Avantika Gori
Assistant Professor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
E-mail: avi.gori(at)rice.edu
Google Scholar | CV
Dr. Gori is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rice University. Her research focuses on understanding the regional climatology of tropical cyclones and their hazards (extreme wind, rainfall, and storm surge) under evolving climate conditions, and developing probabilistic and physics-based methods for delineating local-scale compound (rainfall + storm surge) flood hazard. Dr. Gori’s research draws from a range of different disciplines, combining novel and emerging methods and data from the fields of environmental engineering, ocean and atmospheric sciences, statistics and machine learning, and public policy. Dr. Gori holds B.S. (2016) and M.S. (2018) degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Rice University, and a PhD (2023) in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Princeton University.
Yanmo Weng
Postdoctoral Scholar
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Yanmo Weng completed his Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Texas A&M University in 2024. His Ph.D. research focused on utilizing machine learning techniques to predict and extrapolate wind pressure on low-rise buildings. He received the Rice University Academy Fellowship. His postdoctoral research focuses on integrating machine learning and physical knowledge for enhanced local-scale risk assessment of tropical cyclones.
Dongwook Kim
PhD Student (co-advised with J. Doss-Gollin)
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Dongwook Kim is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rice University. He got his BS and MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Hanyang University. His research integrates knowledge and methodologies from various disciplines, including hydrology, climate science, statistics, and machine learning, to quantify hydroclimate risk due to climate change and to develop effective mitigation strategies.
Catherine Jackson
PhD Student
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Catherine Jackson is a PhD student in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rice. She obtained a B.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rice University with a focus on hydrology and water resources. She has extensive experience with hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, demonstrating proficiency in tools such as HEC-HMS and HEC-RAS, including 1D, 1D/2D, and full 2D modeling techniques. Catherine’s research interests include probabilistic risk management, particularly in regard to multi-hazard impacts on coastal environments. Her PhD research will focus on developing statistical and physics-based approaches for high-resolution compound flood forecasting.
Madison Guerinot
PhD Student
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Madison received her B.E. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Vanderbilt University where she received the ASCE/Dan Barge, Jr. Award and was a member of the Civil Engineering Honors Society. She received a J.D. degree from University of Virginia and has worked for several years as an environmental lawyer. She is currently interested in exploring the performance of nature-based flood mitigation strategies in coastal communities.