Research Scientists

Larissa Sano

Job Title/Position: 
Researcher
Email: 
llubomud@umich.edu
Phone: 
734-763-5014
Address: 

University of Michigan/CILER

440 Church Street

G110 Dana Building

Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1041

Larissa Sano is a researcher with CILER, where she brings a broad and diverse research background to facilitating programs and to advancing scientific knowledge related to the Great Lakes.  Larissa earned her B.A. in Human Biology from Stanford University, her M.S. in Marine Resource Management from Oregon State University, and her Ph.D.

Education: 

B.A. Stanford University
M.S. Oregon State University
Ph.D. University of Michigan

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Lauren Fry

Job Title/Position: 
Research Fellow
Email: 
lauren.fry@noaa.gov
Phone: 
734-741-2217
Address: 

4840 S. State Rd
Ann Arbor, MI 48108

I am an environmental engineer with expertise in sustainability as it relates to water resources, human health, and interactions at the human-environment interface. I am currently a postdoctoral researcher with the Cooperative Institute for Limnology and Ecosystems Research. I am working with NOAA's Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory to improve runoff estimates to the Great Lakes. I graduated with my Ph.D. in environmental engineering at Michigan Technological University in August of 2010.

Education: 

Michigan Technological University (Ph.D., M.S. environmental engineering); Gustavus Adolphus College (B.A. physics)

Research Interest/Area of Expertise: 

water resources, hydrologic modeling, human-environment interactions, sustainability

Publications: 
  • Mihelcic, J.R., L.M.Fry, R. Shaw. (2011). Global Potential of Phosphorus Recovery from Human Urine and Feces. Chemosphere,84(6): 832-839.
  • Fry, L.M., J.R. Cowden, D.W. Watkins, Jr., T. Clasen, J.R. Mihelcic. (2010). Quantifying Health Improvements from Water Quantity Enhancement: An Engineering Perspective Applied to Rainwater Harvesting in West Africa. Environmental Science and Technology. DOI: 10.1021/es100798j.
  • Fry, L.M., J.R. Mihelcic, and D.W. Watkins. (2008). Water and Nonwater-related Challenges of Achieving Global Sanitation Coverage. Environmental Science and Technology, 42(12): 4298-4304.
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Yoon Kyung Cha

Job Title/Position: 
Research Fellow
Email: 
ykcha@umich.edu
Phone: 
(734) 741-2240
Address: 

4840 South State Road
Ann Arbor, MI  48108
Room 205

Dr. Cha's research focuses on assessing the effects of multiple anthropogenic stressors in aquatic ecosystems. Using Bayesian statistical approaches, her research has characterized long-term patterns of phosphorus loading and mussel populations for Saginaw Bay, Lake Huron, and has investigated how phosphorus load reductions and dreissenid invasions have affected various aspects of lake water quality, focusing on phosphorus flux and cycling in the bay.

Education: 

Ph.D. 2011. Duke University, Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Durham, NC.

M.S.2006. Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea.

B.S. 2004. Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Korea.

Research Interest/Area of Expertise: 

·         water quality assessment and management

·         water quality  and ecological modeling

·         Bayesian inference for uncertainty analysis and decision support

Publications: 

Cha, Y.K., Stow, C.A., Nalepa, T.F., Reckhow, K.H. 2011. Do invasive mussels restrict offshore phosphorus transport in Lake Huron? Environmental Science & Technology (45) 7226-7231.

Cha, Y.K., Stow, C.A., Reckhow, K.H., DeMarchi, C., Johengen, T.H., 2010. Phosphorus load estimation in the Saginaw River, MI using a Bayesian hierarchical/multilevel model. Water Research (44) 3270-3282.

Cuffney, T.F., Kashuba, R., Qian S.S., Alameddine, I., Cha, Y.K., Lee. B., Coles, J.F., McMahon, G. 2011. Multilevel regression models describing regional patterns of invertebrate and algal responses to urbanization across the USA. Journal of the North American Benthological Society (30) 797-819.

Alameddine, I., Cha, Y.K., Reckhow, K.H., 2011. An evaluation of automated structure learning with Bayesian networks: An application to estuarine chlorophyll dynamics. Environmental Modelling & Software (26) 163-172.

Kashuba, R., Cha, Y.K., Alameddine, I., Lee, B., and Cuffney, T.F., 2010, Multilevel hierarchical modeling of benthic macroinvertebrate responses to urbanization in nine metropolitan regions across the conterminous United States: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Report 2009–5243, 88 p.

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Hongyan Zhang

Job Title/Position: 
Assistant Research Scientist
Email: 
zhanghy@umich.edu
Phone: 
(734) 741-2354
Address: 

4840 South State Road
Ann Arbor, MI  48108-9719

Dr. Zhang focuses on investigating the anthropogenic impacts on the interactions among trophic levels in freshwater and marine ecosystems by constructing and applying statistical and ecological models. Based on the two-dimensional CE-QUAL-W2 model, she has constructed EcoLE, an ecological model of Lake Erie. The model has been used in studying the impacts of zebra mussels and quagga mussels on plankton, evaluating the phosphorus reduction program on Lake Erie, and investigating the occurrence of blue-green algal blooms. Dr.

Education: 

Ph.D., The Ohio State University, 2006 M.S., Ocean University of China, 1997 B.S., Ocean University of China, 1994

Research Interest/Area of Expertise: 

Hongyan Zhang focuses on the studies of the interactions among aquatic organisms and their environments.  Her major approach is numerical modeling of water quality, food web and ecosystems.  Projects she has been involved in include hypoxia impacts on the living resources of the northern Gulf of Mexico and the central basin of Lake Erie, harmful algal blooms in the western basin of Lake Erie, Lake Erie biocomplexity, and invasive species impacts on the Great Lakes region.

Publications: 

Zhang, H., Culver, D.A., and Boegman, L. Dreissenids in Lake Erie: an algal filter or a fertilizer? Aquatic Invasion, In review. Brandt, S.B., Constantini, M., Kolesar, S.E., Ludsin, S.A., Mason, D.M., Rae, C.M. and Zhang, H. Does hypoxia improve habitat quality for Lake Erie walleye? A bioenergetics perspective. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. In review. Zhang, H, Ludsin, S.A., Mason, D.M., Adamack, A.T., Brandt, S.B., Zhang, X., Kimmel, D.G., Roman, M.R., Boicourt, W.C. 2009. Hypoxia-driven changes in the behavior and spatial distribution of pelagic fish and mesozooplankton in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 381: 80-91. Culver, D.A., Conroy, J.D., Tyson, J.T., Crane, V.C., and Zhang, H. 2009. “Optimal” P loading in large lakes affects fish communities: Do you prefer walleye or yellow perch? Verh. Internat. Verein. Limnol. 30 (7): 1070-1072. Zhang, H., Culver, D.A., and Boegman, L. 2008. A Two-Dimensional Ecological Model of Lake Erie: Application to Estimate Dreissenid Impacts on Large Lake Plankton Populations. Ecological Modelling, 214: 219-241.

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Lin Luo

Job Title/Position: 
Research Fellow
Email: 
linluo@umich.edu
Phone: 
(734) 741-2235
Address: 

Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory
4840 S. State Rd.
Ann Arbor, MI 48108

Dr. Luo focuses on studying the ecosystem dynamics of the Great Lakes in conjunction with climate change using a lower trophic level ecosystem model. She gained her Ph.D degree from Sun Yat-Sen (Zhongshan) University, with the numerical study of hypoxia that occurs in the Pearl River Estuary during the summer. After graduation, she worked as an assistant scientist in the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Her research focused on modeling the water quality and ecological processes in the estuary and coastal waters.

Education: 

Ph.D. , Sun Yat-Sen University, China 2005. B.S., Sun Yat-Sen University, China 2000.

Research Interest/Area of Expertise: 

Physical and ecological processes, and their interactions in the estuary and coastal region Hydrodynamical-ecological modeling Saltwater intrusion in the estuary

Publications: 

Luo L, Chen J, Yang W, Wang D. A saltwater intrusion case in Pearl River Delta observed intensively during the winter of 2007-2008. Journal of Tropical Oceanography 2010, 29(6): 21-28. (in Chinese with English abstract) Luo L, Li S, Wang D, 2009. Hypoxia in the Pearl River Estuary, the South China Sea, in July 1999. Ecosystem Sustainability & Health Management. 12(4): 418-428. Luo L, Li S, Wang D, 2008. Modeling of hypoxia in the Pearl River Estuary in summer. Advances in Water Science. 19(5): 729-735. (in Chinese with English abstract) Luo L, Li S, Li H, 2005. The Characteristics of Dissolved Oxygen and Its Affecting Factors in Pearl River Estuary in Summer. ACTA Scientiarum Naturalium Universitatis SunYatSeni. 44(6): 118-122. (in Chinese with English abstract)

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Myriam LaRose

Job Title/Position: 
Research Fellow
Email: 
larosem@umich.edu
Phone: 
(734) 764-6453
Address: 

440 Church Street
G158 Dana Building
Ann Arbor MI 48109-3545

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Tom Johengen

Job Title/Position: 
Associate Director, CILER & Associate Research Scientist
Email: 
johengen@umich.edu
Phone: 
(734) 741-2203
Address: 

4840 South State Street
Ann Arbor, MI  48108-9719

Dr. Johengen has been a Research Scientist with the Cooperative Institute for Limnology and Ecosystems Research at the University of Michigan since 1991. Dr. Johengen also served as the Director of the CILER between 2000 - 2004. He received his M.S. in Biological Oceanography from Florida State University in 1986 and his Ph.D. in Oceanic Science at the University of Michigan in 1991. He currently serves as the Chief Scientist for Alliance of Coastal Technologies, a national consortium of academic institutions promoting observing technology.

Education: 

Ph.D. 1991, Oceanic Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
M.Sc. 1986, Oceanography, The Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida
B.Sc. 1981, Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan

Research Interest/Area of Expertise: 
  • Nutrient cycling and lower food-web dynamics in the Great Lakes. 
  • Ecological impacts of non-indigenous species on nutrient cycling and water quality. 
  • Prevention and control of non-indigenous species introductions associated with shipping activities.
  • Anthropogenic influences on watershed-scale nutrient loading. 
  • Development and application of in situ sensors for research and management applications in the Great Lakes and coastal oceans.  
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Jessica Head

Job Title/Position: 
Research Investigator
Email: 
jesshead@umich.edu
Phone: 
(734) 741-2277
Address: 

4840 South State Street
Ann Arbor, MI  48108-9719

Jessica Head is an ecotoxicologist with an interest in understanding the biological consequences of chronic, multi-generational exposure to environmental contaminants in fish and wildlife. She completed her PhD in 2006 at the University of Ottawa, where she studied effects of environmental contaminants on Great Lakes herring gulls, and developed a genetic screen for predicting dioxin sensitivity in birds. After her PhD, Dr. Head continued to study contaminant impacts on Great Lakes wildlife at Environment Canada’s National Wildlife Research Centre.

Education: 

PhD Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Canada, 2006 BSc Biochemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada, 1997

Research Interest/Area of Expertise: 

Research interest: Molecular and genetic approaches for assessing effects of environmental stressors on wildlife. Areas of expertise: Ecotoxicology, avian toxicology, biomarkers, molecular biology, mercury, dioxins

Publications: 

Head J.A., Farmahin R., Kehoe A., O’Brien J.M. Shutt J.L., Kennedy S.W. Characterization of the avian aryl hydrocarbon receptor 1 from blood using non-lethal sampling methods, 2010. Ecotoxicology (in press). Head J.A., Kennedy S.W., Correlation between an in vitro and an in vivo measure of dioxin sensitivity in birds, 2009. Ecotoxicology, 19 (2): 377. Basu N., Head J.A., Mammalian wildlife as complementary models in neurotoxicology, 2009. Neurotoxicology and Teratology, 32: 114-119. Basu N., Head J.A., Scheuhammer A.M., Bursian S.J., Rouvinen-Watt K., Man Chan H., 2009. The mink is still a reliable sentinel species in environmental health, Environmental Research, 109 (7): 940-941. Head J.A., Hahn M.E., Kennedy S.W. 2008. Key amino acids in the aryl hydrocarbon receptor predict dioxin sensitivity in avian species, Environmental Science & Technology, 42: 7535-7541. Head J.A., Kennedy S.W., 2007. Differential expression, induction, and stability of CYP1A4 and CYP1A5 mRNA in chicken and herring gull embryo hepatocytes. Comp. Biochem. And Physiol. – Part C: Toxicol. Pharmacol. 145: 617-624. Head J.A., Kennedy S.W., 2007. Same-sample analysis of ethoxyresorufin-O-deethylase activity and cytochrome P4501A mRNA abundance in chicken embryo hepatocytes. Anal. Biochem. 360: 294-302. Head J.A., O’Brien J., Kennedy S.W., 2006. Exposure to 3,3’,4,4’,5-pentachlorobiphenyl during embryonic development has a minimal effect on the cytochrome P4501A response to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin in cultured chicken embryo hepatocytes. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 25: 2981-2989.

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Ayumi Fujisaki

Job Title/Position: 
Research Fellow
Email: 
ayumif@umich.edu
Phone: 
(734) 741-2328
Address: 

Room 305
Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab
4840 S. State Rd.
Ann Arbor, MI 48108

I am a research fellow at CILER. Using the high-resolution ice-lake coupled model, my study focuses on the ice-lake processes in the Great Lakes in conjunction with climate change. I have completed my Ph.D. at the University of Tokyo, with a numerical study of the ice-ocean coupled processes in the Sea of Okhotsk. During my first postdoctoral fellowship at Princeton University, I started a process study of the ice bands, which is a small-scale (~10^0km) coupled process in the ice edge.

Education: 

Bachelor Degree in Engineering, Keio University (2004) Master Degree in Ocean Engineering, University of Tokyo (2006) Ph.D in Ocean Engineering, University of Tokyo (2009)

Research Interest/Area of Expertise: 

Ice-ocean coupled process High-resolution ice-ocean coupled model Sea of Okhotsk Polynya dynamics Ice edge processes

Publications: 

CV and publications are at http://www-personal.umich.edu/~ayumif/

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David Costello

Job Title/Position: 
Research Fellow
Email: 
dcostel@umich.edu
Phone: 
(734) 763-3602
Address: 

440 Church Street
G106 Dana Building
Ann Arbor, MI  48109-1041

Dr. Costello’s research focuses on how human-derived stressors affect the structure and function of ecosystems. Past research has explored how invasive earthworms disperse into riparian areas and how their presence can alter the transport of nutrients from forests into streams. Further, he has examined how novel “green” solvents (ionic liquids) may alter food web interactions in aquatic systems. Currently, he is investigating how metal (Ni and Cu) contaminated sediments alter stream invertebrates, primary production, and food webs.

Education: 

2010, Ph.D., Biology, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN Dissertation: “Effects of invasive species and chemical contaminants on biogeochemical fluxes across ecosystem boundaries” 2004, B.S., Biology, Hobart College, Geneva, NY Honors thesis: “The reproductive effects of four potential estrogen mimics on Ceriodaphnia dubia”

Research Interest/Area of Expertise: 

Chemical stressors Invasive species Aquatic-terrestrial interactions Nutrient cycling

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