Associate Professor
Agricultural & Resource Economics
Karan Venayagamoorthy
Professor
Civil & Environmental Engineering
Michele Betsill
Professor
Political Science
Michael Carolan
Professor
Sociology
Ryan Fitzpatrick
Aquatic Research Scientist
Colorado Parks & Wildlife
Timothy Green
Research Agricultural Engineer
USDA Agricultural Research Service
Dana Hoag
Professor
Agricultural & Resource Economics
Stephanie Kampf
Associate Professor
Ecosystem Science and Sustainability
Maria Muñoz-Amatriain
Assistant Professor
Soil & Crop Sciences
Mike Quartuch
Human Dimensions Specialist/Researcher
Colorado Parks & Wildlife
Jon Salerno
Assistant Professor
Human Dimensions of Natural Resources
Tiezheng Tong
Associate Professor
Civil & Environmental Engineering
Have an Idea?
CSU Faculty interested in mentoring InTERFEWS trainees can propose research topics using the link below.