Shelby Ahrendt
Join us for a coffee hour with Shelby on June 26th, 2025, 12pm CST. Register at: https://forms.gle/FkUB9v4BLhP9Vkmz6
Tell us about yourself:
Hello, I’m Shelby! I am a Mendenhall postdoctoral fellow at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Geologic Hazards Science Center in Golden, CO where I think about rivers and landslides. Prior to joining the USGS, I completed my PhD in Civil & Environmental Engineering within the University of Washington Environmental Fluid Mechanics group and graduated from St. Olaf College with dual degrees in Physics and Studio Art. My curiosities about earth science and fluid mechanics were initially sparked while growing up at a canoe outfitter on the edge of Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. (The coolest backyard playground a kid could ever hope to wonder about!)
What is your research about?
I am broadly curious about the interface between fluid mechanics and geomorphic hazards. Currently, I investigate river-landslide feedbacks to understand how rivers can affect landsliding and how landslides can lead to cascading downstream hazards. My doctoral research examined feedbacks between river morphodynamics and overbank flooding with a focus on rivers in western Washington State. I have recently also been intrigued by granular fluids—flows carrying lots of particles which that can behave like solids and fluids (and even gases!)—in particular, how flow dynamics can change with sediment concentration and particle size.
What excites you about your research?
I find it most exciting when my research illuminates underlying process-based physics relevant for understanding what drives hydrogeomorphic hazards. For example, explaining how overbank flooding can exacerbate sedimentation at a major river avulsion node. Or illuminating how feedbacks between river meandering and landsliding can condition up- and downstream areas for slope instability.
I am also excited by the breadth of puzzles presented by each research project—from navigating how to raft monitoring equipment down a river to a new field site, to developing software to characterize channel geometry. I love that science can take unexpected turns and that every step feels like a scavenger hunt, gathering bits of evidence from seemingly disparate corners of our disciplines to piece together a scientific story. It’s a thrilling journey!
What broader importance does your research have for society?
Distilling how earth surface processes are interacting to affect environmental hazards can help inform management practices. For example, providing information on the magnitude of river erosion and deposition during floods or discovering patterns in river-adjacent landslide location can equip decision-makers with the information to prepare for and address geohazards such as landslides, flooding, and river avulsions. The broader importance of my research is thus aimed towards mitigating geomorphic hazards and enhancing community safety.
What inspired you to pursue a career in Earth Science?
I majored in Physics and Studio Art as in undergrad, initially intent on becoming an architect. During my junior year, I went to Denmark to study architecture and spontaneously also enrolled in an elective glaciology course. I found that I had so much more fun thinking about ice physics than sleeping under my architecture studio desk in the 48-hour mayhem leading up to “critique day”. This prompted a full pivot to Earth Science and Civil Engineering, which felt like coming home. I was also lucky to have spent so much time galivanting in the woods of northern Minnesota as a kid-- my childhood questions about water and rocks are the foundation of those I get to explore in my research today.
What are you looking to do after you complete your PhD or postdoc?
I am passionate about synthesizing my scientific and creative backgrounds to conduct compelling Earth Science research and communicate results visually through illustrations and figures. I hope to continue this work wherever I go!
Given unlimited funding and access to resources, what is your dream project that you would pursue?
I would love to figure out a method for experimentally measuring internal velocities in saturated granular flows that does not result in complete destruction of the involved instruments. I would be excited to use these measurements to understanding internal energy transfer and frictional losses in debris flows of different sediment concentrations and grain sizes.
What else do you do? Any hobbies or interests outside of work?
When I’m not in the office you might find me:
- Collecting bruises while falling off my bike on chunky Colorado trails
- Watercolor painting at various Front Range overlooks
- Skiing—both up and down hills
- Playing pickleball, ping-pong, or piano
- Scrambling in the alpine
Find out more about Shelby's work on her website: www.shelbyahrendt.com
Email: sahrendt@usgs.gov