DANA

I am a broadly trained geoscientist with backgrounds in geology, terrestrial ecology, soil science, and chemistry. My research focuses on documenting and understanding surface biogeochemical processes in terrestrial environment, spanning from temperate grassland to arid and semiarid deserts. I combine physical, chemical, and biological methods and maintain strong linkages with the geological and atmospheric sciences. I conduct field and laboratory research and employ remote sensing and spatial analysis to understand processes, patterns, and their interactions across various scales... Research interests include phytoplankton ecology and dynamics, and index for water quality assessment, harmful algal blooms in coastal and freshwater systems, metabarcoding of phytoplankton, algal taxonomy and identification including diatoms; and Valley fever fungi Coccidioides detection and distribution for forecasting Valley fever outbreaks; and AI on algae (diatoms) identification.