Michelle Newcomer - Earth and Environmental Sciences Area

Biography

Dr. Michelle Newcomer is a Research Scientist in the Climate & Ecosystem Sciences Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. She is a member of the Watershed Function SFA 2.0 Team and her research focuses on analyzing the effects of climate perturbations on hydrological and biogeochemical cycling in hyporheic zones and as a function of surface water-groundwater interactions. Her current research links dynamic mechanisms of microbial transformations to larger scale effects driven by climate in the East River, CO, and the Russian River, CA. Michelle completed her PhD in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering at UC Berkeley and has a wide range of hydrological interests from:

Impacts of California wild-fires on watershed hydrology and water quality
Extreme climate and changes to groundwater-surface water connectivity
Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) and the role of food-webs, riverine exports, and climate perturbations
Terrestrial Aquatic Interface (TAI): exploring the biogeochemistry of the TAI across large-scale (coastal zones) to small-scale (hyporheic zones)
New fiber-optic technologies for sensing across the TAI

Experience

Research Scientist, Climate & Ecosystem Sciences Division, Hydrogeology Department, 2018-Present
Post-Doctoral Fellow, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Climate & Ecosystem Sciences Division, 2016-2018
Visiting Scholar, UFZ Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, 2013, 2014
Center Lead, Research Adviser, Project Coordinator, NASA Ames Research Center: Science Systems and Applications Inc. DEVELOP National Program, 2010-2012
Earth Science Research Consultant-Team Leader, NASA Ames Research Center: Science Systems and Applications Inc. DEVELOP National Program, 2009-2010
Earth Science Research Consultant-Team member, NASA Ames Research Center: Science Systems and Applications Inc. DEVELOP National Program, 2007-2009

Awards

NASA Group Achievement Award, 2014
Best Student Presentation Award. International Water Association Conference, 2014
Water Resources Research Editor’s Highlight, 2014
NASA’s Applied Sciences DEVELOP National Program Commitment to Service Award, 2012
San Francisco State University College of Science & Engineering Graduate Distinguished Achievement Award, 2012
Earthzine Honorable Mention for Outstanding Video, 2012
Recipient of the NASA Group Achievement Award, 2011
NASA’s Applied Sciences DEVELOP National Program Project Achievement Award, 2008-2012
Dean’s List, UC Santa Barbara, 2004

Scholarly Service

Environmental Science Instructor, Stanford University Pre-Collegiate Institute, 2015
Mentor, UC Berkeley Resume Writing Workshop, 2014
Graduate Student Instructor, University of California, Berkeley, 2013-2014
Mentor, UC Berkeley Statement of Purpose Workshop, 2013
Speaker/Mentor, American Society of Civil Engineers Career Seminar “If I knew then what I know now,” 2013
Graduate Teaching Assistant, San Francisco State University, 2011-2012
Lab Technician, Hydrogeology Laboratory, Hydrogeology Research Group, San Francisco State University, 2010-2012
Mentor, NASA Ames Girls Go Tech “When I Grow Up…” Career Expo, 2011
Research Assistant, SETI Institute, 2009-2011
Tutor, inGenius! Tutoring Learning Center, 2009-2011

News Highlights

Oct. 2018: Dr. Newcomer accepted the invitation to participate as the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) Early Career Committee (ECC) member and representative of the International Commission on Groundwater
Aug. 2018: Dr. Newcomer receives the LBNL Early Career LDRD research grant 2018-2020: Climate and Hydrological Controls on Coastal Algal Blooms
Jul. 2018: Michelle hosts the Intro to Jupyter for Water Data Analysis: CA Big Data Challenge, YouTube Video time 0:10, Binder materials.
Jun. 2018: Recently published article receives cover article highlight. Influence of hydrological perturbations and riverbed sediment characteristics on hyporheic zone respiration of CO₂ and N₂. JGR Biogeosciences. doi:10.1002/2017JG004090 [link]. Cover Article Highlight.
Apr. 2018: Lab Hosts First Big Data study trip. BLEND Workshop. February 2018. [link]
Oct. 2017: Dr. Newcomer launches the post-fire water quality sampling across the Russian River Watershed. Research Becomes Reality in Study of Fire Impact on Sonoma Water Resources. October 2017. [link]