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Bre Rivera Waterman

Starting Fall 2026

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Bre Rivera Waterman

Assistant Professor


Bre Rivera Waterman.

bre.waterman@ku.edu
Sarkeys Energy Center

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My research lies at the intersection of hydrology, hydrogeology, and biogeochemistry to understand how environmental change and variability impacts water quality and quantity. Broadly, my research aims to answer these questions:

1) What are the fundamental controls on water quality, and how do these controls vary across scales?

2) How can we leverage natural processes to enhance water quality?

3) How can we balance environmental sustainability with societal and economic needs?

My research spans both applied and fundamental perspectives, and integrates experiments, field work, and large-scale data analysis with statistical modeling to wholistically address the multi-faceted issues facing water resources.


  • Ph.D., 2025 Environmental Science - University of Kansas
  • M.S., 2020 Geology - Kansas State University 
  • B.S., 2018 Geology - Oklahoma State University

  • Aquatic biogeochemistry
  • Coupled elemental cycles
  • Hydrology/hydrogeology
  • Critical zone science
  • Agricultural systems

Starting Fall 2026


  • Waterman, B. R., & Hansen, A. T. (2024). Hydro-biogeochemical controls on nitrate removal: Insights from artificial emergent vegetation experiments in a recirculating flume mesocosm. Water Resources Research, 60, e2023WR036995. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023WR036995
  • Waterman, B. R., Alcantar, G., Thomas, S. G., & Kirk, M. F. (2022). Spatiotemporal variation in runoff and baseflow in watersheds located across a regional precipitation gradient. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 41, 101071. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2022.101071