A woman wearing a baseball cap kneels next to a riverbank full of rocks. She is holding a red clipboard.

The Morrison Riverscapes Lab is collaborative and hands-on group.

We investigate the dynamics of river processes to better understand how rivers change over time. Our work centers on interactions between flow, sediment transport, channel form, and ecosystems to assess how these processes shape river networks and surrounding communities. Using field-based research and integrative analysis, we generate insights that guide river restoration and environmental stewardship. We are committed to collaborative science that advances knowledge while addressing real-world challenges facing rivers and their ecosystems.

Ryan R. Morrison, PhD

I am an Associate Professor and water resources engineer at Colorado State University in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. My research interests include hydrodynamic interactions in river-floodplain systems, large-scale human impacts to river corridors, fluvial responses to wildfire and flood disturbances, and responses of headwater streams to process-based restoration.

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Meet the team

  • A photograph of a smiling woman with a river and cliff bluffs in the background. She is wearing sunglasses, a baseball cap, and a hooded sun shirt

    Cat McClure (Postdoc)

    Biogeomorphic Impacts of Future Hydroclimatic Variability in the Yampa and Green River Basins.

    I am a postdoctoral researcher working alongside the U.S. Geological Survey and National Park Service to better understand interactions between water, sediment, and vegetation on the Green and Yampa Rivers in Colorado and Utah. In my free time I enjoy trail and ultra running, backcountry skiing, biking, and birding. 

  • A man wearing glasses stands in front of a grassy landscape and scrub hills.

    Ashar Ali (PhD student)

    Research Topic: TBD

  • A photograph of a man by a narrow stream running through red rocks. He is wearing a hiking backpack.

    Nicholas Christensen (PhD student)

    Role of River Network Configuration and Floodplain Restoration on Flood Attenuation

    I am passionate about experiencing and understanding the natural world in both my professional and personal life. I enjoy challenging myself and connecting with the bio-geo-hydrological systems. I am happiest on the side of a cliff listening to the birds or a river rushing below. My favorite bird is the White Throated Swift, and my favorite river is the mighty Merced. 

  • A woman stands in front a mountain body of water. She is wearing a sweatshirt and beanie.

    Elise Cordle (MS student)

    Linking Habitat Diversity and Brook Trout Habitat Preference Following Low-Tech Process-Based River Restoration

    I am a Masters student in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department. In my free time I enjoy hiking, painting, and camping. My favorite river is the McKenzie River in Oregon, and my favorite wildflower is an Alpine Forget-me-not.

  • Steven Griffin (PhD student)

    Post-wildfire hydrologic responses and improvements to post-burn downslope transportation infrastructure design

  • Aleah Hahn (PhD student)

    Modeling Large Wood in River Restoration

    I am a PhD candidate, yogi, cyclist, diver, whitewater adventurist, and baker. I love seeing Western Tanagers and Mountain Bluebirds along the Poudre River when navigating rapids. 

  • Rafin Hasan (PhD student; co-advised with Dr. Antonio Alves Meira Neto)

    Investigation of Groundwater Connectivity in Headwater Streams Driven by Subsurface Heterogeneity and Stream Restoration

  • Weimin Li (PhD student)

    Numerical Simulations to Study Rio Grande Silvery Minnow Suitable Habitat in the Middle Rio Grande River in New Mexico

  • Mariah Papac (MS student)

    The Effects of Process Based Restoration on Soil Organic Carbon Storage in Floodplains

    I am a master’s student in the CEE department.  In my free time, I love to spend time outside, whether it be running, mtn biking, skiing, or lizard-ing next to a river. I also enjoy reading and baking with my cat! My favorite rivers are Little Cottonwood Creek (UT) and the Laramie River (CO).

  • Rachel Spurrier (Research associate)

    Science communication & research coordination

    I support the research group’s special projects, outreach, and processes. A writer by training and a data practitioner through experience, I’m at my happiest when writing about science or digging into a dataset. My favorite river and flower are both from my home state, Kansas: the Verdigris River and the common sunflower.

Research group alumni

  • Brady Jones (MS, graduated 2025)

    Research Topic: Influence of Channel and Floodplain Post-Fire Treatments on Sediment and Flow Processes

  • Kayla Schultz (MS, graduated 2025)

    Research Topic: Loss of Beaver Dams Decreases Floodplain Connectivity in Colorado Headwater Streams

  • James Molloy (MS, graduated 2025; co-advised with Dr. Ryan Bailey)

    Research Topic: Linking Floodplain Processes to Hydrologic Modeling with SWAT+ gwflow in the Lower Arkansas River Basin

  • Bijoux Schoner (MS, graduated 2025)

    Research Topic: Monitoring Large Wood in Urban River Restoration

  • Danny White (PhD, graduated 2023)

    Research Topic: Experimental Flume and Numerical Studies Into the Influence of Floodplain Vegetation on River-Corridor Hydrodynamic Processes

  • Jack Derbique (MS, graduated 2023)

    Research Topic: Calibrating 2D Hydraulic Models Using End-Members of Watershed Response to Wildfire

  • Will Creed (MS, graduated 2023)

    Research Topic: Error Propagation of Effective Discharge Calculations in Analytical Designs for River Restorations

  • Matthew Lurtz (PhD, graduated 2023)

    Research Topic: Response of Riparian Vegetation to Agricultural Practices in an Arid Climate

  • Dixie Poteet (MS, graduated 2023; co-advised with Dr. Aditi Bhaskar)

    Research Topic: Impacts of Urban Development on Stream Hydrology and Morphology in a Semi-Arid Environment

  • Evan Schulz (MS, graduated 2023)

    Research Topic: Evaluating Surface Water-Groundwater Interactions in Floodplains using SWAT+ and gwflow

  • Richard Knox (PhD, graduated 2022; co-advised with Dr. Ellen Wohl)

    Research Topic: The Geography of Artificial Levees in the United States

  • Kira Simonson (MS, graduated 2022)

    Research Topic: Quantifying Floodplain Health in the Contiguous United States using an Index of Integrity

  • Chenchen Ma (MS, graduated 2022)

    Research Topic: Decreasing Stream Habitat for Greenback Cutthroat Trout Under Future Climate Projections in Headwater Streams of Colorado

  • Heechan Han (PhD, graduated 2021)

    Research Topic: Improving Hydrologic Modeling of Runoff Processes Using Data-Driven Models

  • Nick Brouillard (MS, graduated 2021)

    Research Topic: Hydrodynamics of Meandering Compound Channels with Varied Emergent Floodplain Vegetation Densities

  • Naveen Kumar (MS, graduated 2021; co-advised with Dr. Timothy Gates)

    Research Topic: Modeling Reach-Scale Groundwater-Stream Exchange Along the Riparian Corridor

  • Ben Tyner (MEng, graduated 2021)

    Description goes here

  • Elaina Passero (MS, graduated 2020)

    Research Topic: Development of a Decision Support System for Concurrently Evaluating Changes in Instream and Floodplain Habitats Caused by Flow Modifications

  • Marissa Karpack (MS, graduated 2019)

    Research Topic: Quantitative Assessment of Floodplain Functionality in Colorado Using an Index of Integrity

  • Kara Scheel (MS, graduated 2018)

    Research Topic: Toward Understanding Changes in Large-Scale Floodplain Connectivity Caused by Levees

Meet our collaborators

Our lab in action

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