Kamini Singha


Kamini Singha is a Professor in the department of Geology and Geological Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines, where she works on questions related to hydrogeology.

Early life and education

Singha was born in New York. Her father was a student at Cornell University, and her mother was a travel agent. The family moved to West Virginia soon after Singha's birth, and she spent most of her early childhood there. When she was 12, the family relocated to Connecticut for her father's work. She became interested in geoscience in her senior year of high school, when a physics teacher and a family friend encouraged her to pursue a degree in geophysics. Singha attended the University of Connecticut and graduated with honors in 1999 with a bachelor's degree in geophysics. She went on to earn her PhD in hydrogeology from Stanford University in 2005. For her dissertation, she researched inexpensive methods of observing and predicting the movement of groundwater contaminants.

Career and research

From 1997 to 2000, Singha worked at the United States Geological Survey Branch of Geophysics. After graduating from Stanford University, she became an assistant and then associate professor in the Department of Geosciences at Pennsylvania State University from 2005 to 2012. During this time, Singha also served as the Chair of the American Geophysical Union Hydrogeophysics Technical Committee from 2009 to 2012. In 2012, Singha began as an associate professor of Geology and Geological Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. Additionally, she served as the associate director of the Hydrologic Science and Engineering Program from 2014 to 2016 and continues to teach at Colorado School of Mines today. Singha is known for her work in hydrogeology, specifically for her research developing methods to quantifying processes controlling subsurface contaminant transport. Her other research foci include examining groundwater-surface water exchange and how water infiltrates into the vadose zone or through fractures in the earth.

Publications

Singha's most notable contributions to the field of hydrogeology include her research that uses geophysical imaging to determine how water move through the subsurface. One of her most cited publications explores using electrical resistivity tomography to observe the movement of a saline tracer between four wells. Another well cited publication of hers examines the intersection of geophysics and hydrology and how methods from these disciplines can be combined to further understand subsurface processes. She has received funding from the NSF for several of her research projects. One recent project worked to address the knowledge gap on how water stored in the subsurface influences the balance between evapotranspiration and groundwater recharge. One current project is examining how river ecosystems respond to logjam disturbances, specifically in terms of how groundwater and surface water exchange and, thus, how water quality is affected. Her most cited publications are as follows:
Singha also pursues a number of community outreach initiatives. Since 2014, Singha worked as a research mentor at Research Experiences in Solid Earth Science for Students, an organization working to provide undergraduate students research opportunities and support, specifically students from underrepresented groups in the geosciences. She also started a program called Mining for Talent at Colorado School of Mines. The program, funded by the National Science Foundation, provides high school students from Alameda International Junior/Senior High School the opportunity to learn more about geoscience and visit a college campus.

Awards and honors

In her free time, Singha enjoys activities that allow her to be outside, such as mountain biking, skiing, and climbing, and also likes to travel. Singha is also an online reverend with the Universal Life Church, which allows her to officiate weddings.