Associate ProfessorLeanne Morgan

I am interested in understanding how hydrologic systems function, specifically the groundwater component. My research areas include groundwater management, groundwater - surface water interaction and groundwater dynamics in coastal regions. I characterise field systems using various methods and parameters including pressure, conductivity and natural tracers. I test processes and perform sensitivity analyses using analytic, numeric and physical modelling.

I currently serve as Chair of the UC School of Earth and Environment Postgraduate Committee. Previously, I was Associate Editor for Hydrogeology Journal, the flagship journal of the International Association of Hydrogeologists (2019 to 2025), and served on the Marsden Earth Sciences and Astronomy panel (2022 to 2025).

My research is funded through the following MBIE Endeavour research programs:
* Subsurface processes in braided rivers - hyporheic exchange and leakage to groundwater (2019 - 2024, as a Principal Investigator)
* Transforming coastal lowland systems threatened by sea-level rise into prosperous communities (2021 - 2027, as a Principal Investigator)

* Derisking Carbon Dioxide Removal at Megatonne Scale in Aotearoa (2025 - 2030, as an Associate Investigator)