Cynthia Gerlein-Safdi

Cynthia Gerlein-Safdi is an Assistant Professor at the University of California, Berkeley leading the WAVES (Water, Vegetation, & Society) research group. Her work bridges environmental engineering, hydrology, and societal impacts of water systems.

Her academic journey includes:

• BS (2009) in Earth and Planetary Science, University of Strasbourg
• MS (2011) in Environmental Engineering, University of Strasbourg
• MEng (2012) in Geophysics applied to Civil Engineering, Engineering School of Geophysics of Strasbourg
• PhD (2017) in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Princeton University

Dr. Gerlein-Safdi's research focuses on water dynamics from plant-level hydraulics to ecosystem scales, with expertise in stable isotope analysis to trace non-meteoric water sources. Her fieldwork spans locations including New Jersey forests, Chile, and Kenya, combining ground measurements with satellite data like QuikSCAT for tropical dew mapping.

Her scientific contributions have been recognized through:

• NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship (2014)
• PEI-STEP Fellowship for environmental policy work
• Mary and Randall Hack '69 Graduate Award for innovative water research

She has presented research at multiple AGU Fall Meetings and secured NASA Jet Propulsion Lab funding. Her WAVES lab continues to investigate critical water-vegetation interactions in the context of climate change, maintaining active collaborations across institutions including Princeton and Harvard where she previously conducted research.