Mentor: Linta Reji, Assistant Professor, Geophysical Sciences
Wael Kouki is a Geophysics major driven by a deep interest in understanding and addressing climate-related challenges through an interdisciplinary lens. His academic focus bridges geophysics, biology, and applied mathematics to model complex environmental systems. Kouki is especially drawn to extreme environments and the dynamic interplay between organic and inorganic systems that shape them.
This summer, Kouki worked on a project investigating how redox fluxes shaped microbial communities. This was done in the Calumet wetlands region, specifically between Big Marsh and Indian Ridge Marsh. He helped with the experimental design and wet lab work. Kouki also got to build incubators for soil cores that will be used in the experiment.
“The design I made for the incubators worked! And the lab continues to use it to this day. It made me realize that I do want to pursue a career in academia, specifically in earth science.”