Meet the PI

Mary (she/her) is a postdoctoral scholar interested in restoration and plant community ecology. She graduated with a Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles in October 2023, where she studied how changes in water availability affect competition and coexistence in an annual grassland, in Dr. Nathan Kraft’s lab. She has joined the Dryland Ecology and Management lab to work on climate adaptive restoration strategies using functional trait-based approaches. In her free time Mary enjoys hiking, biking, watching NBA basketball, weaving, and hanging out with her dog Bambam. Email Mary | Website

Amy (she/her) is a Ph.D. student interested in restoration ecology focusing on plant recruitment and understanding socio-ecological factors of restoration. Amy graduated from the University of Arizona (UA) with an MS in Rangeland Sciences where she was supported by the Fulbright Foreign Degree Program. Her MS thesis research focused on using a community assembly filter model as a platform to explore grassland restoration. Amy’s dissertation research at CSU focuses on restoration, seed mix design, invasive species management, and social aspects of ecological restoration. In her spare time, Amy enjoys watching movies, cooking, hanging out with friends over chai, and calling her family! Email Amy

Ember (she/her) is a PhD student interested in restoration ecology, environmental justice, and the food-energy-water systems (FEWS) nexus. Ember graduated from University of Michigan with her M.S. in Conservation Ecology and Environmental Justice in 2022, where she studied food web dynamics and agroecosystem resilience in Dr. Ivette Perfecto's lab. She is supported by an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, and is a trainee in the InTERFEWS Graduate Program at CSU. Ember’s doctoral research explores climate-adaptive restoration strategies using the RestoreNet framework in Southwestern Colorado and long-term monitoring of restoration plots in the Piceance Basin. Ember also works as a birth doula and crisis advocate. In her spare time, Ember enjoys walking with her partner and their dog, knitting, gardening, and sitting in the sunshine. Email Ember

Emily (she/her) is a PhD student interested in community engaged restoration ecology. Emily holds an undergraduate degree in Geography and Environmental Studies from the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada. She is particularly interested in climate adapted restoration in arid environments. Her research will focus on innovative seeding techniques to improve germination and establishment of native plant communities in collaboration with the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe in Southwest Colorado. Prior to joining the Dryland Ecology and Management Lab at CSU, Emily worked with various nonprofits across the Western U.S. in the conservation field. When she isn’t working, Emily can be found doing pottery, gardening, cooking, playing with her puppy, Fiddle, and enjoys nearly all outdoor activities. Email Emily

Nora (she/her) is a Ph.D. student studying restoration ecology, with a particular interest in the role of plant and soil relationships in rangeland restoration. Nora graduated from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with an MS in Environmental Sciences and Management where she studied plant and soil interactions. Her thesis was on biocrust plant relationships in arid California grasslands and the role of management and soil physical properties in restoration outcomes in California coastal rangelands. Nora’s doctoral research at CSU focuses on trait-based approaches to restoration in arid landscapes throughout the Western United States. In her spare time, Nora enjoys looking at flowers, skiing, hiking, and hanging out with her cat Fat Max. Email Nora

Abbie (she/her) is a Ph.D. student interested in the community ecology of disturbed plant communities. She graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2023 with bachelor's degrees in plant biology and environmental studies. Before grad school, Abbie did restoration work in Arches and Yosemite National Parks. Her research will look at using plant functional traits to facilitate forb restoration in Colorado drylands. In her spare time, Abbie enjoys finding new coffee shops, crocheting, and exploring the outdoors.

Jax (they/them) is an undergraduate majoring in Restoration Ecology and Ethnic Studies. They are working in the lab as a CSU Undergraduate Chevron Fellow exploring using plant functional traits to improve native forb restoration. Their future goals are to go to graduate school and then to work with Indigenous communities on bringing back important cultural and ecological sites.