Ajay B. Limaye 🔊
B.A., Geophysics, UC-Berkeley (2007)
Ph.D., Planetary Sciences, Caltech (2015)
Ajay B. Limaye is an Associate Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Virginia. He studies the evolution of landscapes on Earth and other planets, focusing on the role of rivers. Current research topics include river forms, dynamics and deposits; landscape and sedimentary records of climate on Mars and Titan; and feedbacks between landslides and ecology in central Virginia. Tools for this work include remote sensing, geospatial analysis, numerical modeling and laboratory experiments. Limaye is a recipient of the National Science Foundation’s CAREER Award.
Email: [email protected] | CV | Google Scholar | LinkedIn
Graduate & Undergraduate Students
Sophia Wood
B.A., Penn State Univ. (2025)
Sophia is a 1st-year Ph.D. student whose research focuses on ancient fluvial sediments on Mars. [Website]
Vidushi Sharma
M.S., Panjab Univ. Chandigarh, India (2020)
Vidushi is a 4th-year Ph.D. candidate whose thesis focuses on spatial trends in valley morphology. [LinkedIn]
Gabriela Birardi
B.A., Lehigh Univ. (2023)
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Audrey Yin
Undergraduate student
Audrey is a double-major in environmental sciences and computer science. Here thesis research through Distinguished Majors Program focuses on pattern formation in layered ice deposits on Mars. [LinkedIn]
Julia Lynn
Undergraduate student
Julia is an environmental sciences and astrophysics major. In her thesis for the Distinguished Majors Program, Julia is characterizing controls on seasonal dust storms on Mars, in collaboration with researchers at NASA-JPL. [LinkedIn]
Past group members
Undergraduate students (Distinguished Majors Program only):
Medha Prakash (B.A., 2023), now Graduate student, Univ. Texas at Austin
Thesis: Morphometric comparisons of terrestrial eskers and Martian ridges reveal pathways of persistent meltwater drainage
Victoria Thompson (B.A., 2024), now Graduate student, Duke Univ.
Thesis: Numerical modeling of the effect of variable wind direction on migration of sand dunes at Jockey’s Ridge, North Carolina
Graduate students:
Jake Smith (M.S., 2022), now at Apex Clean Energy (Charlottesville, VA)
Thesis: Comparison of hydrologic algorithms for mapping valleys using digital elevation models
Ariana Flournoy (M.S., 2024), now at Washington Geological Survey
Thesis: Martian alluvial fans: Comparing fan and catchment areas a proxy for paleoclimate
Yuan Li (Ph.D., 2024), now postdoctoral researcher, Dept. of Earth Sciences, Indiana Univ.
Thesis: Lateral migration of alluvial river channels
Abby Ackerman (M.S., 2025)
Thesis: Effects of debris flow disturbance on vegetation, soils, and topography in a steep landscape in central Virginia
Postdoctoral researchers:
Hongbo Ma (2021), now Assistant Professor, Dept. of Civil and Hydraulic Engineering, Univ. of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Youwei Wang (2022-2025), now Research Scientist, Chinese Academy of Sciences