As a Sediment Routing Systems Researcher, Dr. Jenn Pickering currently holds the position of Research Assistant Professor at CAESER within the Herff College of Engineering. After earning a Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from Vanderbilt University for research in the Bengal Delta, she spent five years as a Research Geoscientist at Shell International Exploration and Production, addressing challenges related to sedimentary basins and reservoirs worldwide. Her return to academia in 2021 led her to the University of Kansas, where she served as a Senior Research Associate, focusing on the Brahmaputra River source-to-sink system and the paleodrainage of the Mississippi River.

In 2022, Dr. Pickering joined the University of Memphis, continuing her work in the Ganges-Brahmaputra and Mississippi River systems, which share physiographic commonalities that play a crucial role in controlling groundwater flow and contaminant distribution. A significant aspect of her work involves guiding graduate students in characterizing the shallow subsurface to benefit modeling efforts, and they employ a variety of sedimentology, stratigraphy, and geophysical techniques. She is also working to establish the Mississippi Embayment Research Center (MERC), an emerging regional geologic sample repository and lab facility housed at the UofM Millington campus. Through this initiative, she aims to advance sedimentary research capabilities in the mid-south and contribute to the broader scientific community, including in the areas of groundwater management, seismic hazards, paleoenvironmental studies, and natural resource mining.

Dr. Pickering holds an honorary professorship at Bangladesh Open University for work on Himalayan-sourced megafloods and their geomorphic impacts in the Bengal Delta. She also holds a 72-hour Permaculture Design certification, including additional training in Advanced Social Systems Design, through the Permaculture Women’s Guild and Permaculture Association.