Laura Sunberg

Laura Sunberg is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder. Previously, she conducted postdoctoral research at INSTAAR (Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research), focusing on microplastic transport and biofouling through numerical modeling and experimental studies.

• PhD in Environmental Engineering from Stanford University (2023)
• BS in Civil & Environmental Engineering and BA in English from University of California, Berkeley (2017)

Her research expertise lies in environmental fluid mechanics, particularly in particle transport processes. Key areas include:

• Coastal Oceanography: Modeling microplastic dispersion in wave-current systems
• Wildfire Dynamics: Experimental analysis of firebrand transport mechanisms
• Turbulent Flow: Studying particle behavior in canopy-plume systems
• Non-spherical Particles: Investigating shape-dependent transport properties

Laura's publications demonstrate a strong focus on:

• Wave-current-particle interactions
• Canopy flow dynamics
• Numerical modeling of environmental transport
• Experimental fluid mechanics
• Microplastic dispersion patterns
• Firebrand transport mechanisms

She actively contributes to academic outreach and will expand her research program in environmental particle transport while teaching courses in CEAE.