Nicole M. Gasparini
Associate Professor
Education & Affiliations
Biography
Dr. Nicole M. Gasparini is an associate professor in the department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Tulane University. Her research explores how landscapes evolve over different spatial and temporal scales. She is a co-developer of CHILD and Landlab, two widely used numerical tools for modeling surface processes. She and her team use field observation, numerical landscape simulation, remotely sensed data, and other data collected by collaborators and government agencies, to explore questions that intersect hydrology, tectonics, and sedimentology, with geomorphology at the core.
Dr. Gasparini is originally from Buffalo, NY, and went to The University at Buffalo to earn bachelor's degrees in applied math and physical geography. She completed her master's and doctorate degrees at the Massachusetts Institute of Engineering from the Ralph M. Parsons laboratory in the Civil and Environmental Engineering department. After completing her PhD, Nicole held two post-doctoral positions, one as the Bateman Postdoctoral Fellow at Yale University in the Department of Geology and Geophysics and one at Arizona State University in the School of Earth and Space Exploration.
She also spent a year in Washington D.C. as the Geological Society of America AAAS Congressional Fellow, working as an aide in the office of then Congressman Edward Markey. Her service activities include mentoring scientists at all career stages, co-chairing the Terrestrial working group of CSDMS (Community Surface Dynamics Modeling System), advising the Tulane GeoLatinas Local Team and active involvement with the international GeoLatinas organization, membership of the advisory committees for HydroShare and OpenTopography, developing educational materials and training scientists in the opensource Landlab modeling toolkit, and regularly organizing award nomination packages for underrepresented geoscientists.
Courses
EENS 2090 – Surface Water Hydrology
EENS 3170 – Geomorphology
EENS 4060 – Tectonic Geomorphology (with Dr. Dawers)
EENS 6060 – Tectonic Geomorphology (with Dr. Dawers)
EENS 6170 – Geomorphology
EENS 7010 – Techniques in Geoscience Writing
EENS 7100 – EENS Seminar
Research
Dr. Gasparini's research interests include Fluvial geomorphology; Tectonic geomorphology; Evolution of alluvial and bedrock river networks; Landscape evolution modeling and numerical model development; Interactions among climate, tectonics, and erosion; Effects of climate change on landscape evolution; Sediment production and transport of sediment from hillslopes to rivers to depositional systems; Human influences on landscape evolution.
Dr. Gasparini's research centers on understanding the processes that shape Earth’s surface and how these processes interact across spatial and temporal scales. At its core, her work addresses a fundamental question: Why does the landscape look the way it does, and how will it change in the future?
She focuses on geomorphology and landscape evolution, integrating field observations, numerical modeling, and theoretical approaches to explore the dynamics of river networks, sediment transport, and tectonic deformation. Specifically, my research interests include:
- Fluvial and tectonic geomorphology
- Evolution of alluvial and bedrock river systems
- Landscape evolution modeling and numerical model development
- Coupled interactions among climate, tectonics, and erosion
- Impacts of climate change on landscape dynamics
- Sediment production and transport from hillslopes through river systems to depositional environments
- Anthropogenic influences on landscape evolution
By expressing physical processes as mathematical equations and linking them to external drivers such as precipitation, tectonic uplift, and human activity, she aims to develop predictive frameworks for landscape change. These models help us understand not only past and present landscape configurations but also anticipate future responses to environmental and societal pressures.
This is an exciting time for geomorphology. Advances in remote sensing, geochronology, and computational modeling provide unprecedented opportunities to investigate Earth’s surface. Collaboration is essential—no single researcher can master all available tools. I contribute expertise in quantitative analysis and numerical modeling, working closely with colleagues and students who bring complementary skills in fieldwork, laboratory analysis, and data interpretation. Together, we strive to build a holistic understanding of landscape evolution that informs both scientific theory and practical applications in environmental management and hazard mitigation.
