Ashley M Matheny

Ashley M Matheny is an Associate Professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin. Her research focuses on ecohydrology, exploring how vegetation influences water and carbon cycling between soil, plants, and the atmosphere. She employs field measurements, numerical modeling, and remote sensing to study vegetation-climate feedbacks under disturbances like drought and salinity.

Education:

• PhD, Civil Engineering (Hydrology), 2016
• MS, Civil Engineering (Hydrology), 2013
• BS, Civil Engineering (Structural Engineering), 2010
• BA, Spanish, 2010

Research Interests: Dr. Matheny investigates plant hydraulic strategies, mangrove ecosystems, drought responses, and the integration of plant hydraulics into land-surface models. Her work bridges scales from individual trees to global observations, emphasizing the role of biomass hydraulic capacitance in transpiration dynamics.

Awards:

• American Meteorological Society’s Outstanding Early Career Award (2022)
• NSF CAREER Award (2021)
• Texas Global Seed Grant (2021)

Advising & Grants: Supervises a dynamic research group, including PhD and MS students. Lead PI on grants such as the NSF CAREER Award and Texas Global Seed Grant. Collaborates on projects involving mangrove phytoremediation and halophyte hydrodynamics.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Matheny Ecohydrology Research Group, focusing on field experiments, model development, and interdisciplinary collaborations. Active in global networks like SAPFLUXNET and PSInet.