Nathan Lyons is a geomorphologist, a scientist that studies the processes and landforms at Earth’s surface. Nathan used his residency to bring together geologists and evolutionary biologists to begin a new research project. This group set out to test ideas of how the topography and fish in the Amazon River basin evolved together over the past several million years. By the end of the residency the group built a prototype of a computer model that they later used in their research and shared with their broader scientific communities.

Nathan studies the processes that control and are influenced by topography. His projects bridge disciplines beyond geomorphology, including sedimentology, tectonics, evolutionary biology, and human-environment interactions. Ultimately, his research aims to tackle aspects of natural hazards, biodiversity decline, and environmental degradation.