Team
Our group was founded in 2013 in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Cambridge. In 2023,
we established a new branch of our academic tree in the School of the Environment at Trent University.
Dr Andrew Tanentzap (Trent) Professor and Canada Research Chair in Climate Change and Northern Ecosystems is interested in predicting how ecosystems will respond to future environmental change.
Dr Erik Emilson (Trent) Adjunct Professor co-supervises forestry- and carbon-based projects and leads the Watershed Ecology Group in the Canadian Forest Service.
Dr Asun Rodríguez-Uña (Cambridge) Newton International Fellow studies how biotic interactions above- and below-ground recover from human impacts in temperate forests over decades to centuries.
Dr Jérémy Fonvielle (Cambridge) Post Doctoral Research Associate studies the connections between dissolved organic matter and microbes in freshwaters.
Dr Lucas Braga (Cambridge) Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow tests how viruses impact biogeochemical cycles, with a focus on ancient communities released into the environment by thawing permafrost.
Dr Olesya Kolmakova (Cambridge) Post Doctoral Research Associate is developing and applying new methods to track pathogens using eDNA in Arctic waterways to support community-based monitoring.
Danai Kontou (Cambridge) PhD student studies how lake food webs are evolving in response to environmental change.
Sarah Sandor (Cambridge) PhD student studies the genetic mechanisms underpinning how bacteria adapt to complex organic matter.
Erin Matula (Trent) MSc student studies how wildfire changes carbon cycling in boreal headwaters.
Dhruv Kapoor (Trent) PhD student is tracking disturbances to the Canadian boreal forest and implications for carbon cycling.
Celeste Milli (Trent) PhD student studies how forest management and climate change impact the productivity of salmonids.
Vincent Lau (Trent) MSc student studies how carbon cycling is changing in northern lakes because of climate warming.
Katherine Siket (Trent) MSc student studies how permafrost thaw is changing microbial communities in Arctic waters.
Dr Lumbani Mwafulirwa (Postdoctoral Researcher)
Dr Thomas Scheuerl (Postdoctoral Researcher)
Dr Yi Zhang (Laboratory Manager)
Erika Freeman (PhD student)
Anne Thomas (PhD student)
Rosie Power (MPhil student)
Amelia Fitch (MPhil student)
Dr Michelle Kalamandeen (Postdoctoral Researcher)
Samuel Woodman (PhD student)
Caroline Kemp (Senior Laboratory Technician)
Dr Samuel Cottingham (Postdoctoral Researcher)
Dr Javier Igea (Postdoctoral Researcher)
Chloé Orland (PhD student)
Päivi Pirhonen (MPhil student)
Facilities
In Cambridge, we are fortunate to occupy two homes across the Department of Plant Sciences and Conservation Research Institute.
Wet Lab We offer a modern laboratory equipped for preparing samples for DNA sequencing and chemical analyses of solid and liquid samples. We are equipped with tools for ecosystem ecology measurements, such as greenhouse gas fluxes and in-situ algal productivity.
Office Space Housed in the David Attenborough Building with its magnificent 3-story living wall, we have access to high-performance computing clusters, modern meeting facilities and kitchens, and, importantly, constantly stocked coffee machines.
Our desks sit alongside other ecology and conservation groups in the Department of Plant Sciences and Zoology, offering opportunities for collaboration and support.