In mid-August the comprehensive Ph.D exams were passed by three members of the GeoSyntheSES Lab, Gabriel, Ramzi, and Megan, who are now advanced to Ph.D candidacy and beginning their dissertation field research. Each is initiating a highly original and important research endeavor that crystallizes their interests in sustainability and justice, and builds upon the ongoing work and areas of focus in the GeoSyntheSES Lab. Gabriel’s dissertation project is focused on “Agrobiodiversity Change in Drug War Landscapes (Mexico): Rethinking the Geographies of Vulnerability and Resilience.” Megan’s dissertation research is centered on “Irrigation megaprojects and the remaking of the internal frontier in Colombia: Water and soil governance in the Tolima valley”. The research project of Ramzi is addressing “Hydrosocial territories in the making: Peru’s Majes-Siguas inter-basin water transfer project in the age of Integrated Water Resources Management.”