Brian Cowan, M.S., P.G. Email & Phone Number

United States

United States

Leading environmental compliance for utility-scale solar and battery storage projects. Manage assessments, permitting, and regulatory documentation to mitigate risks and ensure timely project approvals. Collaborate with internal teams, consultants, agencies, and NGOs to drive sustainable energy solutions while protecting natural resources.

Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas Area

Manage projects requiring complex consultations with multiple federal and state agencies. Evaluate environmental impacts to determine permitting and mitigation requirements. Prepare project scopes and budget with astute management to consistently deliver high-quality client services on-time and within budgetary constraints. Maintain high levels of customer satisfaction. Extensive experience with the Endangered Species Act Section 7, the Clean Water Act Section 404, and TCEQ Edwards Aquifer Rules, and additional NEPA documents. Position highlights► Coordinate field activities and assure surveys and data collection comply with federal and state regulations. ► Apply Project Management Principles (i.e. PMI/PMBOK methodology) to prioritize workloads and flows, solve complex technical issues, manage stakeholder expectations, and efficiently allocate resources.► Developed mobile device-based field data collection system that greatly increased reporting efficiency

Jackson School Of Geosciences

Conducted discussion sections/lectures weekly and field trips on the hydrology of the Edwards AquiferGraded student assignments and assisted with class assignments.

Environmental Science Institute

Coordinated grant from the National Science FoundationRecruited and hired graduate student fellows and K-12 teachersConducted workshops, meetings and field tripsTaught 5th & 7th grade science and developed original lessons that modeled the scientific method and incorporated elements of my thesis research into the classroom

Jackson School Of Geosciences

Collected and analyzed cave dripwater and calcite samplesMonitored cave-air CO2 concentrations in Central Texas tourist and wild cavesPresented findings at professional meetings.

Conducted vadose zone groundwater tracing; and designed, installed, and operated automated cave drip monitoring and sample collection systems. Collected and processed cave drip, spring, and storm runoff samples for chemical and dye analyses. Interpreted, reported, and presented findings to City of Austin staff and federal and state regulators. Position Highlights► Successfully devised and deployed a cost-effective & efficient water quality monitoring system for the City. ► Developed and constructed multiple monitoring systems collecting cave drip water samples in caves, every hour, for days at a time without the need for personnel to be present, saving significant time and monies. ► Participated in data collection and analysis for groundwater tracing projects in the Edwards Aquifer.

Collected surface water samples and performed laboratory analysesInstalled and monitored multiple piezometers in a shallow alluvial aquifer as part of a stream-groundwater interaction studyPresented findings at professional meetings.

M.S., Geology/Hydrogeology

Activities and Societies: Environmental Science Institute, NSF GK-12 Fellow

B.S., Geology

Activities and Societies: Sigma XiUndergraduate Research: Surface water/groundwater interaction beneath a Georgia Piedmont floodplain.