Dr. Alex Forrest has over 20 years of experience working with autonomous robotics as data collection platforms to address environmental issues. With a background in Civil and Environmental Engineering, his research examines the influence lakebed and seafloor features have on localized hydrodynamic flow and uses acoustic mapping techniques and environmental fluid mechanics to interpret the dynamics of a system. From the Arctic to the Antarctic, he has worked on a range of problems specifically focused on the effects of warming climates. More locally, he applies his expertise to issues affecting water quality and ecosystem health in Lake Tahoe and other Sierra lakes (e.g. sedimentation, invasive species, etc). The work he and his lab do is now being applied to regional problems in places farther afield such as Canada and Spain. The main focus of his teaching at UC Davis will be environmental fluid mechanics at the undergraduate and graduate level.