Meet the crew: students and researchers working together to monitor coastal change through remote sensing, field surveys, and spatial analysis.
Principal Investigator
Dr. Hannah Sirianni
Associate Professor in the Department of Earth, Environment & Planning at East Carolina University
Dr. Sirianni uses remote sensing, GIS, and field surveys to study how shorelines and nearshore habitats change over time. Much of her recent work focuses on nature-based shoreline solutions and on producing spatial information that can support coastal monitoring 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 Megan’s dissertation research included a published study on how engineered oyster reefs influence shoreline change using drone-based mapping and geospatial analysis.
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. The paper presents a high-resolution drone monitoring dataset and workflow for evaluating shoreline change around a hybrid living shoreline project.
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 work contributed field validation data to a published Scientific Data paper on shoreline classification in the Neuse River Estuary.
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
