Dr. Lauren Somers
Assistant Professor
Email: Lauren.Somers@dal.ca
Phone: 902 494-3960
Fax: 902 494-3108
Mailing Address:
Department of Civil and Resource Engineering
Dalhousie University, Sexton Campus
5268 DaCosta Row, Bldg D, Room D215
Halifax, NS, Canada B3H 4R2
Research Topics:Dalhousie University, Sexton Campus
5268 DaCosta Row, Bldg D, Room D215
Halifax, NS, Canada B3H 4R2
- Hydrology
- Hydrogeology
- Mountain water supply
- Wetlands, salt marshes and greenhouse gas emissions
- Climate change impacts and adaptation
Education and Experience
- BScE, Civil Engineering, University of New Brunswick (2013)
- Geotechnical Engineer-in-training, WSP, Dartmouth, NS (2013-2014)
- PhD, Earth and Planetary Sciences, McGill University (2019)
- NSERC Postdoctoral Fellow, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2019-2021)
- Assistant Professor, Civil and Resource Engineering, Dalhousie University (2021-present)
Research Interests
Dr. Somers’ research focuses on the functioning of sensitive hydrologic systems and how they are affected by, and contribute to, climate change and other perturbations. She uses field measurements and numerical modelling to understand interactions between groundwater, surface water, soil carbon, glaciers and climate across diverse settings from Canada to the Peruvian Andes to Southeast Asia. She uses this understanding to assess hydrologically-mediated carbon emissions, project water shortages and to design engineering interventions which can be used as climate change adaptation strategies (e.g. infiltration trenching, coastline stabilization) and to limit carbon emission (e.g. peatland reclamation).