Behzad Ghanbarian

Behzad Ghanbarian is an Associate Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at The University of Texas at Arlington, joining in Fall 2024. Previously, he held positions at Kansas State University (Associate Professor, 2023–2024; Assistant Professor, 2017–2023) and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Texas at Austin's Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering department (2014–2017). His research focuses on applying physics-based models to fluid flow, solute transport in porous media, and unconventional reservoir characterization. He has expertise in percolation theory, rock physics, and machine learning applications in geosciences.

Education:

• PhD, Environmental Sciences, Wright State University (2014)
• MSc, Agricultural Engineering, University of Tehran (2007)
• BSc, Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology (2005)

Research interests span porous media physics, environmental engineering, and complex systems. He has published extensively in journals like Water Resources Research, Geoderma, and Advances in Water Resources. His work integrates numerical simulations, experiments, and theoretical frameworks to address challenges in hydrogeology, reservoir engineering, and climate science.

He has received multiple awards, including the Top 2% Scientists ranking (Stanford, 2023), Soil Physics Early Career Award (SSSA, 2020), and Twiss Teaching Award (Kansas State, 2022). He currently serves as an editor for Water, Scientific Reports, and Vadose Zone Journal.

Teaching focuses on energy and environmental geosciences, including courses like Hydrogeology (GEOL 4420) and Sustainable Energy Resources (GEOL 4351). His lab (PMRLab) explores interdisciplinary topics such as biocrust impacts on soil hydrology, CO2 sequestration, and machine learning in geology.