Kelly Sanks
Tell us about yourself:
My name is Kelly Sanks and I am a postdoctoral research fellow at Tulane University. I grew up in a suburb of Chicago and attended Illinois State University for my undergraduate degree. I had many interests during my time there: I was on the women’s swimming and diving team, I was a tutor for student-athletes, and I discovered my love of experiencing the outdoors through hiking. A natural curiosity and interest in the outdoors led me to pursue an education and career in earth science. In my pursuit to study and understand coastal landscape evolution, I earned my B.S. in Geology in 2016. I graduated with my PhD in Geoscience from the University of Arkansas in December 2021 where I studied “The morphodynamic interaction of river deltas and their marshes.”
What is your research about?
I study the interaction of river deltas and their wetland platforms using both field data and physical delta experiments. I am interested in how marshes, past and present, shape deltaic environments and how the information stored within deltaic marsh stratigraphy can help us better inform management of the world’s coastal deltas. Relatedly, I study the variation in carbon accumulation rates across different deltaic coastal environments (e.g., marsh, bay, channel).
What excites you about your research?
I love the field work! Spending time in river deltas and coastal marshes is refreshing and always motivates me to keep pursuing my ideas, which will hopefully help protect these amazing ecosystems.
What broader importance does your research have for society?
My research is motivated by climate change and has the potential to inform management practices of coastal ecosystems. Coastal ecosystems are some of the most interesting and dynamic landscapes on the earth’s surface and many people live on and depend on these landscapes for their livelihoods. These ecosystems also provide many benefits to society, such as storm surge protection and carbon sequestration. However, they are threatened by a variety of anthropogenic impacts (e.g., river dams and levees, rising sea levels, and fluid withdrawal). Understanding the evolution and interaction of river deltas and their wetlands can help inform management and restoration efforts that will directly benefit society. Further, understanding carbon sequestration in different coastal environments may help to offset costs of future restoration and protection plans with carbon credits.
What inspired you to pursue a career in Earth Science?
I have always been captivated by nature’s curiosities as a young kid that loved spending time outside. My interest in earth science piqued when I grew to understand the detrimental impacts humans can have on the environment. While I knew I wanted to help protect the environment, I wasn’t always sure how that would manifest as a career. After participating in an introductory geology class and reaching out to department staff for mentorship, I quickly realized that I wanted to study earth science. My undergraduate professors employed my academic curiosity to undertake multiple research projects (encompassing everything from paleontology to hydrogeology) and it was through these opportunities that I realized being a research scientist could be a fulfilling career. After completing my first undergraduate research project, I decided to pursue a PhD in geology.
What are you looking to do after you complete your PhD or postdoc?
After my postdoc, I hope to have a career as a research scientist either at a government agency or an academic institution where I can funnel my passion for coastal sustainability into research. My long-term goal is to build a collaborative and inclusive research group that studies coastal environments and provides the fundamental science that helps protect and restore these valuable ecosystems.
Given unlimited funding and access to resources, what is your dream project that you would pursue?
That would be a dream! If I had unlimited funding and access to resources, I would pursue more localized community science projects. Often, funding for science supports large scale, innovative projects, but does little to help the communities directly impacted by environmental degradation. Typically, this leads to mistrust between communities and scientists, and it is often time consuming to create meaningful and trusting relationships with the communities we work in. Having the resources (time and money) to pursue community science projects would be amazing!
What else do you do? Any hobbies or interests outside of work?
Outside of work, I love to hang out with my dog and take her hiking. Some other hobbies I have include, Olympic weightlifting, CrossFit, and ultimate frisbee. I also enjoy reading in my free time!