My research combines hydrologic modeling and remote sensing to quantify the hydrologic impacts of beaver restoration, including flow regime and groundwater storage changes, in California's Sierra Nevada. More broadly, I develop quantitative methods to better understand and predict water resource dynamics under anthropogenic, natural, and climate-driven influences. Before coming to Berkeley, I earned a bachelor's degree in Environmental Science and Spanish from Skidmore College, and conducted water resources research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the U.S. Geological Survey. I am co-advised by Dr. Manuela Girotto and Dr. Albert Ruhi.
Admittance Semester/Year & Program:
Fall 2023, Ph.D in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management
Past Education:
BA, Environmental Science, Skidmore College, 2023
BA, Spanish, Skidmore College, 2023
Research Labs:
Girotto Lab & Ruhi Lab
Research Areas:
Hydrology, climate change, nature-based solutions, water resources, hydrologic modeling, remote sensing
Selected Publications:
Pilla, R. M., Faehndrich, C. S., Fortner, A. M., Jett, R. T., Jones, M. W., Jones, N. J., ... & Griffiths, N. A. (2024). Shifts in carbon emissions versus sequestration from hydropower reservoirs in the southeastern United States. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 129(7), e2023JG007580.
Jensen, K. H., Faehndrich, C. S., Colzani, E., McClure, M. L., & Covey, K. (2024). Rapid soil harvesting using a novel soil auger system for farm‐scale soil carbon estimates. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 88(1), 192-202.
Wang, N., Mark, N., Launer, N., Hirtler, A., Weston, C., Cleckner, L., ... & Richardson, R. E. (2024). Harmful algal blooms in Cayuga lake, NY: From microbiome analysis to eDNA monitoring. Journal of Environmental Management, 354, 120128.
Selected Presentations:
Faehndrich, C.S., Ruhi, A., Casirati, S., Moravek, J., Stella, J., Girotto, M.
“Beaver Restoration as a Nature-Based Solution for Sustaining Sierra Nevada Streamflows During Drought” (Oct. 2025). Oral presentation at the 7th International Symposium on River Science in the Special Session “Nature Based Solutions in River Restoration”.
Faehndrich, C.S., Sim, L., Avouris, D., Kudela, R., Senn, D., Bouma-Gregson, K., Bergamaschi B. “Merging satellite and field-based chlorophyll and phytoplankton data for improved harmful algal bloom monitoring in the Delta” (Oct. 2024). Oral presentation at the Bay-Delta Science Conference in the session “Harmful Algal Blooms and Invasive Species”.
Selected Honors and Awards:
Colman Watershed Fellowship (2025)
Phi Beta Kappa (2023)
Sigma Delta Pi (2023)
Porter Wachenheim Presidential Scholar in Science and Mathematics (2019-2023)