Faculty & Staff Directory

Dr. Jeremy James

(Department Head)

Phone: (805) 756-2161
Office: 180-209
Email: jjames20@calpoly.edu

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Office Hours Listings

Dr. James' Areas of Focus

Restoration Ecology · Climate Change · Invasive Plant Ecology

Dr. Aakash Ahamed

Phone: (805) 756-0919
Office: 10-239
Email: aaahamed@calpoly.edu

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Office Hours Listings

Undergraduate Student Research Inquiries

Yes, I am currently hiring undergraduate student researchers with a focus in hydrology and biomass GIS work.

Please reach out to me (aaahamed@calpoly.edu) with a short summary of your research interests and a copy of your resume.

Graduate Student Inquiries

"I am recruiting one graduate student to work on understanding the effects of process-based hydrologic restoration practices using remote sensing and hydrological modeling techniques. Prospective students, please reach out to me (aaahamed@calpoly.edu) with a short summary of your research interests, reason for your interest in pursuing an MS, and a copy of your resume or CV."

Dr. Ahamed's Areas of Focus

Remote Sensing - Hydrogeophysics - Agroforestry

Dr. Chip Appel

Phone: (805) 756-1691
Office: 180-515
Email: cappel@calpoly.edu

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Office Hours Listings

Undergraduate Student Research Inquiries

I am not currently hiring undergraduate student researchers.

Dr. Appel's Areas of Focus

Soil and Water Chemistry · Tropical Soils

Dr. Nicholas Babin

Phone: (805) 756-2373
Office: 181-317
Email: nbabin@calpoly.edu

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Office Hours Listings

Dr. Babin's Areas of Focus

Agroecology · Sustainable Food Systems · Natural Resources Policy and Planning · Watershed Management · Political Economy

Dr. Yu Cao

Phone: (805) 756-1854
Office: 180-505
Email: ycao12@calpoly.edu

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Office Hours Listings

Dr. Cao's Areas of Focus

Environmental Policy · Energy Justice and Security · Corporate Social Responsibility · Arctic Policy

Dr. Yiwen Chiu

Phone: (805) 756-2972
Office: 180-504
Email: yichiu@calpoly.edu

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Office Hours Listings

Undergraduate Student Research Inquiries

Yes, I am currently hiring undergraduate student researchers with a focus in life cycle analysis.

Please reach out to me (yichiu@calpoly.edu) with a short summary of your research interests and a copy of your resume.

Graduate Student Inquiries

"I will be recruiting one MS student researcher with a focus in sustainability and environmental impact footprint. Prospective students, please reach out to me (yichiu@calpoly.edu) with a short summary of your research interests, reason for your interest in pursuing an MS, and a copy of your resume or CV."

Dr. Chiu's Areas of Focus

Environmental Management · Application of GIS · Life Cycle Analysis · Quantitative Simulation

Dr. Richard Cobb

Phone: (805) 756-6333
Office: 10-238
Email: rccobb@calpoly.edu

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Office Hours Listings

Undergraduate Student Research Inquiries

Yes, I am currently hiring undergraduate student researchers for the summer/field season.

Please reach out to me (rccobb@calpoly.edu) with a short summary of your research interests and a copy of your resume.

Dr. Cobb's Areas of Focus

Forest Pathology · Forest Entomology · Ecosystem Ecology · Epidemiology

Dr. Charlotte Decock

Phone: (805) 756-6360
Office: 180-415
Email: cdecock@calpoly.edu

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Office Hours Listings

Undergraduate Student Research Inquiries

I may be hiring undergraduate student researchers.

Please reach out to me (cdecock@calpoly.edu) with a short summary of your research interests and a copy of your resume.

Dr. Decock's Areas of Focus

Soil Health and Fertility Assessment · Soil Conservation · Fertilizer Management · Sustainable Agriculture

Austin Joseph Ferguson - Academic Advisor

Phone: (805) 756-7574
Office: 74M-A
Email: cafesadvising@calpoly.edu

Office Hours Listings

Currently Supporting:

Environmental Earth and Soil Sciences

Environmental Management & Protection

Forestry and Fire Sciences

Dr. Samantha Gill

Phone: (805) 756-6205
Office: 180-507
Email: sgill@calpoly.edu

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Office Hours Listings

Undergraduate Student Research Inquiries

I am not currently hiring undergraduate student researchers.

Dr. Gill's Areas of Focus

Forest Biometrics · Forest Mensuration · Geographic Information Systems

Ms. Rebecca Graham - Lecturer

Phone: (805) 756-2898
Office: 10-254
Email: rfgraham@calpoly.edu

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Office Hours Listings

Ms. Graham's Areas of Focus

Soil Science – Lab Safety – Sustainable Agriculture

Dr. Ashley Grupenhoff

Phone: (805) 756-0747
Office: 181-314
Email: agrupenh@calpoly.edu

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Office Hours Listings

Undergraduate Student Research Inquiries

I am not currently hiring undergraduate student researchers.

Dr. Grupenhoff's Areas of Focus

Fire Ecology · Prescribed Fire · Fuel treatment impacts and effectiveness · Understory plant response to fire to fir

Dr. Lilli Kaarakka

Phone: (805) 756-6378
Office: 181-254
Email: lkaarakk@calpoly.edu

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Office Hours Listings

Undergraduate Student Research Inquiries

Yes, I am currently hiring undergraduate student researchers.

Please reach out to me (lkaarakk@calpoly.edu) with a short summary of your research interests and a copy of your resume.

Graduate Student Inquiries

"I am looking for 1-2 MS students working on (thesis) topics focused on the nexus of forest modeling (FVS), forest management (silviculture) and forest policy to start spring 26 and/or fall 26. Please check lab’s website (lillikaarakka.com) for some of the topics we are working on. If you have experience with modeling and understand basics of silviculture, please reach out to me via email (lkaarakk@calpoly.edu) with your CV and short statement about your fit attached."

Dr. Kaarakka's Areas of Focus

Forest Carbon Management · Forest Soils · Silviculture

Dr. Bwalya Malama

(Soil Science Graduate Coordinator)

Phone: (805) 756-2971
Office: 180-516
Email: bmalama@calpoly.edu

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Office Hours Listings

Undergraduate Student Research Inquiries

Yes, I am currently hiring undergraduate student researchers with a focus in hydrology / streamflow.

Please reach out to me (bmalama@calpoly.edu) with a short summary of your research interests and a copy of your resume.

Graduate Student Inquiries

"I will be recruiting up to two MS student researchers with a focus in Groundwater Hydrology (modeling stream-aquifer interactions; solute transport; groundwater recharge). Prospective students, please reach out to me (bmalama@calpoly.edu) with a short summary of your research interests, reason for your interest in pursuing an MS, and a copy of your resume or CV."

Dr. Malama's Areas of Focus

Soil Biophysics · Groundwater Hydrogeology · Hydrogeophysics · Contaminant Transport

Cortney Newby

Administrative Support Coordinator

Phone: (805) 756-6392
Office: 180-209
Email: cfnewby@calpoly.edu

Jamie O'Kane

Instructional Support Technician

Phone: (805) 756-1541
Office: 11-301
Email: jlokane@calpoly.edu

Dr. Yamina Pressler

Phone: (805) 756-6338
Office: 181-313
Email: ypressle@calpoly.edu

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Office Hours Listings

Undergraduate Student Research Inquiries

Yes, I am currently hiring undergraduate student researchers.

Please reach out to me (ypressle@calpoly.edu) with a short summary of your research interests and a copy of your resume.

Dr. Pressler's Areas of Focus

Soil Ecology · Soil Food Webs · Pedology · Coastal Grasslands · Ecological Restoration

Dr. Gordon Rees

(Coordinator for EESS Major)

Phone: (805) 756-6346
Office: 180-517
Email: grees@calpoly.edu

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Office Hours Listings

Undergraduate Student Research Inquiries

I may be hiring undergraduate student researchers.

Please reach out to me (grees@calpoly.edu) with a short summary of your research interests and a copy of your resume.

Dr. Rees' Areas of Focus

Pedology · Soil Mineralogy · Forest and Range Soils

Dr. Seeta Sistla

(Graduate Programs Coordinator)

Phone: (805) 756-6306
Office: 180-514
Email: ssistla@calpoly.edu

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Office Hours Listings

Undergraduate Student Research Inquiries

I may be hiring undergraduate student researchers.

Please reach out to me (ssistla@calpoly.edu) with a short summary of your research interests and a copy of your resume.

Dr. Sistla's Areas of Focus

Soil and Ecosystem Ecology · Terrestrial Carbon and Nutrient Cycling · Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling in Soils · Global Environmental Change

Craig Stubler

Instructional Support Technician

Phone: (805) 756-2188
Office: 180-252A
Email: cstubler@calpoly.edu

Dr. Chris Surfleet

(Coordinator for FFS Major)

Phone: (805) 756-2743
Office: 180-518
Email: csurflee@calpoly.edu

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Office Hours Listings

Undergraduate Student Research Inquiries

Yes, I am currently hiring undergraduate student researchers in fall with a focus in beaver mapping.

Please reach out to me (csurflee@calpoly.edu) with a short summary of your research interests and a copy of your resume.

Dr. Surfleet's Areas of Focus

Hydrologic Change due to Land Management · Water Quality · Watershed Assessment and Monitoring · Hydrologic modeling · Hydrologic Effects due to Climate Change

Dr. Anastasia Telesetsky

Currently on Sabbatical

Phone: (805) 756-6334
Office: 181-311
Email: ateleset@calpoly.edu

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Office Hours Listings

Dr. Telesetsky's Areas of Focus

Environmental Law · International Environmental Law · Ocean Governance · Fisheries Law · Ecological Restoration · Climate Change Law · International Disaster Law