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Bradley S. Ackroyd
Freshwater resources underpin communities and ecosystems, yet their availability is controlled by processes that are only partially understood and increasingly unstable under climate forcing. Changes in temperature and precipitation are altering when, where, and how water moves through watersheds, in turn shifting recharge, modifying flow paths, and changing the balance between storage and release. These impacts are most acute in climate-sensitive alpine regions, where small changes in hydrologic pathways can produce significant effects on water availability.
A central challenge is determining how recharge pathways, flow partitioning, and residence times reorganize under changing climatic conditions, particularly in climate-sensitive watersheds where water availability depends on transient storage and flow through surface–subsurface interfaces. These systems are especially vulnerable to shifts in snowpack, precipitation timing, and recharge dynamics, where small changes in how water is routed and stored can produce disproportionate impacts on freshwater availability.
Addressing these questions requires an integrated, process-based approach that combines field observations and modeling to resolve the mechanisms driving flow, reaction, and transport. My primary research interests are in identifying the dominant controls, vulnerabilities, and feedbacks within freshwater systems, with the goal of developing a mechanistic understanding of how water resources respond to environmental change.
Education
Master of Science: Aqueous Geochemistry University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY May 2026
Graduate Advisor: Dr. John Kaszuba
Bachelor of Science: Hydrogeology Portland State University, Portland, OR June 2023
Undergraduate Advisor: Dr. Ben Perkins
Research Experience
Graduate Research Assistant, University of Wyoming, 2023–2026
Designed and carried out hydrothermal water–rock interaction experiments to evaluate how water chemistry influences mineral stability and trace-metal mobility in shale.
Integrated aqueous geochemistry, mineralogical analysis, and geochemical modeling to identify mechanistic controls on mineral dissolution, precipitation, and fluid evolution.
Analyzed large experimental datasets and interpreted results to resolve the roles of ionic strength, mineral reactivity, and evolving water chemistry on system behavior.
Identified ionic strength as a sustained control on mineral stability and metal mobility beyond short-lived pH and redox effects during water–rock interaction.
Volcanoes and Ice Summer Program (NSF-funded), University of Wisconsin, 2022
Mapped snowfields, glaciers, and moraines using drone-based photogrammetry.
Generated high-resolution GIS datasets to evaluate surface hydrology and topography.
Student Research Volunteer, USGS Oregon Water Science Center, 2022
Collected spring water samples for analysis of snowmelt pathways and residence times.
Contributed to field-based hydrologic characterization in snowmelt-dominated systems.
Technical Skills
Aqueous Geochemistry & Analytical Techniques
SEM-EDS, XRD, XRF, FTIR, BET, Micro-CT
ICP-MS, ICP-OES, ion chromatography, gas chromatography, carbon coulometry, stable isotope analysis, spectrophotometry
Field water sampling, titration, and geochemical measurements
Data Analysis & Modeling
R (time-series analysis, visualization)
Geochemist’s Workbench (equilibrium & kinetic modeling, reaction-path interpretation)
Experimental Design, Instrumentation & Data Acquisition
Design and wiring of sensor systems (RH/T probes, load cells) for real-time data capture
Data acquisition and integration using NI DAQ systems
Design and fabrication of custom experimental systems
Assembly of sealed fluid systems and environmental chambers
Curriculum Vitae
Current CV (opens in Google Drive)
Google Sites
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