A significant knowledge gap exists in understanding the post-fire soil chemical processes that lead to soil water repellency and, consequently, increase the risk of post-fire hazards such as floods and landslides. To help address this, DRI Associate Research Professor Vera Samburova and Postdoctoral Researcher Yan Wen were recently awarded a National Science Foundation grant to study the chemistry of post-fire soil water repellency. The research will address this knowledge gap by identifying the dominant organic chemical compounds and functional groups that cause post-fire soil water repellency. The three-year project began this month.