Brian Yellen
Massachusetts State Geologist
Research Assistant Professor
sediment storage
Education
PhD 2016 University of Massachusetts
Research Interests
I am interested in how the flow of both water and sediments is impacted by dams and climate change. Therefore, my research focuses on watershed processes, with projects spanning a variety of spatial scales, from chemically tagging sediment sources in the smallest headwater catchments to floodplain processes on major rivers. Current projects include (1) efforts to better predict and understand the impacts of high flow events on water quality in New York City's water supply and (2) plan for the cumulative effects of small dam removals on downstream estuarine systems.
I am also the Massachusetts State Geologist as of August, 2024. You can find out more about the State Geologist's Office and the Massachusetts Geologic survey here.