Amy Marcarelli

Biography

I am an ecosystem ecologist with interests in energy and biogeochemical cycles in freshwaters. My research program blends basic and applied research, and integrates across aquatic habitats including stream, river, wetland, lake littoral zones and the nearshore regions of the Great Lakes. My past and future research trajectory is governed by an interest in understanding the role of small, poorly quantified fluxes or perturbations on ecosystem processes, and in linking those ecosystem processes to the underlying structure of microbial, algal, macrophyte and animal communities.

One benefit of an academic career is the synergy between an active research program and undergraduate and graduate education. I currently teach undergrad and graduate courses in Ecology and Limnology, as well a professional development seminar for graduate students called The Scientific Profession where we cover topics related to grant writing, publishing, jobs, work-life balance, ethics, and gender issues, among many others.