Matt (the "G" stands for Gwilym in case you were wondering!) is the lab PI and has a background in wildland fire behaviour and vegetation community ecology. Originally from Wales he studied at the University of Wales Lampeter and The University of Edinburgh. His PhD focused on the use of traditional managed burning on peatland ecosystems in Scotland. Whilst a Post-Doc at the University of Washington he studied long-term community dynamics in the sagebrush-steppe in relation to wildfire and cheatgrass invasion. Matt's research interests center on understanding drivers of fire regimes and how ecological disturbances and restoration control ecosystem structure and function. He also has a thing about pawpaws!

View Matt's publications on Google Scholar and Research Gate - Follow Matt on Twitter for news and updates

(Post-Doctoral Research Associate; 2018-present)

Simon joined ADFER in November 2018. His research in the lab focuses on plant community dynamics in response to disturbance. He is particularly focused on our "Long-term SUCCESS" and sagebrush soil health projects that are investigating how repeated wildfires and post-fire restoration affect sagebrush-steppe ecosystems. Simon is also leading efforts to inventory and classify OSU's woodland properties and is contributing to our "PyroGoat" project on prescribed burning and grazing for woody invasive control.

View Simon's publications on Google Scholar and Research Gate - Follow Simon on Twitter

(PhD student - Environmental Science Graduate Program; 2016-present)

In collaboration with Associacion Armonia (Bolivian Birdlife International partner), Jo is studing how changes to fire and grazing management affect habitat structure and bird communities in seasonally-flooded, tropical Bolivian grasslands. Jo is co-supervised by Chris Tonra of OSU's Terrestrial Wildlife Ecology Laboratory. Jo is from Scotland and completed her undergraduate degree in zoology at the University of Glasgow.

Follow Jo on Twitter

(PhD student - Environment and Natural Resources; 2016-present)

Rachael is working to understand how variation in fire regimes control community dynamics in shrub and grass dominated ecosystems. She is utlizing long-term experiments and monitoring plots in both temperate and semi-arid systems. Sites included restored prairie on former minelands and shrub-steppe ecosystems that have been subject to multiple wildfires, cheatgrass invasion and post-fire reclaimation efforts. Rachael's work is partly a collaboration with Jon Bakker (University of Washington) and funded by the Joint Fire Science Program as part of the "Long-term SUCCESS" project.

(PhD student - Environmental Science Graduate Program; 2019-present)

Sarah completed an MS in the ADFER lab and graduated in summer 2019. She worked on our MORE Ohio Pawpaw project investigating variation in pawpaw yields and fruit quality across Ohio. She is continuing this research as a PhD student having secured follow-on funding from ODA, USDA and NC SARE. Sarah is co-supervised by Prof. Joe Scheerens in the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science.

(PhD student - Environmental Science Graduate Program; 2021-present)

Adriana is working on a project funded by the Ohio State Energy Partners program to investigate how soil type, forest composition and management history influence soil carbon content.

(MS student - Environment and Natural Resources; 2021-present)

Marcos is a Fulbright Fellow from Paraguay and is working on the effects of wildfire, grazing and restoration on soil health

(UG Honors Student; 2020-present)

Ellen is investigating the relationship between productivity and species diversity in reclaimed prairies on former minelands