Janice Brahney [email protected]
As an environmental biogeochemist, I work at the intersection of the ecological and geological sciences. I combine field, analytical laboratory, and quantitative modeling methods to establish fluxes, transformations, and the fate of elements and compounds in the environment. These techniques are a powerful means to determine the complex drivers of environmental change, quantify the ecological impacts of land use, and determine the mechanisms underpinning ecosystem processes. The three main themes in my research are 1) vectors of material transport to aquatic ecosystems, 2) climate change effects in mountain environments, and 3) the cause, mitigation, and effect of water quality impairment. I am driven to conduct research that tests fundamental theories but also has societal relevance and can be translated into management action. Google Scholar Teaching: Limnology WATS 4500/6500 Biogeochemistry WATS 4110/6110 Aquatic Practicum WATS 4510 |
Postdoctoral Scholars
Juanma Gonzalez-Olalla
Juanma is a post doctoral researcher from Granada, Spain. Juanma graduated with a B.S. degree in Environmental Sciences and Master in Techniques and Sciences of water quality from the University of Granada. His interest in the important role of the microbial world in aquatic ecosystems led him to study how phytoplankton, and more concretely mixoplankton, is affected by the global change from an ecological and physiological perspective. Thus, he obtained his PhD in 2019 by the University of Granada (Spain) and Polytechnic University of Marche (Italy). Currently, he studies how increasing dust deposition can affect the metabolism and composition of primary producers, working with both lake samples and phytoplankton cultures, and trying to incorporate models that predict future responses. Out of the lab, Juanma loves to practice mountain biking and enjoy nature. |
Jeff Nielson
Jeff received a PhD in Environmental Science from Washington State University, an MS in Civil Engineering from University of Hawaii, and a BS in Civil Engineering from Utah State University. He is interested in research with high societal importance, seeking solutions to pressing issues, such as climate and land-use impacts, hazard risks, ecosystem restoration, or pollution. He specializes in applying mathematics, statistics, and models, to evaluate processes in natural and manufactured systems. Previously, he worked on projects to increase the sediment trapping efficiency of a dam in west Maui, improve the flow distribution and performance of water treatment equipment, track eDNA transport in small ponds, and understand complex influences of internal waves and turbulence on mixing in stratified waters. Currently, he is exploring how nutrients from dust deposition are moved through landscapes, and identifying drivers responsible for nutrient increases in aquatic systems. Website: https://jnielson.herokuapp.com |
Graduate Students
Khyla Johnson
Khyla is an MS student from Inwood, West Virginia. She received her BS in Biological Sciences from Marshall University in the spring of 2022. As an undergraduate, Khyla studied the effects of long-term prescribed fire treatments on the understory of Eastern mixed-oak forests. After graduating, Khyla briefly pursued work within the biomedical field; during this time, she helped to study both the effect of cannabinoids on pain tolerance and the addictive properties of opioids. Her love for both ecology and chemistry led her to Utah State, where her research project aims to identify the mechanism underlying microplastic disruption to soil carbon processes. When not pursuing science, Khyla enjoys backpacking and writing. |
Jerin TeKolste
Jerin is a PhD student from Roca, Nebraska. He received both his BS and MS from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), where he conducted research on diesel engine efficiencies and emissions under federal EPA emission standards. Jerin has worked for the Nebraska Natural Resource Districts, contributing to multiple surface and groundwater studies key to understanding the current conditions of the High Plains Aquifer. Before joining the Environmental Biogeochemistry & Paleolimnology Lab (EBPL) at Utah State University, Jerin worked in the UNL Plant Science Lab focusing on a variety of projects ranging from a plant physiology study under differing livestock grazing densities to an ecology and phenomics project investigating the western expansion of Eastern Red Cedars. His current project seeks to unravel the biogeochemical implications of increasing dust nutrient loads to remote areas and forests in the United States. Outside the academic realm, Jerin enjoys channeling his energy into tinkering on vehicles, savoring Middle Eastern cuisine, exploring waters through canoeing, and engaging in spirited ping pong matches that leave him working up an embarrassing sweat. |
Anna Shampain
Anna is a Ph.D. student working with Dr. Janice Brahney and Dr. Scott Hotaling. Her research focuses on impacts of melting glaciers on mountain freshwater systems with an emphasis on impacts to the aquatic food-web. Her research interests include biogeochemistry, freshwater ecology, and the fading cryosphere. Anna earned a MS in Ecology from Colorado State University and BS in Biology and Environmental Policy and Decision Making from the University of Puget Sound. She has also worked for the National Park Service’s Sierra Nevada Inventory and Monitoring Network and Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks on aquatic ecosystem monitoring and restoration projects in the High Sierra, as a biologist in the private sector, and for local-led environmental non-profits. In her free time, Anna enjoys running around the mountains, biking, fermenting veggies, and knitting. |
Adrienne Stanley
Adrienne is a PhD student from Colorado, where she got her bachelor’s degree in integrative physiology from the University of Colorado at Boulder. After obtaining her B.S. she spent several years working for state and federal agencies as well as private organizations in a wide range of environmental jobs. Finally deciding it was time to return to school she received her M.S. from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale looking at the effects of nutrient ratios on parasite host interactions in freshwater systems in 2023. This piqued her interest in the role biogeochemical cycles play in issues of water quality and ecosystem function. Her project in the Brahney lab looks at the divers of alpine lake eutrophication in the Wind River Range in Wyoming. When not at work Adrienne loves to backpack, bag peaks, rock hound, and spend time with her dog Summer. |
Molly Blakowski
Molly is a PhD student from Detroit, Michigan. She received her MS in Earth and Environmental Science from the University of Michigan in 2015, where her research was focused on using geochemical fingerprinting techniques to trace dust from source to sink in the McMurdo Sound sector of Antarctica and in several regions throughout the American West. She spent time working in the private sector and as a college instructor before joining the Brahney lab in 2019. Her project seeks to identify the spatial and temporal variability in dust composition, generation, and transport from the Great Salt Lake playa and assess the impact of these dusts on human health and agriculture. In addition to collecting dust, Molly enjoys hiking, reading, and being around water. |
Audree Provard
Audree graduated with a BS in Fisheries and Aquatic Science from Utah State University in 2019. She decided on this field of study because the more she learned about aquatic ecology, the more interested she became. She has enjoyed being involved in many aspects of the EBPL lab first as a research technician and now as a graduate student. She has worked on a paleolimnology project on Utah Lake, analyzed phytoplankton data from the Rio Grande river, had a major role in EBPL chemical and lab organization, and been a teacher's assistant for various classes Janice teaches. She has gained a love for teaching and an appreciation for proper lab techniques. Audree recently welcomed a new member of the family - baby Ren.
Audree graduated with a BS in Fisheries and Aquatic Science from Utah State University in 2019. She decided on this field of study because the more she learned about aquatic ecology, the more interested she became. She has enjoyed being involved in many aspects of the EBPL lab first as a research technician and now as a graduate student. She has worked on a paleolimnology project on Utah Lake, analyzed phytoplankton data from the Rio Grande river, had a major role in EBPL chemical and lab organization, and been a teacher's assistant for various classes Janice teaches. She has gained a love for teaching and an appreciation for proper lab techniques. Audree recently welcomed a new member of the family - baby Ren.
Undergraduate Students
Wyatt Fiander
Wyatt is an undergraduate student pursuing a degree in biology. He is from Tri-cities, Washington and is very interested in human health and biology, as well as environmental conservation. In the future, he wants to work in the field of human longevity. Outside of the lab he enjoys cooking, spending time with his dog and family, and drinking coffee. |
Natalie Turcsanski
Natalie is a research assistant and undergraduate student from Salt Lake City, Utah. Her love for the outdoors and biological systems and their inner workings led her to Logan to pursue a degree in biochemistry with a minor in sociology and biology. She began working as a research assistant in the EBLP May of 2023, just in time for fieldwork season! She has an interest in analytical chemistry and the role of atmospheric dust cycling in ecosystems. When she's not working or studying Natalie loves hiking, swimming, baking and breakfast food. |
Technicians
Abigail Toretsky
Abigail graduated from the University of Maryland in 2019 with a BS in Biological Sciences (Ecology and Evolution) and a minor in Spanish. She completed an undergraduate thesis on freshwater wetland hydrology in a biogeochemistry lab at UMD. After graduating, Abigail worked for the government and non-profits while living in Montana, Washington DC, Colorado, and now Utah! Abigail joined the EPBL lab in August 2023 and is excited to be back to biogeochemistry research. She is interested in watershed nutrient cycling and anthropogenic impact, and is currently working most with atmospheric dust. Outside of the lab, you can find her playing ultimate frisbee, hiking and camping, or working on a jigsaw puzzle. |
Eleni Robinson
Eleni is from Southern Illinois where she grew up exploring all the ecosystems that Little Egypt had to offer. She graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in 2019 with B.S. in Marine Biology B.S. Micro/Cell/Molecular/Biotechnology and Minor in Chemistry. Afterwards, Eleni spent a year learning analytical chemistry while working in the medical cannabis industry. Wanting to pursue a more broad environmental approach to analytical chemistry, Eleni completed her M.S in Zoology with a focus in aquatic toxicology at SIU in 2023. Looking to further add to their experience, the world of biogeochemistry and paleolimnology presented an opportunity for Eleni to continue to learn. In their freetime, Eleni is an avid hiker, biker, swimmer, artist and new skiier. |