​CV | Google Scholar | Email

Dr. Grace Wilkinson
Principal Investigator

Grace is a limnologist and ecosystem ecologist with a research focus on aquatic-terrestrial linkages. Her research interests are at the intersection of biogeochemistry, water quality and ecosystem resilience.  
​
Grace finished her PhD from the University of Virginia Department of Environmental Sciences in 2015 and remained at UVA as a postdoctoral researcher until December 2016. Grace was an Assistant Professor at Iowa State University from 2017-2020. In January 2021 she moved to the Center for Limnology at the University of Wisconsin - Madison.  
Email

Jess Briggs
PhD Student

Jess’s research interests focus on water quality and the nexus between biological, chemical, and physical processes in aquatic systems. She is also interested in the interactions between aquatic ecosystems and their surrounding communities, particularly in exploring anthropogenic effects on ecosystem function.  

Jess received a BS in Environmental Resource Management from Penn State University in 2021. As an undergraduate, she worked in Jon Duncan’s Watershed Ecohydrology and Biogeochemistry lab investigating stream metabolism.

Dr. Cale Gushulak
Postdoctoral Researcher

[info coming soon]
Website | Email

Helen Schlimm
Research Specialist

Helen assists in the regular operations and research endeavors of the Wilkinson Lab, in addition to leading outreach efforts. Her work combines her interests in limnological study and inclusive community science. She received a BS in Environmental Science from Dickinson College in 2017.

Check out the CFL Community Water Monitoring Network, which Helen leads here!

Jimmy Sustachek
LTER Research Specialist

Jimmy manages the water chemistry program for the North Temperate Lakes Long Term Ecological Research program. [more info coming soon]
Website | Google Scholar | Email

Danny Szydlowski
PhD Student

Danny is interested in the drivers of environmental change in lakes, including local factors such as invasive species and regional factors such as climate change. He is especially excited when he gets to work with long-term datasets.
​
Danny received a BS in Environmental Engineering at the University of Notre Dame in 2019, where he also worked in the aquatic ecology lab of Dr. Stuart Jones. Inspired by his undergraduate research, Danny went on to complete a MS in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences with Dr. Eric Larson at the University of Illinois in 2021, where he investigated the long-term effects of invasive rusty crayfish. 

Former Lab Members

Dr. Ellen Albright
Former PhD Student (2017-2022) & Postdoctoral Researcher (2022)
Currently postdoc at Center for Limnology

Ellen's research focused on spatiotemporal variation in the biogeochemical cycles of shallow lakes and reservoirs. She is especially interested in phosphorus cycling, lakebed sediments, and aquatic plant communities. Learn more about her research here. 

Dr. Tyler Butts
Former PhD Student (2018-2023)
Currently postdoc at Center for Limnology

Tyler's research uses food webs to better understand how disturbance and lake management drive aquatic ecosystem function. He uses a combination of whole-ecosystem manipulations, long-term, and high-frequency data to understand how consumer interactions drive ecosystem-level responses to disturbance events. Learn more about his research here. 

Dr. Eric Moody
Former Postdoctoral Researcher (2017-2019)
Currently Assistant Professor at Middlebury College

During his time in the lab, Eric examined interactions between grazers and harmful algal blooms  with funding from a USDA NIFA Postdoctoral Fellowship and worked to understand how the evolution of consumers can alter nutrient fluxes in aquatic ecosystems. Learn more about Eric's research here.

David Ortiz
Former MS Student (2017-2019)
Currently PhD Student at UW-Madison CFL

David's research focused on statistical early warning indicators of harmful algal blooms in lakes. Additionally, he is interested in the spatial heterogeneity of algal blooms in shallow lakes. Learn more about David's research here. 

Quin Shingai
Former MS Student (2018-2021)
Currently PhD Student at Dartmouth

 Quin's research interests focus on the intersection of environmental and human health. She is pursuing research on cyanotoxin and nutrient cycling with funding from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Quin received her BS in Biology from Iowa State University in December 2018 and her MS in Environmental Science in 2021. 

UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHERS

Elizabeth Wix (2022): Field and Laboratory Technician
Victoria Wright (2022): Field and Laboratory Technician
Logan Marion (2021): Field and Laboratory Technician
Kayla Wernsing (2019-2020): Geology Honors Undergraduate Research
Julia Schneller (2019-2020): Laboratory technician
Michael Tarnow (2020): Field and laboratory technician
​Matthew Kremer (2020): Laboratory technician
Lauren Dams (2020): Laboratory technician
Lucas Krakow (2017, 2020): Field technician
Matthan Kots (2020): Field technician
Shania Walker (2018-2019): Ambient Lake Monitoring Field Supervisor
Adriana Le Compte (2019): Army Corps Field and Laboratory Technician
Kala Rogers (2019): Field technician
Psalm Amos (2019): Lab Technician
Riley Barbour (2018-2019): Field and Lab Technician
Brittany Howes (2019): Lab Technician
Jenna Rasmusson (2019): Field and Lab Technician
​Kari Fiebelkorn (2019): Lab Technician

​Halle Rosenboom (2018-2019): Field Technician
Kathryn Holmes (2018): Undergraduate research credits
Katie Hoeppner (2018): Undergraduate research credits
James Thompson (2017, 2019): Field Technician
Emma Califf (2017-2019): Lab Technician
Ashley Heins (2018): Field and Lab Technician
​Lucas Krakow (2017): Field Technician
Katie Luzier (2017): Lab Technician
Sara Meyer (2017): Field and Lab Technician
Rylie Nylin (2018): Field Technician
Ryan Wagner (2018): Field Technician
Olivia Parks (2018): Field & Laboratory Technician
Casey McConnell (2018): Laboratory Technician
Christalyn Thjorne (2018): Army Corps Field and Laboratory Technician
Samuel Stearns (2017): Ambient Lake Monitoring Field Supervisor
Anna Zmich (2017-2018): Lab Technician
Jean-Luc Del Valle (2017): Undergraduate research credits