M. Bayani Cardenas

Prof. M. Bayani Cardenas is a J. Nalle Gregory Regents Professor in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin's Jackson School of Geosciences. His research focuses on hydrologic flow and transport processes, with emphasis on groundwater-surface water interactions, coastal hydrogeology, and Arctic permafrost dynamics. He holds the 2025 Birdsall-Dreiss and LaMoreaux International Distinguished Lecturer title and has received numerous awards, including the NSF CAREER Award (2010) and the Kohout Early Career Award (2012).

Research Interests:

• Subsurface flow modeling in Arctic permafrost
• Coastal groundwater discharge and coral reef interactions
• Climate change impacts on water resources
• Denitrification in river-aquifer systems

Recent work highlights global groundwater dynamics, including studies on Arctic supra-permafrost aquifers and submarine groundwater discharge in coastal systems. His group integrates field observations, geophysical surveys, and computational models to address environmental challenges.

Awards:

• 2025: Birdsall-Dreiss Lecture (GSA)
• 2017-2013: UT Faculty Science Performance Awards
• 2010: G. Moses Knebel Teaching Award

Advising: Supervises ~20 graduate students and postdocs, with notable alumni now at Sandia National Labs, PNNL, and universities globally.