Meet our team!
Principal Investigator
Dr. Natasha Sekhon [say-kho] is an Assistant Professor of Geology at Occidental College. Natasha received her B.Sc. from the University of California, Irvine, followed by a M.Sc. and Ph.D. from the Institute for Geophysics and Department of Geological Sciences at the University of Texas, Austin, respectively. She was a postdoctoral researcher at Brown Univerisity as a Voss Postdoc Research Associate and Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow. Dr. Sekhon studies changes in the hydroclimate cycle through time using stable isotope and trace element geochemistry. In her free time, Natasha enjoys attending live performances, dancing, climbing or immersing herself in new cultures and languages! Download CV to make hyperlinks work.
*Dr. Sekhon is on her pre-tenure Early Career Sabbatical for AY26/27 and will not be accepting any new students.*
Current Members
Street Senan ('27)
Street has been working on their own project in the WICK Lab since Summer 2025 as a SRP fellow. They are working on a stalagmite sample that grew through the last deglaciation in the Philippines. When Street is not in the lab they like to get outside by hiking, skiing, and rock climbing. Street also loves listening to music while reading in the sun, and cooking new recipes with loved ones! You can connect with Street on their Linkedin.
Quetzalli Feria-Galicia ('27)
Quetzalli is using rain water samples from Punjab, NW India to analyze pre-monsoon and monsoon precipitation during the Indian Summer Monsoon for stable isotopes. Her research will contribute to the ongoing scientific research on tropical cloud microphysics with the ultimate goal of understanding the past and future of the Indian Summer Monsoon.
As an Indigenous Chicana, Quetzalli’s work is driven by her connection to and respect for the Earth. She hopes to become a liaison between Indigenous communities and geologists, using two different forms of knowledge to mitigate climate change. In her free time Quetzalli enjoys crocheting, singing karaoke with friends, and taking her sassy dog to the beach.
Ginny Tomlinson ('28)
Ginny is a rising Junior majoring in Group Languages with a focus on Linguistics and Japanese and a Geology minor. She is interested in the relationship between the environment and human culture. In Summer 2026, Ginny assisted Dr. Sekhon in the Philippines for two weeks through the Faculty-Lead Richter Research program. The field expedition allowed the WICK Lab to check on instruments and collect new surface and river water samples to better understand the watershed dynamics between the surface and subsurface and groundwater and seawater. As an SRP Summer 2026 Fellow, Ginny is working on creating a local climate record from a stalagmite sample collected in the northeast Philippines.
In her free time, Ginny enjoys rugby, ultimate frisbee, making art and eating great food with friends. You can connect with Ginny on her Linkedin.
James Buellesbach ('28)
James is a rising Junior majoring in Biology with a minor in Geology. He is working Dr. Shana Goffredi from the Symbioxys lab and Dr. Sekhon to examine the diversity of microbial communities through carbonate karst cave systems. In Summer 2026, James travelled with Dr. Sekhon to the Philippines for two weeks through the Faculty-Lead Richter Research program. James collected water samples from the surface and subsurface to investigate relationships between microbes and trace elements in cave systems. As an SRP Summer 2026 Fellow, James will continue his geomicrobiology research to uncover how life persists in the subterreanean world.
When not working with bacteria and rocks, James can often be found on the track as a member of the Occidental college Track and Field team. Besides running, James spends his free time reading, listening to music and wearing mismatched socks.
Past Members
Grace Meadows ('25)
Grace worked in the WICK Lab as a SRAP student to investigate the relationship between Southern Paiute people and karst landscapes in the Mojave Desert. They presented their results at the GSA Conference, Anaheim, CA with a talk in the Human Dimensions of Geoheritage session.
Mira Hart ('26)
Mira completed an Honors Senior Comp project in the WICK Lab! Her project involved reconstructing the paleoclimate geochemistry of two stalagmites from the Philippines that grew over Heinrich Stadials 2 - 4. She is working on turning her comps project into a peer-reviewed manuscript with Dr. Sekhon and collaborators. Mira is now pursuing a Masters Degree in Earth Sciences at Dartmouth College. You can connect with Mira on her Linkedin.
Alex Witten ('26)
Alex worked with Dr. Sekhon on multiple projects from exploring pre- and post- KNP Complex fire burn severity in carbonate watersheds in SEKI NP to using satellite imagery and machine learning techniques to explore caves in northwest India. The latter project is in collaboration with postdoctoral scholar, Dr. Maggie Furtner at the National Cave and Karst Research Institute and Dr. Sumit Sagwal at the National Centre for Earth Science Studies. Stay tuned for results!
Alex is back in San Diego working with San Diego University on coastal conservation projects as a summer intern. You can connect with Alex on his Linkedin.
Christopher Cronk ('26)
Christopher worked in the WICK Lab on an interdisplinary project with Prof. Amy Holmes-Tagchungdarpa to characterize the geochemistry and cultural significance of soils from Sikkim. Christopher will be presenting results at the upcoming INQUA Congress 2027. He is also working with Solvej to turn the project into a peer-reviewed manuscript.
Solvej Lee ('26)
Solvej worked in the WICK Lab on an interdisplinary project with Prof. Amy Holmes-Tagchungdarpa to characterize the geochemistry and cultural significance of soils from Sikkim. Solvej is working with Christopher and collaborators to turn the data into a paper for peer-review publication.
Reyli Rameriz ('27)
Reyli joined the WICK Lab as a Research Early Access Program (REAP) student in Summer 2024. Reyli worked to help set up the lab with Dr. Sekhon. The WICK Lab logo was created by Reyli!
Mae Stone ('27)
Mae worked in the WICK Lab as a Directed Research student in Fall 2024. Her project involved constructing watersheds in ArcGIS for karst landscapes in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park.
Jivleen Parmar ('27)
Jivleen worked as a Directed Research student in the WICK Lab during Fall 2025. She assissted Dr. Sekhon with setting up the lab's Picarro instrument for analyses.