Brad Sion

Brad Sion is an Assistant Research Professor specializing in Geomorphology at the Desert Research Institute's Reno Campus within the Earth and Ecosystem Sciences Division. He holds a PhD (2018), MS (2015), and BS (2012) in Hydrology and Geology from New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology and College of Charleston.

His research interests focus on soil geomorphology, applied soils research, and arid land processes, with particular expertise in geochronology, pedology, and Quaternary geology. He leads projects analyzing soil-landform relationships to infer landscape characteristics for applications including vehicle trafficability, climate change impacts on landscape stability, and predictive soil property mapping.

Recent research trends show extensive collaboration with U.S. Army research groups on terrain analysis, mobility modeling, and environmental characterization. His technical reports and peer-reviewed publications emphasize soil strength measurement, thermal inertia analysis, and multi-environment analogs for military operations.

Key collaborative projects include:

• Military mobility modeling in cold regions and arid environments
• Fire-affected soil property analysis
• Development of predictive soil-landform frameworks
• Integration of geospatial technology for terrain analysis