Dr. Aaron Martinez
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow
Aaron is an organic geochemist and geobiologist exploring ocean-based CDR techniques. He completed a PhD in Geosciences at UC Riverside working on ancient paleoenvironments and mass extinctions, then did a postdoc stint at Rutgers in tidal river biogeochemistry. In his free time, he can usually be found drinking a cup of tea in the garden, wondering which vegetables to grow.
Dr. Natalya Evans
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow
Talia is a postdoc in the NOISE lab investigating the anoxic degradation of terrestrial biomass as a potential carbon sequestration method. She is interested in evaluating the microbial processes, fate, and byproducts released from this sequestration method, as well as its feasibility, environmental impacts, and climate justice implications. She has a PhD in chemical oceanography from USC, where she researched nitrogen, iron, and iodine cycling in both the Eastern Tropical North Pacific Oxygen Deficient Zone and coastal Oregon waters, and a BS in chemistry from Harvey Mudd College. When not plumbing gas lines, she’s probably playing pickup sports or in the ocean.
Lena Capece
PhD Student
Website: https://lena-capece.weebly.com
Lena (she/hers) joined the NOISE lab in September 2019. She is interested in learning about sulfur cycling, carbon storage and microbial-mediated preservation of organic matter in low-oxygen environments such as coastal vegetative habitats and oxygen minimum zones (OMZs). Lena holds a M.S. in Geology from UC Davis where she worked with Dr. Tessa Hill to investigate the sources of organic matter to seagrass sediments in estuaries in California using bulk sediment geochemistry. She received her B.A. in Earth and Environmental Sciences from Wesleyan University (CT) in 2016. Lena can usually be found outside climbing, running or hiking.
Molly Crotteau
PhD Student
Molly (she/hers) joined the NOISE Lab in September 2021. She studies sulfur cycling and organic matter sulfurization in low-oxygen zones, such as Santa Barbara Basin, and in sinking marine particles. Her research aims to better understand the microenvironments in which organic matter sulfurization can occur, which has applications to determining the magnitude of the effect of organic matter sulfurization on carbon burial. She received her B.S. in Geochemistry and Environmental Science and Engineering from Caltech in 2021. In her free time, you can find Molly running, swimming, or baking.
Marianna Karagiannis
Ph.D Student
Marianna (she/hers) joined the NOISE lab in September 2022. She is interested in carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategies, organic matter preservation, and using stable isotopes to track chemical cycling in the ocean. Marianna graduated from the University of Chicago in 2021 with a BS in Geophysical Sciences and Environmental Science, and spent one year as a research assistant studying the biological carbon pump at the Marine Biological Laboratory. Outside of research, she loves mushroom foraging, baking, and dancing.
Imanol Ulloa Gutierrez
Undergraduate Researcher
Imanol is a UC LEADS scholar pursuing a degree in Aquatic Biology and a minor in Earth Science at UCSB. His research investigates the chemistry of organic sulfur in extractable bitumens from Ocean Anoxic Event 2 (~94 million years ago). During his free time, he likes to draw, paint ,and go for walks along the Coal Oil Point Reserve.
Zephyr Girard
Undergraduate Researcher
Zephyr (she/hers) joined the NOISE lab in July 2021. She is pursuing a B.S in Earth Science with an emphasis in Geology. Her research investigates the viability of deep sea storage of organic carbon in agricultural residue as a climate change mitigation technique. In the future she hopes to continue to use the subjects that she is passionate about to find creative solutions to the climate crisis. In her free time Zephyr can be found outside cycling, running or hiking.
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Jordan Fishburn
Undergraduate Researcher
Jordan (he/his) is a first year undergraduate student who joined the NOISE Lab in April 2022. He is currently pursuing a degree in Chemistry within the College of Creative Studies. His research involves studying sulfur cycling and organic matter sulfurization in low-oxygen zones. His hope is to learn more about research methods for carbon sequestration so he can create an independent project of his own. When time permits, he enjoys watching baseball games, playing spikeball, and trying new food.
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Melea Bailey
Undergraduate Researcher
Melea (she/hers) joined the NOISE Lab in November 2021. She is pursuing a B.S. degree in Earth Science with an emphasis in Geophysics. Her research consists of understanding sulfur cycling and carbon storage in coastal marshes and mangroves by using cyclic voltammetry and porewater analysis in sediment and organic matter. Melea is originally from San Diego and loves to spend her free time at the beach, surfing, and shopping at local thrift stores.
LAB ALUMNI
POST-DOCS
Dr. Alexandra Phillips (currently AAAS Congressional Fellow for Climate Science)
Dr. Molly D. O'Beirne (currently @ U. of Pittsburgh) mdobeirne.com
MASTERS STUDENTS
Katie O'Malley (Website: https://www.marinescienceanimations.com)
SENIOR THESIS STUDENTS
Izzy Young (currently accounting firm in San Francisco, climate tech)
Max Morrison (currently M.S. student @ San Jose State U.)
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHERS
Megan Sun
Cameron Allen
Sophia Wei (currently Laboratory Assistant @ Caltech)
VISITORS AND FRIENDS
