Afrida Aranya
Afrida's
Research and Experiences
BDRG, Virginia Tech
As a PhD student in the Geosciences department at Virginia Tech, I work under the mentorship of Dr. Julia Cisneros in the Bedform Dynamics Research Group. My research focuses on understanding how urbanization influence sediment transport, bedform evolution, and channel morphology in sand-bedded rivers.
Currently, I am investigating sedimentary system responses in urbanized watersheds, with a focus on tributary creeks feeding into Lake Austin, TX. My work involves a combination of field surveys - including sediment sampling, cross-section profiling, and coring, and geospatial analysis to assess how human-driven changes impact source-to-sink sediment pathways.
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OEWRI, MSU
During my master’s at Missouri State University, I worked as a Graduate Research Assistant at the Ozarks Environmental and Water Resources Institute (OEWRI), where I was involved in applied research on watershed health, forest soil disturbance, and regional water quality. My contributions spanned multiple projects, including watershed assessment for the USDA, forest soil monitoring for the U.S. Forest Service, and development of a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) for the Cuivre River Watershed. I also participated in stormwater monitoring projects, where I conducted lab analysis of total suspended solids (TSS) and chloride concentrations in stream samples. These experiences strengthened my fieldwork capabilities, lab techniques, and data management skills, while expanding my understanding of hydrologic systems and collaborative environmental research.
Bengal Institute
In 2021, I worked as a Research Apprentice at the Bengal Institute for Architecture, Landscapes, and Settlements in Dhaka, Bangladesh. This interdisciplinary experience allowed me to engage with complex regional environmental and socio-spatial issues through a geographic lens. As part of a collaborative research team, I contributed to a project that examined the evolving dynamics of the Ganga-Padma river system, culminating in a co-authored chapter in the book When the Ganga Becomes the Podda. My role included archival research, spatial interpretation, and conceptual writing that bridged physical geography with cultural and political narratives of landscape transformation in South Asia.