Meet the crew: a team of students and researchers using advanced mapping and field methods to understand and support resilient coasts.
Principal Investigator
Dr. Hannah Sirianni
Associate Professor in the Department of Earth, Environment & Planning at East Carolina University
Dr. Sirianni studies how coasts change and how science can support more resilient coastal ecosystems and communities. She combines remote sensing, geospatial analysis, and field surveys to monitor shoreline dynamics, map seagrass and marsh habitats, and evaluate nature-based shoreline solutions. Her work emphasizes geospatial accuracy, uncertainty-aware analysis, and rigorous spatial methods to support reliable coastal monitoring, shoreline stabilization, and management.
Current Students
Brendan Burchi
M.S. Geography, East Carolina University, Summer 2026
Brendan’s research examines how oyster breakwaters influence sediment retention and submerged aquatic vegetation in living shoreline systems. For his M.S., he has been conducting seasonal drone surveys of the nearshore environment before and after installation of one of the longest living shorelines in North Carolina, with a focus on uncertainty-aware elevation and geomorphic change. He will continue this work in the ECU Integrated Coastal Sciences Ph.D. program, where he will be co-advised by Dr. Hannah Sirianni and Dr. Rachel Gittman. Together, this gives him strong training in both rigorous remote sensing and geospatial methods and the ecological side of living shorelines, seagrass, and marsh habitat change.
Kyleigh Kowalski
M.S. Geology, East Carolina University
Kyleigh is an NSF GRFP awardee and M.S. student in Geology advised by Dr. Matt Sirianni. Her research examines saltwater intrusion in agricultural landscapes with an emphasis on salt patches in farm fields. She is part of the Coastal Geography Lab through the remote sensing and geospatial components of this collaborative project.
Megan Geesin (she/her)
Ph.D. Candidate, Integrated Coastal Studies, East Carolina University (Advisor: Dr. Rachel Gittman)
Megan is first author on the published paper “Assessing the effects of engineered oyster reefs on shoreline change using drones,” based on a chapter of her dissertation research. This collaborative study brought together ecological field research with drone mapping and geospatial analysis. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ecology-and-evolution/articles/10.3389/fevo.2025.1616227/full
Ryan Brown
B.S. Geographic Information Science and Technology, expected 2026
Ryan is building hands-on skills in drone-based seagrass surveys. He is training with our lab to apply coastal mapping technology in ways that support ecosystem monitoring and community resilience.
Join the Lab
Want to see your name here? We welcome motivated students interested in coastal science and geospatial methods.
Current Lab Support Pups
Sunny (she/her)
New to coastal environments, Sunny is interested in using her love of running to explore shoreline changes in the Outer Banks. Sunny’s research is funded by Sarah Pettyjohn.
Stella Blue (she/her)
Stella is developing new approaches to growls, snarls, howls, grunts, and other sounds to test their ability to detect underwater landscapes. Stella’s research is funded by Dr. Sirianni.
Riley Rose (she/her)
Riley seeks to understand seasonal and long-term changes in beach width, height, and shape to better locate beach dwellers needing lots of snuggles and cuddles. Riley’s research is funded by Dr. Sirianni.
Past Graduate Students
Sarah Pettyjohn
M.S. Geography, East Carolina University, 2025
Occupation: Geospatial Scientist/ Commercial Drone Pilot, Haley & Aldrich
Sarah published her M.S. thesis research as first author in Scientific Data (Nature Portfolio) in the paper “Seasonally structured drone data for shoreline change around a hybrid living shoreline project.” It can be viewed at the following link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-025-06310-z
Ryann Knowles
M.S. Geography, East Carolina University, 2022
Occupation: Senior GIS Development Tech Specialist, NextEra Energy Resources
Jessica Richter (she/her)
M.S. Geography, East Carolina University, 2022
Occupation: GIS Research Analyst, World Resources Institute
Jessica’s graduate research contributed to a published study on shoreline classification in the Neuse River Estuary and can be viewed at the following link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41597-024-02954-5
Rachel Smaby
M.S. Geography, East Carolina University, 2021
Occupation: Biologist, Sacramento Fish & Wildlife Office, Ecological Services
Michelle Schlup
M.S. Geography, East Carolina University, 2020
Occupation: Physical Scientist, Army Geospatial Center, US Army Corps of Engineers.
Past Undergraduate Students
Delanie Ipock
B.S. Geography, Certificate Geographic Information Science & Technology, 2025
Occupation: GIS Applications Developer, Craven County Government, New Bern, NC
Brandon Lusch
B.S. Geographic Information Science & Technology, East Carolina University, 2025
Julia Shukis
B.S. Geography, East Carolina University – present
Mountain to Sea North Carolina Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Scholar, Summer 2023
Occupation: Infrastructure GIS Specialist, Virginia Beach, VA
Shannon Clough (she/her)
B.S. Community and Regional Planning, B.S. Geographic Information Science & Technology, East Carolina University, 2023
Occupation: GIS Specialist I, McAdams
Zoe Garner
B.S. Geographic Information Science & Technology, East Carolina University, 2023
Occupation: Location Data Analyst, TSCG (The Shopping Center Group)
Elizabeth-Margaret Schunk
B.S. Geographic Information Science & Technology, East Carolina University, 2022
Occupation: GIS Technician, Greenville Utilities
Robert Shinn
B.S. Applied Geography, East Carolina University, 2022
Occupation: Environment and Sustainability Coordinator, Catawba College
