Johanna Eidmann

Hello! I am a Senior Data Scientist at ChampionX Emission technologies, primarily working on the SOOFIE continuous monitoring system. As a geoscientist, I learned to approach my research creatively and from different perspectives (remote sensing using satellite data to field work), but also have explored research in terms of short- and long time scales. At ChampionX I am applying my creative problem-solving skills with my background of particle transport to better understand the movement of methane particles in the atmosphere. I embrace the growth mindset and am always looking to build upon and learn new skills!

During my M.S. and Ph.D., I gained experience conducting data analysis on large and disparate data sets. It was through a diverse breadth of projects that I became adept in data analysis, statistical analysis, remote sensing, and data visualization. Please visit the Projects page to find out more about the things that I have worked on.

Background

I was born in Germany and grew up in the Boston area. Much of my time was spent running–participating in road races (since the 3rd grade), and competing in both High School and College cross country. But my favorite way to decompress is through playing the viola. I initially started on the violin, but migrated towards the deeper tones of the viola later on. In high school I was part of the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, where we embarked on a European summer tour and even got to perform the Dvorak Cello Concerto with Yo-Yo Ma.

I spent my college years exploring the geology of the Berkshires at Williams College in Western Massachusetts. However, I also managed to explore Geology across the world, taking part in a field course that traveled across the United States (a camping roadtrip from Pennsylvania to Montana), studying abroad at ETH Zurich in Switzerland, and performing undergrad thesis research in Svalbard, Norway (funded through the NSF/REU and Keck Consortium). My passion for geology has always been rooted in a concern for and interest in the environment. In addition to geology, I majored in Environmental Policy, as I believe that a better understanding of U.S. and international policies is necessary to make effective changes to environmental issues.

In the years after college, I worked at Geosyntec Consultants–an environmental consulting firm– working to remediate contaminated land. Projects brought me to New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Maine. One particular project along the Penobscot River in Bangor, Maine sparked an interest in sediment transport and modeling that I decided to explore further.

In 2016 I moved to Fort Collins to pursue my M.S. degree at Colorado State University. During my degree, I worked alongside the City of Longmont to better inform them of the post-flood sediment dynamics of their drinking water reservoir. My research allowed them to understand how snowmelt affected sediment input to the reservoir, and how reservoir management activities impacted this sediment remobilization within the reservoir.

Throughout my Ph.D. research I sought to enhance my coding and analytical skills of large data sets. For my research I traveled to Puerto Rico, initially with the goal of better predicting hurricane-induced landsliding. As the COVID-19 pandemic hit, however, the ability to do fieldwork became quite limited. This led me to take a step back and look at the bigger picture of landscape dynamics in Puerto Rico. As a result, I dove into analysis of remote sensing imagery to extract channel measurements (in particular bedrock river width) to better understand landscape-scale differences in the rivers that shape the landscape. Through this research I developed my own new method of channel width extraction, automating the extraction process through creating a routine (comprised of coding, data visualization, and a series of functions or subroutines), and explained the process through a comprehensive User Manual. Having developed this process, I then extracted the channel width at 1-meter resolution from >10,000 locations across the entire island of Puerto Rico (3,500 square miles)!

In 2023 I joined ChampionX Emissions Technologies (formally Scientific Aviation) as a Data Scientist, and am now stepping into the role of a Senior Data Scientist. Throughout my time at ChampionX, I have designed and led our first on-site controlled releases, analyzed our detection and quantification capabilities through experiments, and created a method that enables one to visually identify the most likely source on a site. In addition, I have created a stand-alone algorithm that allows the client to incorporate site-specific characteristics (i.e. source location, roads, buildings) with local wind information, and the desired time to detection, to determine the ideal quantity and placement of sensors at a site to suit the client’s desired detection capabilities. As part of the Research and Development team, I have sought to expand on the use of the SOOFIE sensors beyond midstream oil & gas applications, and have worked on applications including wastewater treatment, landfill, and abandoned wells. Driven by a passion for the environment, I find it deeply rewarding to work directly at the intersection of policy and the industry in an effort to help reduce society’s overall methane output. Each leak we identify brings us one step closer to lowering our greenhouse gas footprint.

Fun Facts About Me