My research focuses on climate-change related trends in the coupling of anaerobic oxidation of methane and nitrate reduction in coastal wetland environments. I am additionally interested in plausible extensions to the habitability of Titan.

I received my Bachelor of Science in Astrobiology at UCLA. While at UCLA, I led an undergraduate team of students in modeling Southern Californian fugacious coastal lagoon environments from aerial data and in-field sampling as supervised by Dr. Dave Jacobs. I also was able to complete a research-oriented course in radar astronomy alongside Dr. Jean-Luc Margot parsing through potential technosignatures from SETI data and classifying patterns of radiointerference. In the Treude lab, I have had the pleasure of completing a senior undergraduate thesis on the coupling of anaerobic oxidation of methane and nitrate reduction in a Southern California wetland. I have also traveled with the lab onboard the RV Atlantis through WHOI, researching deep-sea sulfur-oxidizing mat biogeochemical activity in the Santa Barbara Basin. My time with the Treude lab has motivated me to continue in the lab to pursue a Master of Science in Geochemistry. In my free time, I enjoy reading, frequenting flea markets, travel, and excursions with friends.

I have a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences from the University of Texas at El Paso. My research interests focus on marine microbial ecosystems, biogeochemical cycles, and how environmental changes impact marine life. Recently, I worked as an NSF C-CoMP Bridge-to-PhD Fellow at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, using ecosystem models to study how physical and biogeochemical factors influence heterotrophic marine bacteria. I’ve also researched the effects of ocean acidification and eutrophication on shellfish in Massachusetts estuaries.

At UCLA, I am working on the marine microbial methane cycle.

My research focusses on the microorganisms and biogeochemical processes that control marine methane cycling in both the modern and early Earth system. As a doctoral student at UCLA, I aim to help address the fundamental questions of whether there is life outside of our home planet and what conditions may lead to life forming by utilizing analog environments that resemble Earth’s ancient oceans. For this work we visited Fayetteville Green Lake in New York, a permanently stratified euxinic lake reminiscent of the Proterozoic Ocean. In addition to this project, the primary effort of my graduate research tackles the current global climate crisis on our home planet. I investigate the microorganisms in our oceans that consume methane, a potent greenhouse gas, that is emitted from methane cold seeps. Importantly, as oceans continue to warm, it is projected that methane release may increase making the understanding the marine methane sources and sinks, essential to inform climate projections, policies, and marine ecosystems. Two research cruises off Southern California and in the Gulf of Alaska were completed to compare shallow versus deep methane seeps.

Marcos Magaña, a first-generation college student from the Eastern Coachella Valley, is a Ph.D. student in Environment & Sustainability at the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. His research explores the lived experiences of marginalized communities in desert regions, reframing heat not as a purely quantitative metric but as a phenomenon shaped by social, cultural, and historical contexts. His work also challenges dominant narratives of deserts as barren landscapes, instead highlighting them as places rich with life, knowledge, and resilience.

Raised in the Eastern Coachella Valley—a community facing intersecting environmental risks such as rising temperatures, toxic air from nearby agricultural fields, and pollution from the Salton Sea—Marcos found in science a powerful lens to understand these issues and ask deeper questions about their systemic roots. He is particularly passionate about co-producing knowledge with communities to ensure research reflects their realities and leads to holistic, meaningful solutions.

Outside of research, he enjoys traveling and playing sports.

Andrew is a program manager at Stantec Consulting Services with 18 years of environmental experience. His research interest is in the human dimensions of environmental problems, including the use of multidisciplinary approaches in sociology and economics to improve the fields of nature-based solutions and conservation finance.

At Stantec, Andrew employs user research, systems analysis, and financial modeling to design processes that lower compliance costs and accelerate electric grid decarbonization. He is also helping Stantec grow its Western US nature-based solutions practice.

Andrew’s father was born in northeastern Oklahoma and his mother was born in Ireland. Andrew participates in Cherokee at-large events in the United States, and travels to Ireland each year to assist with farm management duties. Andrew holds a BS and MS in biology and an MBA in Design Strategy. 

Aelna Sakamoto is a first year ESE student interested in ecosystem restoration and wants to help improve conditions at the Salton Sea. Aelna received her BS in Biology and her MS in Environmental Studies from California State University, Fullerton and works as a wildlife biologist with the US Army Corps of Engineers and works on Civil Works Projects in the planning division. 

She is currently the lead biologist on the Imperial Streams Salton Sea Feasibility Study conducted by the Army Corps of Engineers, a study approved by congress to evaluate different alternative solutions for the Sea, in partnership with California Department of Water Resources and the Salton Sea Authority. 

Working for the Department of Defense and growing up in California, she has noticed a gap in resources related to West Coast ecosystems and is motivated to fill that gap, starting with ecosystem modeling for Salton Sea, California’s largest inland body of water and a very important stopover for the birds of the Pacific Flyway