Lovely to e-meet you, my name is
Samantha Hordyk
I'm a Computational Environmental Scientist, specializing in process-based modeling, geospatial analysis, and community-engaged climate solutions. In all of my work, whether through science, policy, or action, my aim is to help build a safer and more sustainable world.
About Me
I am a computational environmental scientist now working at the California Water Boards, where I support the Office of Information Management and Analysis. Before this role, I earned my Master's in Geophysics from Stanford where my research advanced our understanding of multiphase flow instabilities in earth systems (like methane release from melting permafrost) and basal dynamics of ice streams (how glaciers move over the ground) using direct numerical simulations and scientific programming. Other computational projects I've led range from building a spatial connectivity model of bee habitats in Seattle to machine learning predictions of debris flows in California.
Alongside my technical work, I have consistently pursued roles that connect science to the people it's meant to serve. As a Public Service Fellow at the Stanford Haas Center, I co-led an investigation of institutional barriers to equitable community-engaged scholarship, coordinating with university leadership, faculty, and environmental justice nonprofits to push for open data and acknowledgement standards when collaborating with community partners. With MIT's Environmental Solutions Initiative, I worked in the Rapid Response Group to identify and address urgent or overlooked environmental challenges with a high potential for impact, and my work included drafting a white paper on water access and ethical engagement in the Navajo Nation. Each of these roles reinforced a core conviction: that meaningful environmental progress requires not just better science, but better translation between research, policy, and the communities most affected.