Faculty

Professor Benning received her PhD from the University of Colorado, Boulder in Environmental, Population and Organismic Biology. Her research interests include landscape ecology, urban ecology and resource conservation and management. Her most recent research focuses on remote sensing and GIS technologies in the study of tropical rainforest dynamics in Hawaii and riparian corridors in southern African savannas.

John Callaway received his PhD in Oceanography and Coastal Sciences from Louisiana State University in 1994. Prior to his position at USF, John was the Associate Director of the Pacific Estuarine Research Laboratory (PERL) at San Diego State University. At USF, Professor teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in introductory environmental science, applied ecology, wetlands, and restoration ecology. His research expertise is in wetland restoration, specifically wetland plant ecology and...

Dr. Coffman is a restoration ecologist and Associate Professor at the University of San Francisco (USF) who has worked on wetland and riparian restoration projects throughout the U.S. and internationally for more than 28 years. Since 1991, she has conducted jurisdictional wetland delineations throughout California, the east coast, the southeast, Midwest, and Puerto Rico. In addition, she has applied ecological experience in vegetation and invasive plant species mapping, watershed assessment...

Dr. Karentz's research focuses on the ultraviolet photobiology of marine organisms: identifying strategies for protection from UV exposure and understanding mechanisms for repair of UV–induced damage. Her work has focused on investigating the ecological implications of Antarctic ozone depletion.

William Karney received his BA from Haverford College and his PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles. Prior to his position at USF he did postdoctoral work at the University of Washington and the University of California, Berkeley. At USF, William teaches organic chemistry and environmental chemistry. His research, performed in collaboration with Professor Claire Castro (Chemistry), involves the use of computational chemistry to understand the structures,...

An assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Science since 2016, Dr. Amalia Kokkinaki holds a PhD degree from the University of Toronto in Canada and joined USF after completing her postdoctoral research at Stanford University. She is an environmental engineer with expertise in groundwater flow, fate and transport of contaminants, and biological treatment of organic pollutants. Her research is in the nexus of mathematical and statistical modeling of the physical, chemical and...

John M. (Jack) Lendvay received his MSE and Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Michigan and is a licensed Civil Engineer with the State of California. His undergraduate studies were completed at Hiram College where he learned the value of a liberal arts education and received his BA in Chemistry. Dr. Lendvay's research interests focus primarily on the relationships between land use and water quality in coastal streams. He is currently working with colleagues and...

Tom MacDonald received his PhD from Stanford University. Professor MacDonald's research focuses on designing computer simulations of problems of pollution migration and using the results to engineer systems to contain pollutants and prevent further spreading. He has also published his research on the neural network application for bioremediation. Recently he has co-authored papers dealing with environmental risk and the precautionary principle.

A.J. Purdy’s research leverages satellite observations, models, and geospatial analyses to study hydrology, water resources, ecosystems, and the environment from watershed to global scales. Dr. Purdy received his MS and PhD in earth system science from UC Irvine. His dissertation research focused on the advancement and application of remotely sensed evapotranspiration. He also completed an MS in coastal watershed science and policy from CSU Monterey Bay, where he gained valuable experience...

April M. Randle’s research is broadly focused on how ecological factors shape the behavioral and morphological traits of species and influence species' distributions and interactions. She has conducted research on a range of taxa including: tropical trees (forest restoration), primates (foraging behavior), temperate flora (plant ecology, mating system evolution, plant-pollinator interactions), marine mammals (population size estimation of large cetaceans), tropical freshwater fish (adaptations...

Diane Roberts, Professor of Accounting, is motivated by a deep concern for unethical financial reporting and non-transparent corporate accounting, considering the potential for catastrophic effects on the environment, community trust, and the global economy. Having long been interested in environmental issues and professional accounting, Roberts engages her students in discussions that address both honorable and unlawful corporate practices, as well as historical cases that will naturally...

Dr. Saah has been broadly trained as an environmental scientist with expertise in a number of areas including: landscape ecology, ecosystem ecology, hydrology, geomorphology, ecosystem modeling, natural hazard modeling, remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS) and geospatial analysis. He has used these skills to conduct research primarily at the landscape level in a variety of systems. Dr. Saah has participated in research projects throughout the United States and Internationally....

Tanu Sankalia is Associate Professor and Program Director of the interdisciplinary program in Urban Studies at the University of San Francisco where he teaches courses in urban planning and design, architectural and urban history, and architectural design. He was trained in urban design at UC Berkeley, and in architecture at the School of Architecture, Ahmedabad, from where he graduated with a gold medal for the best diploma thesis. Professor Sankalia's research interests cover areas of...

Calla Schmidt received a PhD in Earth Science from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her research spans physical hydrology and biogeochemistry and aims to understand the connection between hydrology and the biogeochemical cycling of nutrients. She has done research on nutrient cycling during groundwater recharge, nitrogen pollution in highway runoff and presently she is working on a project investigating the transfer of nutrients discharged by wastewater treatment plants into the base...

Professor Siehr works on energy–based solutions to multiple environmental problems–from local air pollution to global climate change–combining engineering with tools from political economy and organizational analysis. With a geographical focus on China, Japan, and the US, her research and teaching examine energy and carbon saving strategies; emissions inventories; city climate action; environmental and energy policy analysis; urban sustainability, international cooperation; and environmental...

Professor Maggie Winslow is the Director of the Master of Science in Energy Systems Management. She received her PhD from the Energy and Resources Group at the University of California at Berkeley and Master of Science from the School of Natural Resources at the University of Michigan. She spent nine years at Presidio Graduate School in San Francisco, a sustainability focused MBA and MPA program, teaching managerial economics and macroeconomics and serving as MBA program chair and academic dean...