Stephen Lancaster

Stephen Lancaster is an Associate Professor in the Department of Geosciences at Oregon State University (OSU), within the College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences. He specializes in fluvial geomorphology and hydrology, focusing on debris flows, sediment budgets, and river migration dynamics. Lancaster holds a B.A. in Physics from Harvard University (1990) and a Ph.D. in Hydrology from MIT (1998). His research integrates field observations, modeling, and geoarchaeological techniques to study landscape evolution, surface-groundwater interactions, and forest-geomorphic feedbacks.

Key professional roles include Associate Editor for Journal of Geophysical Research - Earth Surface (2009-present) and Associate Director for the Water Resources Engineering Program at OSU. He teaches courses such as Environmental Justice, Surface Processes, and Geomorphology of Forests and Streams.

His research spans topics like sediment storage in mountain valleys, debris flow dynamics, and historical channel changes in rivers like the Willamette. Over 15 years, his work has explored the coevolution of hydrology and topography in basaltic landscapes and the role of wood in mitigating geomorphic hazards. Current projects investigate sediment reservoirs at mountain stream confluences and hyporheic flow effects on river temperatures.

Lancaster advises multiple graduate students (e.g., Likun Chen, John Zunka) and has mentored over a dozen MS/PhD candidates since 2001. His Surface Processes Research Group collaborates on projects involving 3D river deposit simulations and meandering dynamics modeling. Despite no explicit awards listed, his contributions to fluvial geomorphology are widely recognized in peer-reviewed literature.