Zoi Dokou, Ph.D.

Sacramento State University

Dr. Zoi Dokou is Assistant Professor at the Civil Engineering Department, California State University, Sacramento. Dr. Dokou received her B.Eng. in Environmental Engineering from the Technical University of Crete, Greece and her Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Vermont, USA.

In her research Dr. Dokou combines field measurements, laboratory experiments and numerical modeling to understand and predict the behavior of groundwater, focusing on both water quantity and quality. For this IRES project, she will focus on groundwater and soil monitoring and scenario-based modeling of the impact of climate dynamics and groundwater pumping on aquifer recovery.

Elizabeth Lynch, Ph.D.

Eastern New Mexico University

Elizabeth Lynch is an Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Applied Archaeology at Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, NM. She is a Fulbright Scholar 2023-2024 who is working in The Bahamas on forest recovery and community engaged science. She earned her PhD at the University of Wyoming and her MA in Biological Anthropology at New Mexico State University. She has an MBA from the University of Dallas and a BA in French Language from the University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Lynch is an anthropologically trained archaeologist who specializes in the 3D visualization of ground stone tool data sets so that we can refine our understanding of past human experiences. Dr. Lynch’s passions include inspiring students to engage with anthropology through her research on the North American Plains, 3D visualization, and by making scientific discovery accessible to the broad audiences. For this IRES project, she will focus on expanding perceptions of the meaning of “water” and modeling natural resource power dynamics through stakeholder analysis.

Kristen Welsh Unwala, Ph.D.

Oberlin College

Dr. Kristen Welsh Unwala is an Affiliate Scholar in the Geosciences Department of Oberlin College. Dr. Welsh earned a BA in Environmental Studies and Spanish from Tufts University, an MESc in Environmental Science with a focus on Water Resources from Yale University, and a PhD in Hydrology and Water Resource Management from the University of Idaho.

She has conducted research in The Bahamas, Latin America, and the US. She previously worked at the University of The Bahamas and conducted research on the recovery of the freshwater lens in Grand Bahama after Hurricane Dorian before becoming a Visiting Assistant Professor at Oberlin College. Dr. Welsh's research interests include studying the effects of climate change and extreme weather on freshwater resources in vulnerable coastal and island communities, utilizing stable isotope techniques. For this IRES project, she will focus on aquifer recharge and recovery using stable isotopes and groundwater and soil monitoring.

Efthymios Nikolopoulos, Ph.D.

Rutgers University

Dr. Efthymios Nikolopoulos is Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rutgers University. He received his Environmental Engineering Diploma (2002) from the Technical University of Crete, Greece, his M.Sc. degree in Environmental Engineering (2004) from the University of Iowa, and his Ph.D. degree in Environmental Engineering (2010) from the University of Connecticut, U.S.

His expertise is in hydrometeorology and hydrology with focus on the modeling and monitoring of hydrological extremes such as floods and droughts. For this IRES project, he will focus on field experiments on infiltration capacity and analysis of soil moisture dynamics.