Rate My Professor Wes Lauer

Dr. Wes Lauer, PhD, PE, is Chair and Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Seattle University, a position he has held since joining the faculty in 2006. A geomorphologist and engineer with over 15 years of experience in water resources engineering, geomorphology, sediment transport, numerical modeling, and geographic information systems, Dr. Lauer earned his B.S.E. in Civil Engineering from Walla Walla College in 1996, M.Eng. in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in 1998, and Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Minnesota in 2006. His career includes roles as Civil Engineer and Hydrologist at Questa Engineering Corporation from 1998 to 2002, Associate Geomorphologist at Herrera Environmental Consultants from 2012 to 2013, Graduate Research Assistant at the Saint Anthony Falls Laboratory, University of Minnesota from 2002 to 2006, and an affiliated faculty position in the Department of Oceanography at the University of Washington since 2009. He directed Seattle University's Environmental Science Program from 2014 to 2020. A registered Professional Engineer in Washington (2008) and California (2001), Dr. Lauer has worked on projects involving flood management, geomorphic assessments of rivers, and hydraulic, hydrologic, and geomorphic modeling in Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Louisiana, North Carolina, Europe, Haiti, Jamaica, and Papua New Guinea.

Dr. Lauer's research investigates hydraulic, geomorphic, and sediment transport implications of long-term environmental changes on river systems, including decadal-scale channel width changes in the Minnesota River basin and development of the Morphodynamics and Sediment Tracers in 1-Dimension (MAST-1D) model for size-specific sediment transport and floodplain exchange. He authored the River Planform Statistics Toolbox, an ArcGIS add-in for the National Center for Earth Surface Dynamics stream restoration toolbox. Key publications include 'Development and validation of an open-source four-pole electrical conductivity, temperature, depth sensor for in-situ water quality monitoring in an estuary' (Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 2023), 'Examining the downstream geomorphic impact of a large dam under climate change' (Catena, 2021), 'Air-photo based change in channel width in the Minnesota River basin: Modes of adjustment and implications for sediment budget' (Geomorphology, 2017), 'Morphodynamics and Sediment Tracers in 1-D (MAST-1D)' (Advances in Water Resources, 2016), and 'Modeling framework for sediment deposition, storage, and evacuation in the floodplain of a meandering river' (Water Resources Research, 2008). Awards include the Seattle University Bannan Chair of Engineering (2015-2017), Center for Environmental Justice and Sustainability Faculty Fellowship (2014-2015), Seattle University Global Engagement Grants (2016, 2018), Professional Development Grant (2010), Anderson Award from the University of Minnesota (2005), and Graduate School Fellowships (2002-2003, 2004-2005).