Principal Investigator
Nate Swenson
Martin J. Gillen Director of the University of Notre Dame Environmental Research Center
Professor of Biology
CV
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Martin J. Gillen Director of the University of Notre Dame Environmental Research Center
Professor of Biology
CV
Google Scholar
Postdoctoral Researchers
Mengmeng Lu
Mengmeng is a tree genomicist and bioinformatician. She joined the lab from Sam Yeaman's group at Calgary and previously obtained her Ph.D. at Texas A&M with Carol Loopstra. Mengmeng is collaborating on our Dimensions of Biodiversity project and, hopefully, will be enjoying working with relatively small angiosperm genomes.
website
Mengmeng is a tree genomicist and bioinformatician. She joined the lab from Sam Yeaman's group at Calgary and previously obtained her Ph.D. at Texas A&M with Carol Loopstra. Mengmeng is collaborating on our Dimensions of Biodiversity project and, hopefully, will be enjoying working with relatively small angiosperm genomes.
website
Yanni Chen
Yanni is a plant biologist interested in integrating phylogenetic and transcriptomic information into studies of vegetation dynamics. She joined the lab after completing her Ph.D. at Texas Tech University.
Yanni is a plant biologist interested in integrating phylogenetic and transcriptomic information into studies of vegetation dynamics. She joined the lab after completing her Ph.D. at Texas Tech University.
Ph.D. Students
Vanessa Rubio-Ramos
Vanessa did her undergrad training at the Universidad de los Andes in Bogota, Colombia where she earned bachelor's degrees in Environmental Engineering as well as Biology. Her field work is conducted in the Amacayacu Forest Dynamics Plot in the Colombian Amazon and is focused on the functional ecology, demography and dynamics of seedling and adult communities.
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Vanessa did her undergrad training at the Universidad de los Andes in Bogota, Colombia where she earned bachelor's degrees in Environmental Engineering as well as Biology. Her field work is conducted in the Amacayacu Forest Dynamics Plot in the Colombian Amazon and is focused on the functional ecology, demography and dynamics of seedling and adult communities.
Google Scholar
Damani Eubanks
Damani did his undergrad work at the University of Rochester. He is interested in tropical tree ecology, genetics and conservation. Damani is a native of Maryland and coming back to reasonable weather for his Ph.D.
Damani did his undergrad work at the University of Rochester. He is interested in tropical tree ecology, genetics and conservation. Damani is a native of Maryland and coming back to reasonable weather for his Ph.D.
Logan Monks
Logan did his undergrad work at Arizona State University. After graduating he worked in Viet Nam and returned to begin graduate school. He is interested in the physiological, hyperspectral and transcriptomic responses of trees to drought.
Logan did his undergrad work at Arizona State University. After graduating he worked in Viet Nam and returned to begin graduate school. He is interested in the physiological, hyperspectral and transcriptomic responses of trees to drought.
Debit Datta
Debit is originally from Bangladesh and completed his M.Sc. at Auburn. He is focused on tree population dynamics and health.
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Debit is originally from Bangladesh and completed his M.Sc. at Auburn. He is focused on tree population dynamics and health.
Google Scholar
Undergraduate Researchers
Hunter Gonzalez
Hunter's research has focused on the spatial distribution of heart rot in tree species at the University of Notre Dame Environmental Research Center (UNDERC). His work has utilized trees in the UNDERC Forest Dynamics Plot, which he helped census during the summer of 2022.
Hunter's research has focused on the spatial distribution of heart rot in tree species at the University of Notre Dame Environmental Research Center (UNDERC). His work has utilized trees in the UNDERC Forest Dynamics Plot, which he helped census during the summer of 2022.
Ally O'Neill
Ally is an undergraduate student at Michigan Tech University that conducted independent research at UNDERC focusing on predicting leaf traits and heart rot using leaf-level hyperspectral reflectance measurements.
Ally is an undergraduate student at Michigan Tech University that conducted independent research at UNDERC focusing on predicting leaf traits and heart rot using leaf-level hyperspectral reflectance measurements.
Michael Parent
Michael has worked in the lab to generate training data for computer vision algorithms designed to detect tree canopies using RBG imagery and species using hyperspectral imagery. He also helped lead the establishment of the seedling census at the UNDERC Forest Dynamics Plot while he was participating in the 2023 UNDERC summer program.
Michael has worked in the lab to generate training data for computer vision algorithms designed to detect tree canopies using RBG imagery and species using hyperspectral imagery. He also helped lead the establishment of the seedling census at the UNDERC Forest Dynamics Plot while he was participating in the 2023 UNDERC summer program.
Hall of Fame
Yoshiko Iida
Yoshiko is a forest ecologist interested in tree allometry and linking variation in tree form and function to demographic rates. She was a JSPS visiting postdoctoral scholar in our lab from 2013-2015. She is now a permanent researcher at the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute of Japan.
website
google scholar
Yoshiko is a forest ecologist interested in tree allometry and linking variation in tree form and function to demographic rates. She was a JSPS visiting postdoctoral scholar in our lab from 2013-2015. She is now a permanent researcher at the Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute of Japan.
website
google scholar
Shan Kothari
Shan was an undergraduate researcher in the lab for three years when we were at Michigan State University. He was awarded an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, conducted his Ph.D. research in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Minnesota and is now a postdoc at the Université de Montréal.
website
Shan was an undergraduate researcher in the lab for three years when we were at Michigan State University. He was awarded an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, conducted his Ph.D. research in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Minnesota and is now a postdoc at the Université de Montréal.
website
Jeff Lake
Jeff is an ecologist interested in forest dynamics and community assembly. He was a postdoc in the lab from 2009-2010. He is now an assistant professor of biology at Adrian College.
website
Jeff is an ecologist interested in forest dynamics and community assembly. He was a postdoc in the lab from 2009-2010. He is now an assistant professor of biology at Adrian College.
website
Anna McDonald
Anna started working with the lab as a part of our University of Notre Dame Environmental Research Center (UNDERC) 2021 summer program where she worked on tree architecture and functional ecology. Her research in the lab focused on the relationship between tree biodiversity and carbon storage.
Anna started working with the lab as a part of our University of Notre Dame Environmental Research Center (UNDERC) 2021 summer program where she worked on tree architecture and functional ecology. Her research in the lab focused on the relationship between tree biodiversity and carbon storage.
Lingfeng Mao
Mao addresses ecological and evolutionary questions through the integration of large spatial, trait and phylogenetic datasets. He was a postdoc in the lab during 2014-2015. He is now a professor in the Department of Ecology at Nanjing Forestry University, China.
Mao addresses ecological and evolutionary questions through the integration of large spatial, trait and phylogenetic datasets. He was a postdoc in the lab during 2014-2015. He is now a professor in the Department of Ecology at Nanjing Forestry University, China.
Boris Ngouajio
Boris worked as an undergraduate student working in the lab for three years helping with projects regarding the anatomy of leaves in tropical and temperate trees and the ecology of Puerto Rican forests. He now works at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
Boris worked as an undergraduate student working in the lab for three years helping with projects regarding the anatomy of leaves in tropical and temperate trees and the ecology of Puerto Rican forests. He now works at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
Krittika Petprakob
Krittika is a tropical forest ecologist interested in linking diversity in organismal function to tree community structure and dynamics in undisturbed and disturbed forests. She is originally from Chiang Mai, Thailand and finished her Ph.D. research on Thai forest dynamics plots and drought physiology in 2020. She is now a faculty member at Naresuan University in Phitsanulok, Thailand.
Krittika is a tropical forest ecologist interested in linking diversity in organismal function to tree community structure and dynamics in undisturbed and disturbed forests. She is originally from Chiang Mai, Thailand and finished her Ph.D. research on Thai forest dynamics plots and drought physiology in 2020. She is now a faculty member at Naresuan University in Phitsanulok, Thailand.
Uzay Sezen
Uzay was a postdoc in Sean McMahon's group out at SERC, but we call him one of our own since he is a part of our NSF Early NEON Science/Macrosystems Biology collaborative project.
website
google scholar
Uzay was a postdoc in Sean McMahon's group out at SERC, but we call him one of our own since he is a part of our NSF Early NEON Science/Macrosystems Biology collaborative project.
website
google scholar
Kiri Staiger
Kiri did her research on the role of stochasticity and priority effects on post-hurricane Maria seedling community dynamics in the El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico.
Kiri did her research on the role of stochasticity and priority effects on post-hurricane Maria seedling community dynamics in the El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico.
María Natalia Umaña-Medina
Natalia is a tropical forest ecologist interested in how inter- and intra-specific variation in plant form and function is related to species relative abundance distributions in communities. She was a Ph.D. student in the lab from 2011-2016. She is now an assistant professor in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Michigan.
website
google scholar
Natalia is a tropical forest ecologist interested in how inter- and intra-specific variation in plant form and function is related to species relative abundance distributions in communities. She was a Ph.D. student in the lab from 2011-2016. She is now an assistant professor in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Michigan.
website
google scholar
Samantha Worthy
Sam is interested in relating traits to demographic rates and has pioneered work on trait*trait*environment interactions driving tropical seedling growth rates. She is now a postdoc in Jenny Gremer's lab at UC-Davis.
website
google scholar
Sam is interested in relating traits to demographic rates and has pioneered work on trait*trait*environment interactions driving tropical seedling growth rates. She is now a postdoc in Jenny Gremer's lab at UC-Davis.
website
google scholar
Junjie Wu
Junjie is an ecologist interested in forest dynamics and conspecific negative density dependence. She was a Ph.D. student at Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) advised by Prof. Min Cao and Luxiang Lin and co-advised by Nate. She is now an assistant professor at Dali University.
Junjie is an ecologist interested in forest dynamics and conspecific negative density dependence. She was a Ph.D. student at Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) advised by Prof. Min Cao and Luxiang Lin and co-advised by Nate. She is now an assistant professor at Dali University.
Jie Yang
Jie is a tropical forest ecologist interested in the structure and dynamics of tree populations and communities. She was a Ph.D. student at Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) advised by Prof. Min Cao and co-advised by Nate. She is now a professor at XTBG.
website
Jie is a tropical forest ecologist interested in the structure and dynamics of tree populations and communities. She was a Ph.D. student at Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) advised by Prof. Min Cao and co-advised by Nate. She is now a professor at XTBG.
website
Jenny Zambrano
Jenny is interested in tree demography, tropical forest fragmentation and biodiversity. She was a postdoc at SESYNC and with the lab from 2015-2019. She is now an assistant professor in the School of Biological Sciences at Washington State University.
website
google scholar
Jenny is interested in tree demography, tropical forest fragmentation and biodiversity. She was a postdoc at SESYNC and with the lab from 2015-2019. She is now an assistant professor in the School of Biological Sciences at Washington State University.
website
google scholar
Caicai Zhang
Caicai is a tree ecologist interested in seedling community structure and dynamics. She was a Ph.D. student at Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) advised by Prof. Min Cao and Luxiang Lin and co-advised by Nate. She is now an assistant professor in the Institute of Eastern Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University.
website
Caicai is a tree ecologist interested in seedling community structure and dynamics. She was a Ph.D. student at Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) advised by Prof. Min Cao and Luxiang Lin and co-advised by Nate. She is now an assistant professor in the Institute of Eastern Himalaya Biodiversity Research, Dali University.
website