research in urban ecohydrology

I am motivated to improve how we can efficiently use water resources and vegetation as green infrastructure to make cities more equitable and sustainable. At UCSB, I worked in the Tague Lab and used the eco-hydrologic model RHESSys. My dissertation research explored how urban tree ecosystem services are affected by climate-driven heatwaves and drought, shifting irrigation regimes, and variation in neighboring land surfaces. I used high-resolution remote sensing data and sensitivity analysis to improve representation of tree species in the model, and developed a module for simulating sub-grid surface water routing.

teaching and more

Eco-hydrology and Earth Systems

My teaching experience spans topics from introductory environmental science, earth systems science, evolutionary biology, GIS, statistics, and data science in R.

Environmental modeling

With extensive research experience in eco-hydrologic land surface modeling, I aim to pass on these methods to research mentees and in applicable courses. This includes topics on uncertainty, sensitivity analysis, and model calibration and validation.

Mentorship

I work with STEM students at Cal Poly Humboldt through the CSU-STEM Pathways Alliance. I have worked with individual student summer research projects in programs including McNair Scholars and Bren Environmental Leaders.

Data science

I have taught introduction to data visualization and am Carpentries certified. My goal is to make data science education more accessible and inclusive by using relevant real-world examples and discussions.

Contact me

Rachel D. Torres
Arcata, CA

CURRENT POSITION

Postdoctoral researcher (Jan. 2024-)
California State Polytechnic University Humboldt, Arcata CA
Developing culturally-relevant environmental data science curriculum with multi-institutional network and mentoring STEM undergraduate students in earth and environmental science research. Funded by Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

EDUCATION

Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Management (September 2017 – March 2024)
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) - Santa Barbara, CA
Adviser: Dr. Naomi Tague
Thesis: Urban tree drought resilience and outdoor water conservation in a Mediterranean climate: insights from an ecohydrologic model
Certificate of College and University Teaching

Bachelor of Science in Physics, Summa Cum Laude (August 2013 - December 2016)
North Park University – Chicago, IL
Advisers: Dr. Linda McDonald and Dr. Stephen Ray

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Ph.D. Dissertation
Urban tree drought resilience and outdoor water conservation in a Mediterranean climate: insights from an ecohydrologic model
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB, Santa Barbara CA (2017 - 2023)

  • developed novel method of vegetation parameterization in ecohydrologic model (RHESSys) using high resolution vegetation indices and lidar-derived LAI data
  • developed module within surface routing code for sub-grid water sharing
  • ran model simulations of variation in outdoor water use during drought, findings show that conserving water by 25% would have minimal effects on tree carbon cycling and ecosystem services

Graduate Student Researcher, Tague Lab
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB, Santa Barbara CA (2018-2021)

  • SERI-Fire Environmental model visualization development, simulating coupled wildfire and ecohydrologic model
  • Jackson Forest thinning project, simulating carbon fluxes from redwood forest with climate change effects
  • Urban stream nitrate project, summarizing green infrastructure and ecohydrologic modeling literature, simulating urban nitrogen cycling

Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship, Transportation Systems
Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont IL (June – Sept. 2016)

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow
Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, La Jolla CA (June-Aug. 2015)

PUBLICATIONS

Torres, R., Tague, C. L., & McFadden, J. P. (2024). Exploring potential trade-offs in outdoor water use reductions and urban tree ecosystem services during an extreme drought in Southern California. Frontiers in Climate, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fclim.2024.1280615

Suanda, S. H., Kumar, N., Miller, A. J., Di Lorenzo, E., Haas, K., Cai, D., Edwards, C. A., Washburn, L., Fewings, M. R., Torres, R., & Feddersen, F. (2016). Wind relaxation and a coastal buoyant plume north of Pt. Conception, CA: Observations, simulations, and scalings. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 121(10), 7455–7475. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016JC011919

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Guest Lecturer, GEOG107 Nature, Food, and Culture
Geography, Environment, and Spatial Analysis, Cal Poly Humboldt (Fall 2025)

Graduate Teaching Assistant, EEMB131 Principles of Evolution
Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, UCSB (Summer Session A 2023)

NSF-AGEP Fellow, ESRM 303 Data Visualization and Climate Communication
Environmental Science and Resources Management, CSU Channel Islands (Fall 2022)

Graduate Lead Teaching Assistant, ENV S2 Introduction to Environmental Science
Environmental Studies Department, UCSB (Summer Session B and Winter Quarter, 2020-2022)

Instructor, INT 93LS Our Dynamic Earth
Summer Research Academies, UCSB (Summer Session A, 2020)

Graduate Teaching Assistant, ESM203 Earth Systems Science
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB (Fall Quarter, 2018-2021)

Graduate Teaching Assistant, ESM232 Environmental Modeling
Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, UCSB (Spring Quarter, 2020-2022)

Graduate Teaching Assistant, STATS5LS Statistics for the Life Sciences
Statistics Department, UCSB (Winter Quarter, 2020)

Graduate Teaching Assistant, PHYS6BL Introductory Physics
Physics Department, UCSB (Spring Quarter 2019)

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

  • Systems Engineer, Zonehaven Genasys Inc., San Diego CA (June - Sept. 2022)
  • Research Aide, Transportation Systems Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont IL (Sept. 2016 –Dec. 2017)

WORKSHOP PRESENTATIONS

2025 Introduction to R and Data Visualization
Sustainable Land and Water Resources Research Experience for Undergraduates – St. Paul, MN
Github: https://github.com/IndigenousEnvDataSci/slawr-reu

2025 Introduction to Google Earth Engine
Cal Poly Humboldt Day of Data Science - Arcata, CA

2025 Mapping Environmental Justice with Google Earth Engine
Geoscience Alliance - Durham, NC
Google Colab: Geoscience Alliance Workshop - Intro to Google Earth Engine for EJ

2025 Introduction to Ecological Forecasting
Ecological Forecasting Initiative Student and Early Career Association - Virtual
Github: https://github.com/rachtorr/efiseca_beetles_tutorial

2024 Indigenous Environmental Data Science in R
American Indian Higher Education Consortium Annual Student Conference - Minneapolis, MN
Github: https://github.com/IndigenousEnvDataSci/WaterQuality_mod1

MENTORSHIP, COMMITTEES, & VOLUNTEERING

  • Community of Practice, Subduction Zone in Four Dimensions (NSF SZ4D) (Spring 2024 - )
  • Bren Environmental Leaders Mentor, Bren School of Environmental Sci. and Mgmt., UCSB (Summer 2023)
  • Grad Scholars Program Mentor, Graduate Division, UCSB (Fall 2021- Spring 2022)
  • PhD Programming Committee, Bren School of Environmental Sci. and Mgmt., UCSB (Fall 2021- Spring 2022)
  • Ph.D. Group Project Mentor, Bren School of Environmental Sci. & Mgmt., UCSB (Spring 2019 – 2021)
  • Outreach Coordinator, Womxn in Science and Engineering (WiSE), UCSB (2020)
  • Undergraduate Mentorship Organizer, Womxn in Science and Engineering, UCSB (2019)
  • Seminar Committee, Bren School of Environmental Sci. & Mgmt., UCSB (Fall 2019 – Spring 2020)

FELLOWSHIPS/SCHOLARSHIPS & AWARDS

  • 2023 Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, Teaching Assistant Award
  • 2022 UC Santa Barbara, Graduate Student Association, Excellence in Teaching Award
  • 2022 NSF-AGEP, California HSI Alliance Fellow
  • 2018 UC Santa Barbara, Crossroads Fellow, Visualizing Environmental Models
  • 2018 UC Santa Barbara Associated Students, Coastal Fund Scholarship
  • 2018 Earth Research Institute, Groundwater Resources Association of California, Central Coast
  • 2017 Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, Michael J. Connell Memorial Fellowship
  • 2014 North Park University, Physics Honors Scholarship
  • 2013 North Park University, Trustee Honors
  • 2013 North Park University, Nyvall Scholarship

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

2025 Ecological Forecasting Initiative Annual Meeting - Blacksburg, VA

  • Oral presentation: Exploring data science, phenology, and Indigenous knowledge: lessons from undergraduate researchers
  • Co=led working group discussion, EFI University for Everyone

2025 Geoscience Alliance - Durham, NC

  • Poster presentation: Planning green infrastructure for future drought: Comparing differences in urban tree water use for two coastal cities

2024 RHESSys Virtual Conference

  • Oral presentation: MSR in the City: sub-patch surface water sharing for simulating trees as green infrastructure

2024 American Association of Geographers, Trees in the City (Virtual)

  • Oral presentation: Does turfgrass water conservation in semi-arid cities affect ecosystem services from trees during drought?

2024 AIHEC Annual Student Conference

2022 Frontiers in Hydrology Meeting - San Juan, Puerto Rico

  • eLightning presentation: Estimating Trade-offs in Outdoor Water Conservation and Vegetation Ecosystem Services in a Semi-arid Urban Environment
  • Student Travel Grant Award Recipient

2021 American Geophysical Union Annual Meeting 2021 – New Orleans, LA

  • Poster presented: Evaluating urban tree resilience to drought and extreme heat in Santa Barbara, CA

2019 American Geophysical Union Annual Meeting 2019 – San Francisco, CA

  • Poster presented: Estimating urban tree recovery after drought using an eco-hydrologic model parameterized by remote sensing data

2018 American Geophysical Union Annual Meeting 2018 – Washington D.C.

  • Poster presented: Modeling the effects of connected impervious surfaces on urban green spaces and groundwater recharge in a semi-arid environment

TRAININGS, SHORT COURSES, & MEETINGS

  • 2025 Artificial Intelligence Tools for Teaching and Learning, CSU - Virtual
  • 2025 NCEAS Environmental Data Science Summit - Santa Barbara, CA
  • 2024 Data Carpentries Instructor Training - Virtual
  • 2024 ESIIL Data Short Course - Virtual
  • 2019 CUAHSI Master Class: Advanced Techniques in Watershed Science - Oracle, AZ
  • 2018 Ridge to Reef Summer Institute – University of California, Irvine

MEMBERSHIPS AND PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

  • American Geophysical Union
  • Data Carpentries
  • Ecological Forecasting Initiative, Educational and DEI working groups
  • Geoscience Alliance
  • National Association of Geoscience Teachers

SKILLS

Computer: Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, Outlook), R, SAS, HTML, javascript, Python, MATLAB, GIS (ArcGIS, QGIS)

Languages: intermediate level in reading Spanish, conversational level in speaking Spanish