Get to Know our New CFAES Faculty!
We're pleased to welcome the following new faculty to the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences! Some are new to CFAES in 2024 and others are transitioning to new faculty roles after years with the college, but we're lucky to have each of them, so we hope you'll take a few minutes to get to know them!
Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics
Originally from Ecuador, Alexis Villacis is an applied microeconomist studying the social welfare implications of agricultural production, with a particular interest in behavioral economics, climate change, and food security. Prior to joining the Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics at The Ohio State University, Villacis worked for Arizona State University, Universidad Espiritu Santo, and the Government of Ecuador. Villacis has extensive experience in Latin America, collaborating with international organizations including the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank, and USAID on research projects in Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Ecuador, and Paraguay. Alexis’ research interests have also taken him to China and Austria, where he has been a fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and a visiting researcher at Innsbruck University, respectively. Alexis currently serves as a senior advisor for The Fine Cacao and Chocolate Institute and as an associate editor for the Agricultural and Resource Economics Review and the Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies. For more details about Alexis, visit his personal website at http://ahvillacis.com.
Campus: Columbus
Hometown: Guayaquil, Ecuador
Education: PhD, Virginia Tech
What are some of your hobbies or interests?
Love playing fútbol (a.k.a soccer) and tennis.
Can you share a professional recognition of which you are particularly proud?
During 2022, Alexis Villacis was recognized by the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA) with their inaugural "Rising Star Award". Bestowed by the IFAMA Young Board for the first time that year, this award “recognizes outstanding contributions of young professionals, under the age of 35, who are actively working to the improve the strategic focus, transparency, sustainability and responsiveness of the food and agribusiness system in order to ensure food security.”
Why did you choose to join the CFAES faculty?
I chose to join The Ohio State University, CFAES, and AEDE faculty because I have always admired OSU’s outstanding reputation and its dedication to fostering innovation in agricultural and economic development. The collaborative and supportive environment here offers the perfect setting for me to contribute to meaningful advancements in agriculture. I am particularly drawn to the college's focus on sustainability, food security, and rural development, which resonate deeply with my own passions and values. Moreover, OSU's commitment to faculty development and its rich resources makes it an ideal place for me to grow both as an educator and researcher, allowing me to make a significant impact while being part of a vibrant academic community.
My research examines how the design and implementation of public policies can address inequalities within households and communities to promote equitable economic opportunities for marginalized groups, with a focus on women in low-income settings. I also study the ways in which information and incentives interact in bureaucracies to influence service delivery to marginalized populations, and I have conducted research to better understand difficult-to-measure features of informal institutions and bureaucratic function. I come from farming families in Ohio, and I received my Master's degree in Economics and Ph.D. in Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics from OSU. Since graduating from Ohio State, I co-launched an organization known as Inclusion Economics, through which I developed long-term research-policy engagements in India, working closely with Inclusion Economics India Centre (formerly, EPoD India) and Inclusion Economics at Yale University, which both aim to support more inclusive economics and societies through providing policy decision makers with data and evidence. I am thrilled to be back at OSU and look forward to meeting and interacting with faculty, staff and students over the coming year. In my free time, you can find me cheering from the sidelines of sports fields in the area, hiking, travelling, or attempting to improve my foreign language skills.
Campus: Columbus
Originally from Ecuador, Alexis Villacis is an applied microeconomist studying the social welfare implications of agricultural production, with a particular interest in behavioral economics, climate change, and food security. Prior to joining the Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics at The Ohio State University, Villacis worked for Arizona State University, Universidad Espiritu Santo, and the Government of Ecuador. Villacis has extensive experience in Latin America, collaborating with international organizations including the Inter-American Development Bank, the World Bank, and USAID on research projects in Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Ecuador, and Paraguay. Alexis’ research interests have also taken him to China and Austria, where he has been a fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and a visiting researcher at Innsbruck University, respectively. Alexis currently serves as a senior advisor for The Fine Cacao and Chocolate Institute and as an associate editor for the Agricultural and Resource Economics Review and the Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies. For more details about Alexis, visit his personal website at http://ahvillacis.com.
Campus: Columbus
Hometown: Guayaquil, Ecuador
Education: PhD, Virginia Tech
What are some of your hobbies or interests?
Love playing fútbol (a.k.a soccer) and tennis.
Can you share a professional recognition of which you are particularly proud?
During 2022, Alexis Villacis was recognized by the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association (IFAMA) with their inaugural "Rising Star Award". Bestowed by the IFAMA Young Board for the first time that year, this award “recognizes outstanding contributions of young professionals, under the age of 35, who are actively working to the improve the strategic focus, transparency, sustainability and responsiveness of the food and agribusiness system in order to ensure food security.”
Why did you choose to join the CFAES faculty?
I chose to join The Ohio State University, CFAES, and AEDE faculty because I have always admired OSU’s outstanding reputation and its dedication to fostering innovation in agricultural and economic development. The collaborative and supportive environment here offers the perfect setting for me to contribute to meaningful advancements in agriculture. I am particularly drawn to the college's focus on sustainability, food security, and rural development, which resonate deeply with my own passions and values. Moreover, OSU's commitment to faculty development and its rich resources makes it an ideal place for me to grow both as an educator and researcher, allowing me to make a significant impact while being part of a vibrant academic community.
My research examines how the design and implementation of public policies can address inequalities within households and communities to promote equitable economic opportunities for marginalized groups, with a focus on women in low-income settings. I also study the ways in which information and incentives interact in bureaucracies to influence service delivery to marginalized populations, and I have conducted research to better understand difficult-to-measure features of informal institutions and bureaucratic function. I come from farming families in Ohio, and I received my Master's degree in Economics and Ph.D. in Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics from OSU. Since graduating from Ohio State, I co-launched an organization known as Inclusion Economics, through which I developed long-term research-policy engagements in India, working closely with Inclusion Economics India Centre (formerly, EPoD India) and Inclusion Economics at Yale University, which both aim to support more inclusive economics and societies through providing policy decision makers with data and evidence. I am thrilled to be back at OSU and look forward to meeting and interacting with faculty, staff and students over the coming year. In my free time, you can find me cheering from the sidelines of sports fields in the area, hiking, travelling, or attempting to improve my foreign language skills.
Campus: Columbus
Entomology
Seun Oladipupo is an entomologist focused on developing innovative and sustainable solutions for urban insect challenges. A native of Efon Alaaye [in Nigeria], he holds a Ph.D. in Entomology from Auburn University, and his Master and Bachelor of Technology in Biology from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria. During his postdoctoral research at Yale University, Seun investigated the molecular mechanisms of insect-microbe interactions, particularly Wolbachia-mediated cytoplasmic incompatibility.
As a corollary, at Ohio State University, Seun’s research will leverage advancements in insect-microbe interactions, genetic engineering, bioinformatics to create sustainable urban pest management solutions. To do this, The Oladipupo Lab will focus on investigating socioeconomic drivers of urban pest prevalence, leveraging biotechnology to exploit behavior and ecology of urban pests and their microbiomes, understanding how microbiomes influence key life history traits of these intractable pests, developing sustainable strategies based on these insights, and creating tools to apply lab-based strategies in real world-settings.
Seun’s extension efforts will focus on using these research-based information for improving urban insect management strategies. Collectively, these efforts aim to produce efficient ecofriendly tools for managing urban insects ultimately enhancing the quality of human life. Beyond research, Seun actively participates in initiatives that advances entomological science and mentoring the next generation of scientists.
Campus: Columbus
Hometown: Efon Alaaye, Ekiti State, Nigeria
Education: PhD in Entomology from Auburn University in 2022, Postdoc at Yale University 2022-2024
What are some of your hobbies or interests?
I played football (soccer) so well [now retired] and my friends often call me “ CeeRo [from Cristiano Ronaldo]” OR Three Times Efon Alaaye Footballer of the Year
Can you share a professional recognition of which you are particularly proud?
I have a few favorite ones. But one I wholeheartedly love was leading Auburn University to win their first National Championship at the Entomology Games. Getting emails from Alumni that had graduated thanking the team left an indescribable warmth in my heart
Why did you choose to join the CFAES faculty?
I had always known if and when I get the opportunity to become a faculty, it would be at an institution committed to advancing science, diversity, inclusion, and equity. Ohio State University is one. Joining a community, like CFAES, where learning and teaching something new and doing excellent science is a habit was just an icing on the cake for me.
Ben has held several roles at The Ohio State University since 2017 and most recently was a Lecturer in the Department of Entomology. He grew up in Columbus, Ohio and attended Miami University, where he earned a B.A. in Zoology. He then earned a M.Sc. in Biology from Eastern Michigan University and a Ph. D. in Zoology from Miami University. Ben was an Associate Professor of Biology at Rivier University from 2010 to 2016, where he taught a broad range of biology courses, including human anatomy and physiology, animal behavior, and study abroad trips to Costa Rica. At Ohio State, he currently teaches a range of courses including Biology of Insects, Animals, and Fungi-Affecting Buildings; Insects and Human Affairs: Pests, Plagues, Poisons and Politics; and Pests of Turfgrass and Landscape Ornamental Plants. Regardless of the course, Ben strives to enable every student to think like a scientist, whether that be as an informed citizen with a foundational understanding of biology or a future researcher who will devote his/her life to scientific discovery.
In the research lab, Ben is an ecological physiologist that is interested in how insects deal with low temperature and the mechanisms underlying freeze tolerance. To better understand these remarkable overwintering strategies, Ben has spent nearly two months at Palmer Station in Antarctica studying the largest land animal on the continent- the wingless midge, Belgica antarctica.
Campus: Columbus
Education: Ph.D. in Zoology from Miami University
What are some of your hobbies or interests?
Outside of work, Ben enjoys coaching soccer, basketball and baseball for his three kids, Jack, Sam and Miles. He is also a woodworker that enjoys working with local and reclaimed woods.
Can you share a professional recognition of which you are particularly proud?
One of Ben’s favorite professional experiences was having a picture he took in Antarctica featured in the science section of the New York Times.
Why did you choose to join the CFAES faculty?
Ben is proud to be a member of the faculty of CFAES because of the support faculty receive to engage with students, both in the classroom and in the field.
Seun Oladipupo is an entomologist focused on developing innovative and sustainable solutions for urban insect challenges. A native of Efon Alaaye [in Nigeria], he holds a Ph.D. in Entomology from Auburn University, and his Master and Bachelor of Technology in Biology from the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria. During his postdoctoral research at Yale University, Seun investigated the molecular mechanisms of insect-microbe interactions, particularly Wolbachia-mediated cytoplasmic incompatibility.
As a corollary, at Ohio State University, Seun’s research will leverage advancements in insect-microbe interactions, genetic engineering, bioinformatics to create sustainable urban pest management solutions. To do this, The Oladipupo Lab will focus on investigating socioeconomic drivers of urban pest prevalence, leveraging biotechnology to exploit behavior and ecology of urban pests and their microbiomes, understanding how microbiomes influence key life history traits of these intractable pests, developing sustainable strategies based on these insights, and creating tools to apply lab-based strategies in real world-settings.
Seun’s extension efforts will focus on using these research-based information for improving urban insect management strategies. Collectively, these efforts aim to produce efficient ecofriendly tools for managing urban insects ultimately enhancing the quality of human life. Beyond research, Seun actively participates in initiatives that advances entomological science and mentoring the next generation of scientists.
Campus: Columbus
Hometown: Efon Alaaye, Ekiti State, Nigeria
Education: PhD in Entomology from Auburn University in 2022, Postdoc at Yale University 2022-2024
What are some of your hobbies or interests?
I played football (soccer) so well [now retired] and my friends often call me “ CeeRo [from Cristiano Ronaldo]” OR Three Times Efon Alaaye Footballer of the Year
Can you share a professional recognition of which you are particularly proud?
I have a few favorite ones. But one I wholeheartedly love was leading Auburn University to win their first National Championship at the Entomology Games. Getting emails from Alumni that had graduated thanking the team left an indescribable warmth in my heart
Why did you choose to join the CFAES faculty?
I had always known if and when I get the opportunity to become a faculty, it would be at an institution committed to advancing science, diversity, inclusion, and equity. Ohio State University is one. Joining a community, like CFAES, where learning and teaching something new and doing excellent science is a habit was just an icing on the cake for me.
Ben has held several roles at The Ohio State University since 2017 and most recently was a Lecturer in the Department of Entomology. He grew up in Columbus, Ohio and attended Miami University, where he earned a B.A. in Zoology. He then earned a M.Sc. in Biology from Eastern Michigan University and a Ph. D. in Zoology from Miami University. Ben was an Associate Professor of Biology at Rivier University from 2010 to 2016, where he taught a broad range of biology courses, including human anatomy and physiology, animal behavior, and study abroad trips to Costa Rica. At Ohio State, he currently teaches a range of courses including Biology of Insects, Animals, and Fungi-Affecting Buildings; Insects and Human Affairs: Pests, Plagues, Poisons and Politics; and Pests of Turfgrass and Landscape Ornamental Plants. Regardless of the course, Ben strives to enable every student to think like a scientist, whether that be as an informed citizen with a foundational understanding of biology or a future researcher who will devote his/her life to scientific discovery.
In the research lab, Ben is an ecological physiologist that is interested in how insects deal with low temperature and the mechanisms underlying freeze tolerance. To better understand these remarkable overwintering strategies, Ben has spent nearly two months at Palmer Station in Antarctica studying the largest land animal on the continent- the wingless midge, Belgica antarctica.
Campus: Columbus
Education: Ph.D. in Zoology from Miami University
What are some of your hobbies or interests?
Outside of work, Ben enjoys coaching soccer, basketball and baseball for his three kids, Jack, Sam and Miles. He is also a woodworker that enjoys working with local and reclaimed woods.
Can you share a professional recognition of which you are particularly proud?
One of Ben’s favorite professional experiences was having a picture he took in Antarctica featured in the science section of the New York Times.
Why did you choose to join the CFAES faculty?
Ben is proud to be a member of the faculty of CFAES because of the support faculty receive to engage with students, both in the classroom and in the field.
Food Agricultural and Biological Engineering
Campus: Columbus
Research and teaching interest is in Engineering for Sustainable Development and Humanitarian Engineering, specifically related to water access. Outreach efforts focus on passive gravity water treatment for rural communities. I am interested in curriculum development and creating experiential learning opportunities related to sustainability. I am passionate about developing scientists’ and engineers' sociotechnical competency to address complex global challenges.
Campus: Columbus
Hometown: Sharon Center, Ohio
Education: PhD, Ohio State University
What are some of your hobbies or interests?
I am a 200 hour YTT certified yoga instructor.
Can you share a professional recognition of which you are particularly proud?
OSU Provost Award for Distinguished Teaching
Why did you choose to join the CFAES faculty?
CFAES core mission algins with my aspirations for sustainable development. I have been working with CFAES as a lecturer since 2019 and it is the people I have worked with that make our college special and I am delighted to officially be joining to faculty.
Andrew Tirpak, PhD, P.E. is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering at The Ohio State University. His research has focused on quantifying the impact of green infrastructure practices at the site and watershed scale, evaluating technologies to mitigate construction site runoff, developing low-cost sensor networks to facilitate real-time monitoring of urban hydrology, and investigating methodologies to improve the performance of stormwater control measures. His experiences include desktop modeling, controlled laboratory studies, and field scale assessments of a variety of urban stormwater controls, including bioretention, permeable pavement, retention and detention ponds, and floating treatment wetlands. He received his PhD from the University of Tennessee in 2018, where he conducted research on the role of trees in green stormwater infrastructure practices and means to enhance the resilience of urban stormwater controls to climate change.
Campus: Columbus
Hometown: Columbiana, Ohio
Education: Ph.D., University of Tennessee
What are some of your hobbies or interests?
My wife and I love to go backpacking and hiked the John Muir Trail in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California in 2022
Can you share a professional recognition of which you are particularly proud?
Earning my Professional Engineering license in 2021
Why did you choose to join the CFAES faculty?
I’m excited to join the faculty ranks at my Alma Mater to find ways to sustainably manage urban water resources and protect the streams, lakes, and rivers of my home state, the Great Lakes region, and beyond!
Campus: Columbus
Research and teaching interest is in Engineering for Sustainable Development and Humanitarian Engineering, specifically related to water access. Outreach efforts focus on passive gravity water treatment for rural communities. I am interested in curriculum development and creating experiential learning opportunities related to sustainability. I am passionate about developing scientists’ and engineers' sociotechnical competency to address complex global challenges.
Campus: Columbus
Hometown: Sharon Center, Ohio
Education: PhD, Ohio State University
What are some of your hobbies or interests?
I am a 200 hour YTT certified yoga instructor.
Can you share a professional recognition of which you are particularly proud?
OSU Provost Award for Distinguished Teaching
Why did you choose to join the CFAES faculty?
CFAES core mission algins with my aspirations for sustainable development. I have been working with CFAES as a lecturer since 2019 and it is the people I have worked with that make our college special and I am delighted to officially be joining to faculty.
Andrew Tirpak, PhD, P.E. is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering at The Ohio State University. His research has focused on quantifying the impact of green infrastructure practices at the site and watershed scale, evaluating technologies to mitigate construction site runoff, developing low-cost sensor networks to facilitate real-time monitoring of urban hydrology, and investigating methodologies to improve the performance of stormwater control measures. His experiences include desktop modeling, controlled laboratory studies, and field scale assessments of a variety of urban stormwater controls, including bioretention, permeable pavement, retention and detention ponds, and floating treatment wetlands. He received his PhD from the University of Tennessee in 2018, where he conducted research on the role of trees in green stormwater infrastructure practices and means to enhance the resilience of urban stormwater controls to climate change.
Campus: Columbus
Hometown: Columbiana, Ohio
Education: Ph.D., University of Tennessee
What are some of your hobbies or interests?
My wife and I love to go backpacking and hiked the John Muir Trail in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California in 2022
Can you share a professional recognition of which you are particularly proud?
Earning my Professional Engineering license in 2021
Why did you choose to join the CFAES faculty?
I’m excited to join the faculty ranks at my Alma Mater to find ways to sustainably manage urban water resources and protect the streams, lakes, and rivers of my home state, the Great Lakes region, and beyond!
Andrew Tirpak, PhD, P.E. is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering at The Ohio State University. His research has focused on quantifying the impact of green infrastructure practices at the site and watershed scale, evaluating technologies to mitigate construction site runoff, developing low-cost sensor networks to facilitate real-time monitoring of urban hydrology, and investigating methodologies to improve the performance of stormwater control measures. His experiences include desktop modeling, controlled laboratory studies, and field scale assessments of a variety of urban stormwater controls, including bioretention, permeable pavement, retention and detention ponds, and floating treatment wetlands. He received his PhD from the University of Tennessee in 2018, where he conducted research on the role of trees in green stormwater infrastructure practices and means to enhance the resilience of urban stormwater controls to climate change.
Campus: Columbus
Hometown: Columbiana, Ohio
Education: Ph.D., University of Tennessee
What are some of your hobbies or interests?
My wife and I love to go backpacking and hiked the John Muir Trail in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California in 2022
Can you share a professional recognition of which you are particularly proud?
Earning my Professional Engineering license in 2021
Why did you choose to join the CFAES faculty?
I’m excited to join the faculty ranks at my Alma Mater to find ways to sustainably manage urban water resources and protect the streams, lakes, and rivers of my home state, the Great Lakes region, and beyond!
Horticulture and Crop Science
Campus: Wooster
Education:
PhD Weed Science - Iowa State University (2021)
MS Agronomy - Punjab Agricultural University (2014)
BS Agriculture - Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology (2012)
Campus: Wooster
Education:
PhD Weed Science - Iowa State University (2021)
MS Agronomy - Punjab Agricultural University (2014)
BS Agriculture - Maharana Pratap University of Agriculture and Technology (2012)
OSU Extension
As the field specialist in forestry, beginning 05/13/2024, I translate and disseminate research-based knowledge from Ohio State University, other land grant agencies, and the United States Forest Service to a wide variety of audiences throughout Ohio. Planning, developing, implementing, and evaluating forestry extension educational programs and in-service trainings for woodland owners, ANR extension educators, forestry and natural resources professionals, forest industry professionals, students, and the public on sustainable woodland management and related topics are a core portion of my position. A major focus of my position is to support the ongoing outreach and training efforts of the Ohio Interagency Forestry Team by developing curricula and providing quality educational programs. The current emphasis of the team is to sustain oak-dominated forests in the unglaciated Alleghany Plateau. A DAY in the WOODS and Place-based Woodland Owner Outreach programs are two key programs of the team’s outreach efforts that I oversee.
Other responsibilities include the development and updating of educational resources to support outreach and training efforts. This includes written fact sheets, videos, presentations, other digital and print resource materials. Web resources, social media platforms, list-serves, and video resources to market and supplement outreach efforts are another crucial responsibility of this position.
Conducting applied forestry research in collaboration with OSU (SENR and CFAES), other universities, forest industry, and forestry team members including the USDA Northern Research Station is a key responsibility of the position. Planned research focuses on developing operational efficiencies in management techniques aimed at sustaining the dominance of oak within southeastern Ohio and identifying and solving environmental problems related to public health in Ohio.
Campus: Statewide
Hometown: Hocking County
Education/Previous Institutions:
2008 M.S., Natural Resources, The Ohio State University
2006 B.S., Natural Resources, The Ohio State University
2004 A.A.S., Forest Management, Hocking College
I taught Forest Management at Hocking College for 15 years prior to joining Ohio State University Extension.
What are some of your hobbies or interests?
I enjoy traveling and have had the opportunity to visit all 50 states. I also enjoy collecting fossils, especially petrified wood.
Can you share a professional recognition of which you are particularly proud?
Recipient of the 2019 Outstanding Member Award by the Ohio Society of American Foresters.
Why did you choose to join the CFAES faculty?
I chose to join Ohio State University Extension and the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences for the opportunity to promote sound forest management practices across the state and educate individuals on the benefits of a well-managed forest.
As the field specialist in forestry, beginning 05/13/2024, I translate and disseminate research-based knowledge from Ohio State University, other land grant agencies, and the United States Forest Service to a wide variety of audiences throughout Ohio. Planning, developing, implementing, and evaluating forestry extension educational programs and in-service trainings for woodland owners, ANR extension educators, forestry and natural resources professionals, forest industry professionals, students, and the public on sustainable woodland management and related topics are a core portion of my position. A major focus of my position is to support the ongoing outreach and training efforts of the Ohio Interagency Forestry Team by developing curricula and providing quality educational programs. The current emphasis of the team is to sustain oak-dominated forests in the unglaciated Alleghany Plateau. A DAY in the WOODS and Place-based Woodland Owner Outreach programs are two key programs of the team’s outreach efforts that I oversee.
Other responsibilities include the development and updating of educational resources to support outreach and training efforts. This includes written fact sheets, videos, presentations, other digital and print resource materials. Web resources, social media platforms, list-serves, and video resources to market and supplement outreach efforts are another crucial responsibility of this position.
Conducting applied forestry research in collaboration with OSU (SENR and CFAES), other universities, forest industry, and forestry team members including the USDA Northern Research Station is a key responsibility of the position. Planned research focuses on developing operational efficiencies in management techniques aimed at sustaining the dominance of oak within southeastern Ohio and identifying and solving environmental problems related to public health in Ohio.
Campus: Statewide
Hometown: Hocking County
Education/Previous Institutions:
2008 M.S., Natural Resources, The Ohio State University
2006 B.S., Natural Resources, The Ohio State University
2004 A.A.S., Forest Management, Hocking College
I taught Forest Management at Hocking College for 15 years prior to joining Ohio State University Extension.
What are some of your hobbies or interests?
I enjoy traveling and have had the opportunity to visit all 50 states. I also enjoy collecting fossils, especially petrified wood.
Can you share a professional recognition of which you are particularly proud?
Recipient of the 2019 Outstanding Member Award by the Ohio Society of American Foresters.
Why did you choose to join the CFAES faculty?
I chose to join Ohio State University Extension and the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences for the opportunity to promote sound forest management practices across the state and educate individuals on the benefits of a well-managed forest.
School of Environment and Natural Resources
I am an aquatic microbial ecologist and my research spans genes to ecosystems. In my lab, we examine how environmental conditions in freshwater ecosystems regulate autotrophic (algal) community structure and function. Algae are among the organisms most sensitive to environmental degradation in aquatic ecosystems. Many of the services provided by algae are related to taxonomic composition. Therefore, changes in algal community composition related to environmental perturbations can have significant consequences for water quality and ecosystem function. Most of my research is conducted in wetlands and has contributed to an understanding of how processes related to climate change influence the structure and function of aquatic microbial communities. My lab also examines associations between environmental conditions and the occurrence of toxin-producing cyanobacteria within agriculturally dominated watersheds.
Campus: Columbus
Education: PhD, Michigan State University
What are some of your hobbies or interests?
Spending time with my dogs & vegetable gardening
Why did you choose to join the CFAES faculty?
I am excited to contribute to the dynamic and innovative research environment that is a hallmark of OSU and the CFAES. I also look forward to serving as the SENR academic lead for educational programming at Stone Lab.
In my lab, we study interactions between primary producers (i.e., algae) and decomposers (i.e., bacteria and fungi) that have consequences for ecosystem processes such as energy flow and carbon dioxide emissions from aquatic environments. Our work has identified complex interactions between autotrophic and heterotrophic microorganisms that range from mutualistic to antagonistic within biofilm communities – these interactions, in turn, govern many aspects of biogeochemical cycling and food-web dynamics in aquatic environments. Students are involved in all aspects of my research program and I am committed to, and have a history of, recruiting women and students from underrepresented groups. In the classroom, I continually work to make my teaching more scientific, that is, to bring to teaching the critical thinking, rigor, and creativity that defines research, as well as capturing the process of discovery in the classroom.
Campus: Columbus
Education/Previous Institutions:
PhD, Michigan State University
Professor at Ball State University
What are some of your hobbies or interests?
I enjoy just about any outdoor recreation with my dogs.
Can you share a professional recognition of which you are particularly proud?
Award for Inclusive Excellence from the Graduate School at Ball State University
Why did you choose to join the CFAES faculty?
Opportunity to work with a multidisciplinary group of scientists to solve important environmental problems that can inform policy and improve management practices.
I am an aquatic microbial ecologist and my research spans genes to ecosystems. In my lab, we examine how environmental conditions in freshwater ecosystems regulate autotrophic (algal) community structure and function. Algae are among the organisms most sensitive to environmental degradation in aquatic ecosystems. Many of the services provided by algae are related to taxonomic composition. Therefore, changes in algal community composition related to environmental perturbations can have significant consequences for water quality and ecosystem function. Most of my research is conducted in wetlands and has contributed to an understanding of how processes related to climate change influence the structure and function of aquatic microbial communities. My lab also examines associations between environmental conditions and the occurrence of toxin-producing cyanobacteria within agriculturally dominated watersheds.
Campus: Columbus
Education: PhD, Michigan State University
What are some of your hobbies or interests?
Spending time with my dogs & vegetable gardening
Why did you choose to join the CFAES faculty?
I am excited to contribute to the dynamic and innovative research environment that is a hallmark of OSU and the CFAES. I also look forward to serving as the SENR academic lead for educational programming at Stone Lab.
In my lab, we study interactions between primary producers (i.e., algae) and decomposers (i.e., bacteria and fungi) that have consequences for ecosystem processes such as energy flow and carbon dioxide emissions from aquatic environments. Our work has identified complex interactions between autotrophic and heterotrophic microorganisms that range from mutualistic to antagonistic within biofilm communities – these interactions, in turn, govern many aspects of biogeochemical cycling and food-web dynamics in aquatic environments. Students are involved in all aspects of my research program and I am committed to, and have a history of, recruiting women and students from underrepresented groups. In the classroom, I continually work to make my teaching more scientific, that is, to bring to teaching the critical thinking, rigor, and creativity that defines research, as well as capturing the process of discovery in the classroom.
Campus: Columbus
Education/Previous Institutions:
PhD, Michigan State University
Professor at Ball State University
What are some of your hobbies or interests?
I enjoy just about any outdoor recreation with my dogs.
Can you share a professional recognition of which you are particularly proud?
Award for Inclusive Excellence from the Graduate School at Ball State University
Why did you choose to join the CFAES faculty?
Opportunity to work with a multidisciplinary group of scientists to solve important environmental problems that can inform policy and improve management practices.