Watering Curiosity: Hydrologist Andres Sanchez joins Environmental Studies faculty

Water has always played a prominent role in Andres Sanchez’s life.

He grew up between the Ecuadorian Andes and Amazon Basin, in a region that averages about 200 inches of rainfall per year. The always-green surroundings gave him a lifelong interest in the environment, and Sanchez brought his passion for the planet to USC when he joined the Dornsife Environmental Studies Program (ENST) as a teaching postdoc in fall 2022. This semester, he became the program’s newest faculty member as a lecturer in environmental studies.

In his teens, Sanchez moved to Quito, Ecuador’s capital, to earn a degree in environmental engineering. While most of his classmates were planning to work in industry or for government offices, Sanchez knew from the start that he wanted to be a researcher.

He didn’t find his focus, however, until after he’d graduated, when he returned to the Andes for a research project studying the effects of climate change on glaciers. Camping on the ice for days at a time, Sanchez installed scientific instruments and collected ice samples every hour.

“It was tough, but it really got my attention,” he says. “I wanted to learn more about how the water moved under the surface. It really sparked my curiosity.”

The principal investigator on the Andean project saw potential in Sanchez and encouraged him to email a colleague at the University of Arizona (UAZ) about graduate studies. The connection led to a place in the colleague’s hydrology lab, and Sanchez found himself on the way to the U.S. to earn his Ph.D.

At UAZ, Sanchez became a specialist in the geochemistry of catchment areas. These are the locations from which rainfall drains into lakes, rivers, and other large bodies of water. He developed a particular interest in issues related to climate change, such as the recharge of groundwater and the effects of wildfire on runoff.

But hydrology wasn’t the only subject Sanchez studied at the University of Arizona. As Ph.D. students often do, he taught undergraduate courses to help pay his way–but instead of earth sciences, he taught Spanish. He enjoyed the subject so much that he decided to earn a master’s degree in linguistics alongside his hydrology Ph.D.

“It gave me an opportunity that graduate students don’t usually have in the earth sciences. Having that experience in the humanities really helped me learn how to communicate my ideas, how to be more helpful in class, and how to engage the students,” Sanchez says.

Through his time spent in the classroom, Sanchez realized how much he enjoyed teaching undergraduates. As a fieldwork leader for earth sciences students, he also uncovered a passion for mentoring undergraduate students in research. The two interests together are what drew him to ENST, an undergraduate-oriented program where faculty and postdocs focus primarily on teaching and mentoring.

Sanchez’s first project as a new faculty member is to refine ENST 320a, which focuses on soil and water sustainability. The course is required for all ENST majors, but students previously had to travel to the Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island if they wanted to complete a hands-on lab for the course. Sanchez spent his postdoc creating a mainland-based ENST 320a lab, so that all ENST students can now get research experience as part of the course. He helped run lab sections in spring 2023 and will now also teach the course itself, so that he can optimize the entire educational package for students.

“Some of our students may not pursue a research career, but my vision is to motivate them to be curious about the environment, to question things they see, and to generate ideas. It’s a well-rounded education and makes them more competitive in the job market, knowing how to determine where the data is coming from, analyze the information, and present the results,” Sanchez says.

Inspired by the lab where he studied at UAZ, Sanchez also has a vision for inclusive mentoring. UAZ is a federally recognized Hispanic-Serving Institution, meaning that at least 25 percent of the university’s student body identifies as Hispanic/Latinx. Sanchez’s Ph.D. advisor also valued diversity, bringing in graduate students from around the world. That environment helped Sanchez overcome feelings that he didn’t belong in science. Now, he wants to pay it forward.

“I really want to encourage students who feel like they don’t fit in certain places. I want to assure them that they do fit. I was lucky to be part of a group that was really inclusive, but I have seen and learned that’s not the case everywhere, especially in earth sciences, so I really want to embrace that in my field,” Sanchez says.

Down the road, he hopes to develop ENST courses on hydrology, and he’s currently planning to return to the Andes to continue his research on glaciers and climate change. Though environmental studies can sometimes be an emotionally challenging field, with the effects of climate change intensifying by the day, Sanchez still has hope for the future.

“Research is being done to understand how ecosystems change when disturbances happen. That really brings me hope, because we’re doing something to overcome those issues,” Sanchez says. “And knowing that there are young people who are curious and want to embrace that path–that also brings me hope, knowing that I’m going to be part of the mentoring group that’s going to help the future as we answer these big questions we have about climate and our environment.”