Ryan Morrison, Associate Professor, Colorado State University

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.

Current Research Group

  • Cat McClure (Postdoc)

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

  • Ashar Ali (PhD student)

    Research Topic: TBD

  • Nicholas Christensen (PhD student)

    Research Topic: Role of River Network Configuration and Floodplain Restoration on Flood Attenuation

  • Elise Cordle (MS student)

    Research Topic: TBD

  • Steven Griffin (PhD student)

    Research Topic: Post-Wildfire Morphological Responses of Headwater Streams

  • Aleah Hahn (PhD student; co-advised with Dr. Ellen Wohl)

    Research Topic: Modeling Large Wood in River Restoration

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

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

  • Weimin Li (PhD student)

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

  • Mariah Papac (MS student)

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

  • Rachel Spurrier (Research Assistant)

    Coordinates science communication and research products across multiple projects.

  • Madelena Fetter (Undergrad student)

    Assists with field and lab research.

Research Group Alums

  • A man wearing a baseball cap and a CSU sweatshirt standing in front of a mountain valley

    Brady Jones (MS)

    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 Potent (MS student; 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 student; 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)

  • 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