CV

Education

• Ph.D. in Biological Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech, 2025
  • Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Program in Remote Sensing at Virginia Tech
  • Dissertation Title: “Remote sensing for geomorphic and hydrodynamic modeling and process understanding”
  • Advisors: W. Cully Hession (BSE, primary advisor), Valerie A. Thomas (FREC, co-advisor)
• Remote Sensing Certificate, Virginia Tech Graduate Certificate Program, 2022
• Geospatial Information Technology Certificate, Virginia Tech Graduate Certificate Program, 2021
• B.S. in Civil Engineering, Auburn University, 2019
  • Focus in Water Resources
  • Undergraduate Research Advisor: Frances O’Donnell
  • Honors: Summa cum laude

Work Experience

• 05/2026 - present: Postdoctoral associate
  • Virginia Tech, Civil & Environmental Engineering
• 2019 - 2025: Graduate Research Assistant
  • Virginia Tech, Biological Systems Engineering
• 2019 - 2025: Ph.D. Research Fellow
  • Virginia Tech, Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Program in Remote Sensing
• 2020 - 2025: NSF GRFP Fellow
  • Virginia Tech, Biological Systems Engineering
• 2025: Ph.D. Research Intern
  • NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Earth Science, Water & Ecosystems Group
  • Maximizing Student Potential in STEM Program
  • Funded by NSF INTERN Program
• 2021: Ph.D. Research Intern
  • Los Alamos National Laboratory, Earth and Environmental Sciences Division
  • DOE SULI Program
• 2019: Undergraduate Research Fellow
  • Auburn University, Office of Undergraduate Research
• 2018: Undergraduate Research Intern
  • Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Environmental Science Division, Aquatic Ecology Group
  • DOE SULI Program
• 2018: Undergraduate Teaching Assistant for Civil Engineering Hydraulics
  • Auburn University, Civil & Environmental Engineering
• 2018: NSF REU Researcher
  • Texas A&M University
  • Program title: Ecohydrology of Tropical Montane Forests – Diversity in Science, Interdisciplinary Breadth, and Global Awareness
• 2017: Undergraduate Research Assistant
  • Auburn University, Civil & Environmental Engineering
• 2017: Engineer Intern
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Carson South Resident Office, Colorado Springs, CO
• 2016: Undergraduate Research Assistant
  • Auburn University, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Stormwater Research Facility
• 2016: Undergraduate Assistant
  • Auburn University, Academic Initiatives
• 2015: Student Laboratory Assistant
  • USDA ARS National Soil Dynamics Laboratory, Auburn, AL

Funding & Awards

Over $320,000 successfully funded grants, awards, and scholarships (internal, state, federal, and NGO) for my research and professional development

• Outstanding PhD Student, Virginia Tech Biological Systems Engineering Department – awarded 2023
• National Science Foundation (NSF) Non-Academic Research Internships for Graduate Students (INTERN) grant, NSF (more information), $102,000 – awarded 2023
  • Funded my research at NASA & USGS
• PEO Scholar Award, P.E.O. (more information), $20,000 – awarded 2022
• NSF International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) Program for Graduate Training in Advanced Techniques for Water Management at Utrecht University & Technical University of Delft in the Netherlands (more information), University of New Orleans and The Water Institute of the Gulf. Awarded 2022
• Frank Woeste Scholarship, Biological Systems Engineering Department, Virginia Tech, $1,000 – awarded 2021
• Virginia Space Grant Consortium Graduate Fellowship, Virginia Space Grant Consortium, $12,000 – awarded 2021 & 2022
• NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, National Science Foundation: $138,000 – awarded 2021
• “Travel” Grant for the AGU Fall 2020 Meeting, AGU Hydrology Section & Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Science (CUAHSI). Total Funded: $140 – awarded 2020
• CUAHSI Instrumentation Discovery Travel Grant: Nova Scotia Community College UAS Hyperspectral Sensor Learning Experience, CUAHSI. Total Funded: $1,000 – awarded 2020
• Remote Sensing Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Program Fellowship, Graduate School, Virginia Tech. Total Funded: $50,862 – awarded 2019
• Pratt Fellowship, Biological Systems Engineering Department, Virginia Tech. Total Funded: $600 – awarded 2019
• Walts Fellowship, Biological Systems Engineering Department, Virginia Tech. Total Funded: $500 – awarded 2019
• Student Conference Travel Grant, American Ecological Engineering Society. Total Funded: $500 – awarded 2019
• Undergraduate Research Fellowship, Auburn University, Office of Undergraduate Research, Effectiveness of Measuring the Turbidity and Total Suspended Solids of Waterways with Multispectral Imaging Obtained by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. Total Funded: $4,125 – awarded 2018
• Alabama Space Grant Consortium Scholar, NASA Alabama Space Grant Consortium – awarded 2018
• USDA Soil and Water Conservation Society Scholar, USDA NRSC Soil and Water Conservation Society Alabama Chapter – awarded 2018
• American Water Works Association Scholar, AWWA Alabama/Mississippi Section – awarded 2018
• Girl Scout Gold Award, Girl Scouts of Southern Alabama – awarded 2015

Professional Affiliations

• American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
• American Geophysical Union (AGU)
• 100+ Women Strong, Auburn University College of Engineering
• Girl Scouts of the USA, Lifetime member

Skills

• Programming & Tools: Python, R, MATLAB, Visual Basic; Jupyter notebooks, Spyder, Visual Studio, GDAL, OGR, Geopandas, GitHub (familiar: version control, collaboration), REST APIs for data access (NASA earthaccess, hydrocron, USGS dataRetrieval), HPC (CLI/shell, job scheduling, data transfer – beginner), Cloud computing exposure via Cyro in the Cloud (JupyterHub on AWS), Basic understanding of machine learning with geospatial data
• Remote Sensing: Satellite (SWOT, Sentinel-2, Landsat), airplane (hyperspectral, lidar, photogrammetry), drone (lidar, multispectral, photogrammetry), DEMs, landcover classification (supervised, unsupervised & random forest), spectral indices, spectral unmixing, change detection
• GIS: ArcGIS Pro with SQL, ArcMap, QGIS, GeoDa, SAGA, Google Earth Engine with JavaScript and Python, ENVI, GeoTIFFs, CRSs, raster and vector data, watershed delineation, flow accumulation, flow direction, stream network extraction, catchment polygons
• Hydrology & Hydraulic modeling: HEC-RAS (1D/2D flood modeling), Delft3D, hydrofabric fundamentals, hydrologic network development, river discharge estimation
• Data Science and Analysis: Automated open-access remote sensing data acquisition via APIs, spatial analysis, statistical analysis, remote sensing data processing and analysis, automated data acquisition and processing, Basic understanding of machine learning with geospatial data
• Visualization and Communication: Adobe Illustrator, LaTeX in Overleaf, map creation, grant proposal writing, shared research (modeling, geospatial, and remote sensing) methods in workshops and training sessions, research peer-reviewed publishing, conference presentations (poster & oral), interdisciplinary research initiatives & collaborations, membership & leadership among several organizations
• Point cloud: CloudCompare, LAStools, USFS Fusion, PDAL, ArcGIS Pro
• OSHA 10-Hour Training for Construction
• NASA TOPS – Open Science 101 Certificate

Manuscripts in Progress

• Under review: E.M. Prior, J.B. Sankey, J.J. Caster, A. Kasprak. Relating canyon physiography, climate, and aeolian-fluvial interactions with the occurrence and size of aeolian dunefields along the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. Earth and Space Science.
• Under review: Y. Zhang, M.T. Durand, S.P. Coss, R.P.M. Frasson, E.M. Prior, C.J. Gleason. Exploring the Effect of River Spatial Variability on SWOT Discharge Accuracy. Advances in Water Resources. Preprint.
• In preparation: E.M. Prior, R.P.M. Frasson, C.H. David, Y. Zhang, S.P. Coss, M.T. Durand. Assessment of Flow Law Performance for SWOT-Derived River Discharge Against Gage Observations Across Diverse River Types. Submitting to Water Resources Research.

Publications

Lidar DEM and Computational Mesh Grid Resolutions Modify Roughness in 2D Hydrodynamic Models

Prior, Elizabeth M., Nathan Michaelson, Jonathan A. Czuba, Thomas J. Pingel, Valerie A. Thomas, and W. Cully Hession. “Lidar DEM and computational mesh grid resolutions modify roughness in 2D hydrodynamic models.” Water Resources Research 60, no. 7 (2024): e2024WR037165. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024WR037165

Stream Restoration that Allows for Self-Adjustment Can Increase Channel-Floodplain Connectivity

Christensen, Nicholas D., Elizabeth M. Prior, Jonathan A. Czuba, and W. Cully Hession. “Stream restoration that allows for self-adjustment can increase channel-floodplain connectivity.” Journal of Ecological Engineering Design 1, no. 1 (2024). https://doi.org/10.21428/f69f093e.e8ffa1a3

Estimation of mean dominant height using NAIP digital aerial photogrammetry and lidar over mixed deciduous forest in the southeastern USA

Prior, Elizabeth M., Valerie A. Thomas, and Randolph H. Wynne. “Estimation of mean dominant height using NAIP digital aerial photogrammetry and lidar over mixed deciduous forest in the southeastern USA.” International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation 110 (2022): 102813. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jag.2022.102813

Topographic and Landcover Influence on Lower Atmospheric Profiles Measured by Small Unoccupied Aerial Systems (sUAS)

Prior, Elizabeth M., Gretchen R. Miller, and Kelly Brumbelow. “Topographic and landcover influence on lower atmospheric profiles measured by small unoccupied aerial systems (sUAS).” Drones 5, no. 3 (2021): 82. https://doi.org/10.3390/drones5030082

Estimating Floodplain Vegetative Roughness Using Drone-Based Laser Scanning and Structure from Motion Photogrammetry

Prior, Elizabeth M., Charles A. Aquilina, Jonathan A. Czuba, Thomas J. Pingel, and W. Cully Hession. “Estimating floodplain vegetative roughness using drone-based laser scanning and structure from motion photogrammetry.” Remote Sensing 13, no. 13 (2021): 2616. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs13132616

Measuring High Levels of Total Suspended Solids and Turbidity Using Small Unoccupied Aerial Systems (sUAS) Multispectral Imagery

Prior, Elizabeth M., Frances C. O’Donnell, Christian Brodbeck, Wesley N. Donald, George Brett Runion, and Stephanie L. Shepherd. “Measuring high levels of total suspended solids and turbidity using small unoccupied aerial systems (sUAS) multispectral imagery.” Drones 4, no. 3 (2020): 54. https://doi.org/10.3390/drones4030054

Investigating small unoccupied aerial systems (sUAS) multispectral imagery for total suspended solids and turbidity monitoring in small streams

Prior, Elizabeth M., Frances C. O’Donnell, Christian Brodbeck, G. Brett Runion, and Stephanie L. Shepherd. “Investigating small unoccupied aerial systems (sUAS) multispectral imagery for total suspended solids and turbidity monitoring in small streams.” International Journal of Remote Sensing 42, no. 1 (2021): 39-64. https://doi.org/10.1080/01431161.2020.1798546

Measurement of above-canopy meteorological profiles using unmanned aerial systems

Prior, Elizabeth M., Kelly Brumbelow, and Gretchen R. Miller. “Measurement of above‐canopy meteorological profiles using unmanned aerial systems.” Hydrological Processes 34, no. 3 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.13631

White Paper Publications

• Contributed figures to Chapter 9 Lidar and Chapter 18 Forestry in Campbell, James B., Randolph H. Wynne, Valerie A. Thomas. Introduction to remote sensing. Sixth Edition. Guilford Press, 2022. ISBN: 978-1-4625-4940-5

Data Publications

• Under review: E.M. Prior, J.B. Sankey, J.J. Caster. Environmental data at source-bordering aeolian dunefields in the Grand Canyon Dune Atlas. U.S. Geological Survey data release.
• J.B. Sankey, J. Caster, E.M. Prior, L.E. Durning, N. Bransky. (2025). Grand Canyon Dune Atlas: U.S. Geological Survey data release. https://doi.org/10.5066/P1Y6N5AC.
• W.C. Hession, L. Lehmann, T.J. Pingel, J.A. Czuba, E.M. Prior, N.D. Christensen, Y.C. Kobayashi, J.P. Resop. (2023). Virginia Tech StREAM Lab Winter 2021 Drone Lidar Survey. Distributed by OpenTopography. https://doi.org/10.5069/G9348HK3.
• E.M. Prior, J. Schwenk, J. Rowland (2022): VotE-Dams: a compilation of global dams’ locations and attributes (v1). A Global, High-Resolution River Network Model for Improved Flood Risk Prediction, ESS-DIVE repository. Dataset. https://doi.org/10.15485/1843541.

Talks

• E.M. Prior, R.P.M. Frasson, C.H. David, M.T. Durand (2024). “Informing river discharge friction from SWOT observations”. Poster Presentation. AGU Fall Meeting. H006
  • Best student presentation award from the AGU Remote Sensing Technical Committee
• E.M. Prior, J.B. Sankey, J.J. Caster, A. Kasprak (2024). “Grand Canyon Dunefields Downstream of Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell Reservoir”. Poster Presentation. AGU 2024 Fall Meeting. EP008
• E.M. Prior, R.P.M. Frasson, C.H. David, M.T. Durand (2024). “How can friction be bettered modeled in the context of SWOT measurements?”. Poster Presentation. SWOT Science Team Meeting.
• E.M. Prior, N. Michaelson, J.A. Czuba, T.J. Pingel, V.A. Thomas, W.C. Hession (2023). “Lidar DEM resolution modifies roughness in 2D hydrodynamic models”. Poster Presentation. AGU 2023 Fall Meeting. H110-1464
• E.M. Prior, A.L. Ritz, Y.C. Kobayashi, A.O. Campos. E. Benami, M. Foster-Martinez, C.R. Esposito (2023). “Not so distinct: the dynamic nature of wetland building from Neptune Pass in the lowermost Mississippi River”. Oral Presentation. AGU 2023 Fall Meeting. EP31B-07
• E.M. Prior, A.L. Ritz, Y.C. Kobayashi, A.O. Campos. E. Benami, M. Foster-Martinez, C.R. Esposito (2023). “Straying from the Mississippi River: A Case Study on Avulsion at Neptune Pass”. Oral Presentation. State of the Coast.
  • Placed 4th in the Student Presentation Competition
• E.M. Prior, J.A. Czuba, T.J. Pingel, V.A. Thomas, R.H. Wynne, W.C. Hession (2023). “Effects of drone lidar digital elevation models (DEMs) resolution and flow area resolution on hydrodynamic modeling results”. Oral Presentation. Virginia Space Grant Consortium 2023 Student Conference. link
• E.M. Prior, J.A. Czuba, T.J. Pingel, W.C. Hession (2022). “Effects of UAS Lidar DEM Resolution and Mesh Grid Resolution on Hydrodynamic Modeling Results”. Oral Presentation. AGU 2022 Fall Meeting. EP33A-02
• E.M. Prior, J.A. Czuba, T.J. Pingel, V.A. Thomas, R.H. Wynne, W.C. Hession (2022). “Investigating flood-vegetation interactions through remote sensing and modeling”. Oral Presentation. Virginia Space Grant Consortium 2022 Student Conference. link
  • Invited talk for the Board of Directors
• J. Schwenk, J. Stachelek, J.C. Rowland, K.E. Bennett, E.M. Prior, T. Zussman, (2022). “A Platform for the Next Generation of Data-driven, River and Watershed-centric Modeling: Veins of the Earth”. Oral Presentation. LA-UR-22-24093
• E.M. Prior, V.A. Thomas, R.H. Wynne (2021). “Estimating Mean Dominant Heights from NAIP Digital Aerial Photogrammetry and Lidar Over Mixed Deciduous Forests in the Southeastern USA”. Poster Presentation. American Geophysical Union (AGU) 2021 Fall Meeting. B25I-1591
• J. Schwenk, J. Stachelek, K.E. Bennett, E.M. Prior, T. Zussman, J.C. Rowland (2021). “Veins of the Earth: a Flexible Framework for Mapping, Modeling, and Monitoring the Earth’s River Networks”. Poster Presentation. AGU 2021 Fall Meeting. https://doi.org/10.1002/essoar.10509913.2
• E.M. Prior, C.A. Aquilina, J.A. Czuba, T.J. Pingel, W.C. Hession (2020). “Estimating Floodplain Vegetative Roughness using Drone-Based Laser Scanning and Structure from Motion Photogrammetry”. Oral Presentation. AGU 2020 Fall Meeting. 2020AGUFMH014…02P
• V.A. Thomas, P.T. Williams, R.H. Wynne, J. Ranson, D.J. Harding, K.F. Huemmrich, P.K.E. Campbell, E.M. Prior, W.C. Hession, L. Lehmann (2020). “Diurnal observations of forest spectral traits from UAS platforms”. Poster Presentation. AGU 2020 Fall Meeting. 2020AGUFMB002.0023T
• W.D. Nguyen, R. Buskirk, D.D. Riddle, L. Gomez, R. Hamid, G. Aguilar, E.M. Prior, G. Miller, A.P. Smith, J. Aitkenhead-Petersen, K. Brumbelow, G.W. Moore, P.S. Knappett (2020). “Mass fluxes of nitrogen and carbon from soil water to a first-order mountain stream in a pristine Costa Rican rain forest in response to individual rain events”. Poster Presentation. Geological Society of America 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting. 10.1130/abs/2020AM-358533
• E.M. Prior, F.C. O’Donnell, C.J. Brodbeck, W.N. Donald, G.B. Runion (2019). “Investigating UAV Multispectral Imagery for Total Suspended Solids and Turbidity Monitoring in Small Streams”. Poster Presentation. AGU 2019 Fall Meeting and American Ecological Engineering Society 2019 Meeting. 2019AGUFMEP11C2138P
• E.M. Prior, R.A. McManamay, C.R. DeRolph (2018). “Fish passage through dams in North America: New GIS database and threatened fish evaluation”. Poster Presentation. Oak Ridge National Laboratory 2018 Student Intern Session.
• E.M. Prior, J.K. Brumbelow, G.R. Miller, G.W. Moore (2018). “Using UAV Technology to Collect Vertical Temperature and Relative Humidity Profiles over a Tropical Montane Rainforest”. Poster Presentation. AGU 2018 Fall Meeting and Texas A&M University Summer Research Symposium. https://doi.org/10.1002/essoar.10500164.1
• M.R. Flores, A. Keebler, E.M. Prior, G.W. Moore, E. Gonzalez, and J.K. Brumbelow (2018). “Plant Functional Traits of Carapa guianensis, a Widespread Tropical Tree, Adapted to Local Climate Conditions at Two Elevations in Costa Rica.” Poster Presentation. AGU 2018 Fall Meeting. 2018AGUFM.B53J2189F
• W.D. Nguyen, L.V. Gomez, A.P Duffy, P. Knappett, G.R. Miller, J.K. Brumbelow, E.M. Prior, A. Keebler, G.W. Moore (2018). “Streamflow Responses to Runoff and Shallow Groundwater Fluctuations within Two Nested Watersheds in Costa Rica.” Poster Presentation. AGU 2018 Fall Meeting. 2018AGUFM.H23K2076N
• L.V. Gomez, W.D. Nguyen, P. Knappett, A.P. Duffy, E.M. Prior, A. Keebler, G.W. Moore, J.K. Brumbelow (2018). “Measuring Mass Fluxes of Nutrients to a First-Order Stream within a Pristine Mountain Rainforest in Costa Rica.” Poster Presentation. AGU 2018 Fall Meeting. 2018AGUFM.H43C2398G