Impact
Science should travel beyond academia.
Making coastal science understandable, accessible, and useful. I share my work through invited talks, public conversations, media, and outreach—connecting coastal research with the people who live with, manage, and care about our coasts.
Publish
My scholarship explores how wind, storms, people, and management shape beaches and dunes. I publish research that ranges from the fundamental processes that move individual grains of sand to the challenges of managing dynamic coastlines.
How does dune management influence what happens during - and after - a storm?
Managed coastal dunes and the role of slope in storm impact and recovery Harris, M.H. & Ellis, J.T. · Ocean & Coastal Management · 2025. This research examines how the shape of managed dunes affects storm impacts and subsequent recovery.
After a hurricane reshapes a dune, what does recovery actually look like?
Two years and two hurricanes later: Did the dunes recover? Ellis, J.T., Román-Rivera, M.A., Harris, M.E., Tereszkiewicz, P.A. · Shore & Beach · 2020. We followed a beach-dune system through two hurricanes to examine how dunes change and recover over time.
How closely are wind and moving sand connected through time?
Cross-wavelet analysis of coherent wind and saltation events Ellis, J.T. and Sherman, D.J. · Earth Surface Processes and Landforms · 2023. This work examines the complex relationship between turbulent winds and bursts of wind-blown sand transport.
View all publications → Google Scholar
Engage
Coastal Management
Connecting research with decisions about beaches and dunes.
I bring coastal science into real-world management conversations, particularly around beach-dune resilience, coastal hazards, and the ways management decisions shape dynamic shorelines.
California Ocean Protection Council Beaches and Dunes Expert Panel · 2024–2025 South Carolina Sea Grant Advisory Committee · 2024–present South Carolina Beach Advocates Technical Coordinator · 2021–2023
Coastal science is most useful when it connects with the people making decisions. I work with coastal managers, agencies, professional organizations, and communities to bring science into conversations about coastal resilience, management, and stewardship.
Professional Leadership
Leadership in science and higher education.
My leadership extends from the coastal science community to the university. Through professional organizations, editorial service, faculty governance, and graduate education, I work to strengthen the communities and institutions that support researchers, educators, and students.
Coastal Education and Research Foundation Board of Directors · 2021–present McCausland College of Arts and Sciences (USC) Secretary to the Faculty and Parliamentarian · 2025–present USC Graduate Education Interim Associate Dean, Graduate School · 2023–2024 Director, Presidential Fellows Program · 2020–2024
Science and Policy
Connecting coastal science with decisions.
My career has often taken me to the intersection of science and policy—from coastal management and resilience to conservation and federal science programs. I value opportunities to bring scientific evidence into conversations where decisions about coasts, communities, and resources are being made.
Science Advisor + Guidance for Emergencies (SAGE) U.S. Department of Homeland Security · 2024–present Science Advisor and Advocate The Nature Conservancy of South Carolina · 2013–2014 NOAA Sea Grant Knauss Marine Policy Fellow NASA Headquarters · 2005
Communicate
Making coastal science understandable, accessible, and useful. I believe good science should travel beyond academic journals. I share my work through invited talks, public conversations, media, and outreach - connecting coastal research with the people who live with, manage, and care about our coasts.
Selected Media Hurricane season starts June 1, Protecting the dunes could be as simple as vegetation” · Post & Courier · 2023 “Renowned researcher working to make South Carolina dunes more resilient” · WDPD ABC 15 · 2023 “Storms bring more than damaging winds, but that’s how they’re measured” · Post & Courier · 2022
Selected Talks Navigating uncertainty: Dynamic dune management amidst anthropogenic uncertainty · International Coastal Symposium · Doha · 2024 (keynote). Management challenges in the Dynamic Beach-Dune Environment · AAG · Denver · 2023 · R.J. Russell Award Lecture. Engineering with nature for coastal engineering purposes: An American perspective · Building Coastal Resilience · 2022 (keynote).
Sharing Science Widely I enjoy talking about science with audiences from coastal advocates and community groups to students and the media. Whether the conversation is about dunes, storms, coastal management, or the role of science in decision-making, my goal is the same: to make the science clear, relevant, and useful.