Civil and Environmental Engineering

Keir started researching the hydrology of dryland ecosystems in southern Africa while an undergraduate at Princeton. He then moved on to study ecosystem geochemistry in South Africa (MSc) and isotope hydrology in Namibia (PhD) before rejoining the team here in his undergrad department. Keir is now the group’s resident scientist at the research station in Kenya. He is interested in using stable isotopes to identify plant water sources (including contributions from dew) and tracing the movement of water (liquid and vapor phases) in the vadose zone. After four years of quiet research trips to the hyper-arid Namib Desert, Keir is keeping an open mind about all of Kenya’s pesky rain, mud, and rivers with actual flowing water.

Updated: August 3, 2011