2021 Fellowships
The Institute promotes the education and training of water resources research professionals through its fellowship program. Profiles of each graduate fellow, and summaries of her or his thesis research project, and publications from this project are accessed through the links below. Visitors are invited to contact the student, research advisor, or the Institute Director for further information on the projects.
The North Dakota Water Resources Research Institute has announced its Graduate Research Fellowship recipients for 2021-2022. The fellowships, ranging from $1,000 to $14,614, were awarded to 12 doctoral and two master’s degree students.
The students will conduct water resources research at NDSU and the University of North Dakota. Fellows, their academic programs, university, faculty advisers and research projects are:
Ali Alinezhad
Remediation of PFAS-contaminated Soils to Protect Groundwater
Program: Civil Engineering, University North Dakota
Advisor: Feng 'Frank' Xiao
Berkay Koyuncu
Dynamics of flows under ice-coverage in the Red River
Program: Environmental and Conservation Sciences/Civil and Environmental Engineering, North Dakota State University
Advisor: Trung Bao Le
Christine Cornish
Does wetland restoration affect the accumulation of glyphosate?
Program: Environmental and Conservation Sciences/Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University
Advisor: Jon Sweetman
David Khani
A novel numerical model for transient mixed flow analysis in sewer pipes
Program: Civil Engineering, University of North Dakota
Advoisor: Yeo Howe Lim
Franklin Odili
Impact of groundwater tables on the water use, yield, root growth distribution and quality of spring wheat (Triticum aestivum)
Program: Environmental and Conservation Sciences/Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
Advisor: Halis Simsek
James Sullivan
Use of LIDAR and synthetic bathymetry to develop stream cross sections for alternative modeling of streamflow in North Dakota using HEC-RAS: A case study on the Tongue River
Program: Civil Engineering, University of North Dakota
Advisor: Yeo Howe Lim
Justin Waraniak
Assessment of agricultural impact on biotic components of North Dakota wetland resources using habitat suitability landscape genomics of amphibians
Program: Environmental and Conservation Sciences/Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University
Advisor: Craig Stockwell
Kui Hu
Understanding the impacts of hydrology on seasonal and spatial water chemistry changes in two adjacent prairie potholes in North Dakota using stable isotopes
Program: Environmental and Conservation Sciences/Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University
Advisor: Jon Sweetman
Mansurat Golden Abdulmalik Ali
Fate and transport of microplastics in the natural environment
Program: Civil Engineering, University of North Dakota
Advisor: Feng ‘Frank’ Xiao
Mohammad Hadi Bazrkar
Drought identification, categorization, and prediction in cold climate regions
Program: Civil and Environmental Engineering, North Dakota State University
Advisor: Xuefeng Chu
Pavankumar Challa Sasi
Thermal stability of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and the impact on the aquatic environment
Program: Civil Engineering, University of North Dakota
Advisor: Feng ‘Frank’ Xiao
Shashi Bhushan
Fabrication of a tailor-made surface for microalgal biofilm mediated nutrient removal from municipal wastewater
Program: Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, North Dakota State University
Advisor: Halis Simsek
Uday Bhanu Prakash Vaddevolu
Simulation of soil water dynamics for drip-mulch fields using Hydrus-2D
Program: Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, North Dakota State University
Advisor: Xinhua Jia
Vida Atashi
Hydraulic and hydrologic routing parameters in natural channels in North Dakota under snowmelt-induced flooding conditions
Program: Civil Engineering, University of North Dakota
Advisor: Yeo Howe Lim