Alia Khan

Dr. Alia Khan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences at Western Washington University. Her research focuses on quantifying impacts of black carbon and light-absorbing particles on cryosphere albedo, combining UAV/satellite remote sensing with biogeochemical analysis. She leads the Western Washington Cryospheric Sciences Remote Sensing and Aquatic Biogeochemistry Lab, managing over $2.5M in NSF and NASA grants. Education includes a PhD (2016) and MS (2012) in Environmental Engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder, and a BSPH from UNC Chapel Hill.

Education:

• PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder (2016)
• MS in Environmental Studies (Biogeoscience), University of Colorado Boulder (2012)
• BSPH in Environmental Health Science, UNC Chapel Hill (2009)

Research Interests: Dr. Khan studies snow/ice albedo reduction mechanisms involving black carbon, snow algae, and light-absorbing aerosols. She develops UAV/satellite techniques for cryospheric monitoring, with fieldwork in polar regions and the North Cascades. Her work bridges remote sensing, biogeochemistry, and climate impacts through projects like NSF-CAREER Award (Antarctic snow algae) and NASA-funded snow algae mapping initiatives.

Grants & Awards:

• NSF-CAREER Award ($700k+, 2022)
• NSF EAGER/RAPID Awards for Arctic robotics and wildfire impact studies
• NASA SmallSat and Sea Ice grants ($2M+ total)
• US Fulbright Scholar (Chilean Antarctic Program, 2019)

Advising & Labs: Seeks motivated MSc students for NSF/NASA-funded projects involving fieldwork in alpine/glacial regions. Lab focuses on cryospheric remote sensing, aquatic biogeochemistry, and robotics integration for sample retrieval. Collaborates widely with institutions like NSIDC and Colorado Space Grant Consortium.

Labs/Teams: Leads Western Washington Cryospheric Sciences Lab, collaborating with engineering teams to develop autonomous cryosphere sampling systems. Engages in interdisciplinary projects through Antarctic and Arctic research networks.