Departmental Unit № 1
Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences (DEEPS)
PhD in Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences
100% Full Funding Guaranteed (5 Years)
Funding Package: Guaranteed full tuition waiver + 12-month living stipend (~$45,000/yr) + comprehensive health and dental insurance for 5 years through Brown University Fellowships.
Fall Priority Deadline: January 1
GRE Policy: Not required / Waived
English Minimums: TOEFL iBT 90 minimum or IELTS 7.0 minimum
ScM in Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences (En route)
N/A
Funding Reality: Brown DEEPS admits applicants directly to the fully-funded PhD program.
Application Deadline: N/A
Admissions Advisory: If full funding is required and MS is self-funded, students are strongly advised to apply directly to the PhD track.
Vetted Matched Scholars (2 Profiles)
Prof. Laurence C. Smith
John Atwater and Diana Nelson Professor of Environmental Studies and DEEPS
In Plain Terms · What This Scholar Does:
He is a global leader in space satellite hydrology with NASA, using space radars to measure the water levels, flow speed, and flood danger of every major river on Earth.
Core Research Topics: Satellite hydrology, NASA SWOT satellite mission, river surface water hydraulics, Arctic river discharge, drone remote sensing, flood inundation.
Recent 2024–2026 Works & Grants: World leader in spaceborne river hydrology; Science Team Lead for NASA's Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite mission. Discovered how satellite radar and optical imagery can estimate river water discharge, flood pulse velocity, and surface water storage for every river on Earth wider than 50 meters.
Laboratory Instruments & Methods: NASA SWOT satellite data, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), UAV drone remote sensing, hydrodynamic river modeling, Google Earth Engine, Python.
Recruiting Context: Premier leader in satellite remote sensing of water resources. Direct 100% alignment with candidate's background!
Candidate Match:
Remote SensingHydrologyFlood ModelingGISGeographyPython
Tailored Cold-Email Opening Hook:
"Referencing his leadership on the NASA SWOT satellite mission for river discharge and surface water hydrology, presenting your GIS, remote sensing, and hydrological modeling background."
Prof. Meredith G. Hastings
Professor of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences; Deputy Director, IBES
In Plain Terms · What This Scholar Does:
She uses chemical isotopes in the laboratory like a fingerprint scanner, tracing air and water pollution back to the exact power plants or farmlands that emitted them.
Core Research Topics: Atmospheric environmental chemistry, reactive nitrogen pollution, acid rain and watershed deposition, isotope geochemistry, environmental wet-lab testing.
Recent 2024–2026 Works & Grants: Deputy Director of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society (IBES). Uses stable isotopic analysis of nitrogen and oxygen to trace how vehicle emissions and farm fertilizer chemicals pollute the air, dissolve into rainwater, and poison watersheds.
Laboratory Instruments & Methods: Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry (IRMS), chemical water and aerosol sampling, wet-lab analytical chemical extraction, GIS spatial deposition maps.
Recruiting Context: Deputy Director of Brown's environmental institute. Exceptional match for students with laboratory water and environmental testing backgrounds.
Candidate Match:
Environmental PollutionLab Water TestingWater QualityEnvironmental Science
Tailored Cold-Email Opening Hook:
"Connecting your BSc wet-lab experience in water and pollutant testing with her research on isotopic tracing of environmental contaminant deposition."