MEDS 2022
Pronouns: he/him
Bio
Ryan Munnikhuis (RYE-awn MEW-nikh-HAOUSE; he/him) graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz, in 2017 with a Bachelor of Science in Earth Science with a Concentration in Environmental Geology. Mr. Munnikhuis’s undergraduate education provided him a foundational understanding of the interactions between the biological, physical, and geologic processes. His senior capstone project utilized geospatial data to identify active faults and the extent of glacial moraines in Eastern Sierra Nevada to better understand the region’s complex Quaternary geologic history.
Since graduating, Mr. Munnikhuis has worked as a forester and environmental analyst. As a forester, he has worked on various fire-related projects, including a community wildfire plan for Santa Barbara, a fuel reduction program for the County of Fresno, and a post-fire hazard tree assessment in Big Basin State Park. As an environmental analyst, he has assessed geologic, hydrologic, air quality, and greenhouse gas-related impacts of projects throughout California, such as a seismic dam retrofit in Merced County, a quarry restoration in San Diego County, and various large-scale developments.
As a Bren MEDS student, Mr. Munnikhuis hopes to integrate his background with data science to better model and predict large-scale ecological and morphological changes resulting from climate change.