Maxwell Cunningham

I am a geomorphologist, and in this capacity I use digital elevation data and satellite imagery to deduce large-scale patterns of landscape evolution. Geomorphology is in a phase of radical transformation due to the increasing availability of remote sensing data. I am excited by questions that leverage these data to probe foundational assumptions about how the climate, tectonics, and erosion interact during mountain building. Driving questions for me include: 1) How have Pleistocene glacial-interglacial cycles influenced the rate and pattern of erosion in mountains around the world, particularly at tropical latitudes? 2) What is the topographic signature of drainage capture, and what role does drainage rearrangement play in long-term landscape evolution? 3) How can glacier records help parse out the mechanisms that drive glacial cycles?