Christa Kelleher, an assistant professor of earth and environmental sciences at Syracuse University in New York, has received the Francis A. Kohout Early Career Award from the Hydrogeology Division of the Geological Society of America. Dr. Kelleher is the first faculty member from Syracuse to win the award, which is presented each year to only one scientist in the United States.
Endowed by the estate of Francis Kohout, an early pioneer in the study of geothermally driven circulation of seawater, the award honors early-career scientists for outstanding achievements in the hydrogeologic profession through original research and service, and for their potential for continued excellence throughout their careers.
A hydrologist, Dr. Kelleher studies the movement, distribution, and management of water, and explores relationships between hydrological processes and water quality in natural and human-impacted watersheds using data analysis and hydrologic modeling. She joined the faculty at Syracuse University in 2016.
Dr. Kelleher is a 2008 graduate of Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. As an undergraduate, she traveled to Uganda to conduct research on water quality. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. from Pennsylvania State University.