Laurel Larsen

Laurel Larsen is an Associate Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, affiliated with the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Department of Geography. She leads the Environmental Systems Dynamics Laboratory, focusing on feedback processes in environmental systems using fieldwork, simulation modeling, and data-driven analysis. Her research emphasizes the interaction of water with physical and biological components, enabling anticipatory planning for environmental restoration.

• Education: Ph.D. in Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering from the University of Colorado (2008)

Her work addresses nonlinear environmental dynamics, such as thresholds and sudden shifts in landscape stability, with applications in the Everglades, Chesapeake Bay, and the Mississippi River delta complex. She integrates small-scale process studies with numerical simulations to predict landscape responses to climate change and management practices.

Larsen’s research expertise spans hydroecology, geomorphology, complex systems, wetland restoration, and sediment transport. She has received significant funding, including a $1.5 million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation’s Data-Driven Discovery Initiative, supporting interdisciplinary data-driven ecological research.