Graduate Student Profiles

Office Location: STEPS 570

_{Nazira Alimzhanova earned a BSc in Meteorology from AlFarabi Kazakh National
University in Kazakhstan and an MSc in Remote Sensing and GIS from the Asian Institute of
Technology in Thailand. She is dedicated to advancing sustainable development through
applied research and geospatial innovation. Her work spans water quality monitoring, climate
risk assessment, and drought monitoring across Asia.
As a research assistant, she assisted environmental sustainability studies in Southeast Asia,
supporting efforts toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals. While at the United
Nations ESCAP, she contributed to capacity building by organizing regional workshops and
strengthening drought monitoring systems in Central Asia.
Earlier in her career, she helped adapt hydrological models for flood forecasting in mountain
river catchments and was involved in meteorological data analysis and staff training in
Kazakhstan. Her multidisciplinary experience—bridging environmental science, technology,
and operations—exemplifies her commitment to translating research into practical solutions
for climate resilience, disaster risk reduction, and water management.}

Office Location: STEPS 140

Office Location: STEPS 240

Area of Specialization: Remote Sensing, Geospatial Science, Cryosphere

Nava Boueshagh is a Ph.D. candidate in Earth & Environmental Sciences at Lehigh University. She earned her B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Civil & Geomatics Engineering with a focus on Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing. Her research applies remote sensing and geospatial science to study Earth's systems, with a particular emphasis on snowpack dynamics and wildfire interactions in the Western U.S. She integrates data science and advanced remote sensing techniques to improve the monitoring and understanding of these critical processes. Mahboubeh has hands-on field experience in remote sensing of snow, including conducting snow measurements and validating satellite-derived snowpack estimates in mountainous environments. She is also passionate about bridging the gap between academic research and industry applications, leveraging scientific advancements for real-world solutions. In her free time, she enjoys being outdoors in nature, skiing, and hiking.

Office Location: ST 130

Desiree Greve earned her BS in Geology from Mississippi State University and her MS in Geology from Central Washington University. Prior to starting at Lehigh, she spent two years as a Geologist with the Kentucky Geological Survey. Her diverse research background spans structural analysis of folding effects on thrust fault zone characteristics, geochemical modeling of lavas from the Mount Baker Volcanic Field, and utilizing remote sensing to map and monitor sinkhole hazards. Her broad background in natural hazards underscores the critical need to leverage available data to understand precursor events, ultimately improving our ability to forecast and monitor future hazards. Her work has been published in Natural Hazards and is also soon to appear in Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, kayak fishing, riding her dirt bike, dancing, and reading.

Office Location: STEPS 580

Area of Specialization: Microbial and plant community ecology 

Matthew earned his B.S. in Biology from Southern Adventist University in 2023, where he investigated the relationships between spring wildflower diversity and soil bacterial and fungal diversity. Matthew’s interests are in applying ecological theories such as island biogeography theory and community assembly theory to soil microbial systems. He is especially interested in using canopy soils as a model system for this research due to the highly fragmented island-like environment and unique abiotic and biotic conditions in canopy soils.

Office Location: STEPS 140

Area of Specialization: Volcanology, Geochemistry, Igneous Petrology

While earning a B.S. in Geology and Environmental Geosciences from Lafayette College, Beck conducted research into geochemical characterization of off-rift volcanoes in southeastern Iceland, culminating in an honors thesis. At Lehigh, Beck is pursuing an MS in Earth and Environmental Sciences, and is currently researching volatile geochemistry in the Southern Volcanic Zone, Chile, with an emphasis on understanding the relationship between shifts in magma composition and glacial unloading. 

Office Location: STEPS 220

_{Emma is an Earth and Environmental Sciences master's student at Lehigh University. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Her research focuses on past climate systems through the lens of geochemistry. In her free time, Emma enjoys exploring the outdoors, learning new crafts, and doing sports.}

Office Location: STEPS 580

Area of Specialization: Temperate plant community ecology

Miller is a PhD candidate in the Earth and Environmental Sciences department studying temperate forest ecology. They earned their BS in Environmental Science from Juniata College in Huntingdon, PA in 2019 and later earned their MS in Marine and Atmospheric Science from Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, NY in 2023. Their dissertation research aims to understand how invasion by nonnative plants changes the community assembly processes of native plants in temperate forests. With a broad and interdisciplinary background, their interests range across scales and systems to incorporate environmental, climatic, and anthropogenic impacts on plant communities. Miller is passionate about science communication and public outreach, having spent a few years as a park ranger and environmental educator before returning to graduate school. Beyond the lab and field, you can find them playing ultimate frisbee.