Lab Members

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ELIZABETH WATSON 
Associate Professor
My research combines geospatial analyses, stable isotopes, and biogeochemical measurements  to address fundamental and applied questions relating to water quality, ecosystem restoration, and state shifts caused by nutrient pollution and climate change.   I try to attend international meetings when possible for exposure to cross cultural perspectives.

I earned an M.A. and Ph.D. in physical geography from the University of California, Berkeley, studying environmental change in central California wetlands using a combination of re-surveys, remote sensing, and paleoecological analyses.  I completed post-doctoral research positions at the University of California, Davis in hydrology and at CICESE, a post-graduate research institution in Baja California, in remote sensing. Prior to Drexel University, I worked as a research scientist for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and for the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve. Outside of my life as a scientist, I spend most of my time mothering my children, being outdoors, traveling, and agitating for policies that protect vulnerable populations and the environment.

GRADUATE STUDENTS

Lena

LENA CHAMPLIN, PhD STUDENT 

I am interested in the biogeochemistry of coastal ecosystems, especially studying anthropogenic impacts over both spatial and temporal scales. Specifically I am researching how the chemistry of mollusk shells reveals modern and historic water quality changes in estuaries. I am especially interested in applied science and sharing my research through outreach and education.

Before starting graduate school, I worked with the biogeochemistry group at the Academy of Natural Sciences on laboratory chemistry and local fieldwork in the Delaware River watershed. Prior to that, I worked as a research assistant at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole studying the biogeochemistry and landscape ecology of Cape Cod’s coastal islands. For my bachelor’s I studied geobiology at Brown University.

In addition to science, I also love art, especially drawing and painting animals and plants. I enjoy numerous forms of art from illustration to card making to creative croqueting, and use art to communicate environmental science concepts. I grew up in Maine and enjoy hiking, camping, and being outside.

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BRITTANY WILBURN, PhD Student 

Research Interests: Biogeochemistry, Climate Change Mitigation, Habitat Restoration, Land Use Change, Water Quality. In a broad sense, I am interested in mitigation of global climate change through restoration of coastal estuarine marshes. Growing up in South Carolina, I was surrounded by beautiful landscapes, instilling a love for the outdoors early in my life. To pursue this love, I went to Clemson University, where I obtained my Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences and studied evolutionary changes in limb morphology of semi-aquatic turtles as an undergraduate researcher. I then moved to Philadelphia to get my Masters of Environmental Science with a focus in Environmental Biology at the University of Pennsylvania. The topic of my thesis research examines the potential of using wetland bird communities as biological indicators of the habitat health of John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge as a reference for future wetland restoration efforts. Currently, I am studying wetlands at a finer scale, looking at the viability of using biochar (a carbon-based soil amendment) in restoration efforts in coastal marshes and how this material may shift the carbon cycle of both the landscape and the local atmosphere.

LAB ALUMS

SOFI COURTNEY 

  • Undergraduate Researcher (2017-2020)
  • University of Washington graduate student (2020-present)
  • NOAA Hollins Scholar (2018-2019)
  • Udall Scholar (2018-2019)

JOHANNES KRAUSE

  • PhD student (2016-2021)
  • Post-Doctoral Researcher, Florida International University (2021-present)
  • Scholar Profile
  • The Wetland Foundation Field Travel Grant (2020)
  • Society of Wetland Scientists Student Research Grant (2020)
  • Geological Society of American Student Research Grant (2018, 2019)
  • American Association of Geographers Marcus Fund (2019)
  • American Philosophical Society Lewis & Clark Field Scholar (2019)
  • William McLean III Fellowship (2018-2019)
  • Claudio Elia Memorial Fellowship (2018-2019)

BHANU PAUDEL

  • Post-doctoral Researcher (2017-2018)
  • Environmental Scientist, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (2018-present)
  • Google Scholar Profile

ELISABETH POWELL, MS

  • MS Student  (2015-2018)
  • University of Maryland PhD student (2019-present)
  • Society of Wetland Scientists Student Research Grant
  • Garden Club of America Award in Coastal Wetlands Studies (2017)



FARZANA RAHMAN

  • Undergraduate Researcher (2015-2017)
  • Research Technician (2017-2018)
  • Wentz Foundation Co-op Fellowship (2015)
  • Wetland Foundation Conference Travel Grant (2017)
  • Graduate student, University of Nebraska, Lincoln (2021-present)

KIRK RAPER, MS

  • Patrick Center Staff Scientist 2 (2014-2019)
  • NJ DEP (2020-present)

SUMMER STUDENT RESEARCHERS

  • Kris Freyland, Dean’s Excellence co-op (2022), BS Environmental Science 2024
  • Habibata Sylla, co-op (2022),  RAHSS intern (2020), WINS intern (2019), George Washington Carver High School for Engineering & Science 2020, BS Geoscience 2025
  • Lexi Dooley, STAR scholar (2022), BS Geoscience 2026
  • David Cobar, Geopaths Intern (2022), UC Santa Cruz
  • Akilah Chatman, co-op (2021), Bales Co-op / REU, BS Environmental Science 2022
  • Leah Doran, STAR student (2021), BS Environmental Engineering 2024
  • Daouda Njie, co-op (2021), Drexel Research Co-op / REU, BS Environmental Science 2022
  • Efrain Ruiz, Geopaths Intern (2021), Environmental Geology BS 2021
  • Jah’ya Gale-Cottries, RAHSS intern (2020), WINS intern (2018, 2019), Central High School  2020, Spelman College 2024
  • Aya Mouakkil, RAHSS intern (2021), WINS intern (2020), Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts 2022, SUNY-ESF 2026
  • Alexis Wiley, co-op (2020), BS Environmental Science 2022
  • Priyanka Sarkar, Society of Wetland Scientists Wetland Ambassador (2019), PhD Ecology & Environmental Science 2021, Assam University, Silchar, India
  • Bronwyn Sayre, STAR student (2019), BS Mathematics 2023
  • Camilla Ibarra, Energy & Environment REU student (2018), muralist, BS Civil Engineering 2021, Arizona State University
  • Hanaa Belgrave, WINS intern (2017), Central High School, Philadelphia, 2018 graduate, hockey player, BS Geology, West Chester University 2022 
  • Dylan Wolfinger, co-op (2017), Drexel University, BS Biology 2019
  • Jacob Farmer, co-op (2016), Drexel University, BS Geoscience 2017
  • Chaniyah Johnson, WINS intern (2016), Girls High School, Philadelphia, 2017 graduate, BA Sociology, Rosement College 2022
  • Ashleigh Jugan, co-op (2015), Drexel University, BS Environmental Science 2018