Faculty
Mindy Morales-Williams
Assistant Professor, Rubenstein School
ana.morales@uvm.edu
I'm a limnologist specializing in phycology and biogeochemistry. My research interests include phytoplankton community ecology, cyanobacteria bloom dynamics, land-water linkages, and effects of eutrophication on carbon cycling in lake ecosystems. I investigate how fine scale physiological and ecological mechanisms feedback to drive ecosystem and landscape scale processes.
Students
Katelynn Warner
PhD Student, Rubenstein School
katelynn.warner@uvm.edu
Kate graduated from SUNY Geneseo in 2019 with a Bachelor's degree in Biology and researched cyanobacterial blooms in response to partial lake mixing and internal phosphorus loading. Her current research interests include understanding drivers of cyanobacterial blooms and toxin production in Lake Champlain.
Maria Alfaro
MSc Student, Rubenstein School
maria.alfaro@uvm.edu
Maria completed her B.Sc. in Aquatic and Fisheries Science at SUNY ESF in 2019, and has conducted aquatic research in streams, lakes, and marine systems at the Stroud Research Center, the Finger Lakes Institute, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. She is broadly interested in biogeochemical cycling and ecosystem function in lakes. At UVM, her research focuses on phytoplankton community phenology in Vermont inland lakes.
Rachel Cray
PhD Student, Rubenstein School rachel.cray@uvm.edu
Rachel graduated from the University of Southern Maine with a Master's degree in Biology in 2021, where she researched algal physiological changes in response to oxidative stress. Additionally, she has also previously worked at the Marine Biological Laboratory developing advanced microscopy techniques. Her current research interests involve the intersection of algal community ecology and biogeochemistry.
Edouard Rugema
PhD Student, Rubenstein School
edouard.rugema@uvm.edu
Edouard graduated from the University of Rwanda in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in applied Biology. He graduated also from Vrije Universiteit Brussel in 2017 with a master’s degree in marine and Lacustrine Science and Management where he researched on changes in phytoplankton community structure in relation to limnological parameters in Lake Kivu. His current research focuses on investigations between phytoplankton community stability and ecosystem function in Lake Champlain.
Kelsey Colbert
MSc Student, Rubenstein School
kelsey.colbert@uvm.edu
Miriam Rose
BSc Student
miriam.rose@uvm.edu
Miriam is a Bachelors of Science student in the Honors College. She studies Environmental Science with a concentration in Environmental Health. Her research interests include cyanotoxin effects on lake ecological communities and drinking water. She is currently working with PhD student Rachel Cray to characterize phytoplankton communities in Vermont climate sentinel lakes.
Morgan Doersch
B.Sc. Student
morgan.doersch@uvm.edu