Research Team
Principal Investigator of WATeR Biogeochemistry group
Dr. Jennifer C. Bowen
Jenny (she/her) is an Assistant Professor in the School of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences at Georgia Tech with adjunct affiliation in the School of Chemistry & Biochemistry. She earned her PhD in Earth & Environmental Sciences from the University of Michigan and completed postdoc research at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Stanford University. Her research spans aquatic and wetland biogeochemistry, organic geochemistry, and photochemistry, and focuses the process-level understanding needed to reduce uncertainty in carbon budgets or improve land management planning. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her two dogs, Ira and Ester.
Graduate student
Xavier Rousseau
Xavier is a second-year graduate student in the School of Chemistry & Biochemistry from Huntington, NY. He earned his BS in Chemistry and Biological Chemistry from the University of Chicago and has interests spanning metabolomics, mass spectrometry, and microbial metabolism. Xavier's graduate research in the group focuses on the chemical properties of dissolved organic molecules in peatland porewaters and how microbes use them during metabolism. In his free time, he enjoys reading, watching movies, and taking walks.
Graduate student
Anjali Subramanian
Anjali (she/her) is a first-year graduate student in the Ocean Sciences and Engineering program. She earned her BS in Environmental Science and Biology from the University of Chicago, where her research spanned marine biogeochemistry, plant-microbe interactions, and remote sensing. She is broadly interested in better constraining biogeochemical cycles by understanding the drivers of emissions. She is currently studying the impact of photochemistry on carbon and nitrogen cycling at boreal latitudes and the Arctic. In her free time, Anjali enjoys singing and playing piano, trying out new recipes, and reading.
Undergraduate researcher
Claire Riggs
Claire is a fourth-year Environmental Science undergraduate from Douglasville, Georgia. She is interested in exploring how we can use biogeochemistry to better understand anthropogenic impacts on aquatic ecosystems and analytical approaches to studying carbon cycling in wetlands. Claire received the Rutt Bridges Undergraduate Award to investigate controls on carbon dioxide and methane fluxes from flooded boreal peatlands in interior Alaska. In her free time, she enjoys reading, hiking, swimming, and travelling
Undergraduate researcher
Abhinav Sharma
Abhinav is a third-year undergraduate student studying Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. He is interested in computational and mathematical modeling of Earth science phenomena, particularly for mechanisms relevant to climate. Abhinav received the Rutt Bridges Undergraduate Award to investigate gas transfer velocities of carbon dioxide across the water-air interface of tropical peatland canals, with the ultimate goal of evaluating physical controls on carbon dioxide emissions. In his free time, Abhinav enjoys hanging out with his friends, gaming, and exploring new places.
Undergraduate researcher
Mariana Torres
Mariana is a third-year Environmental Science undergraduate from Newnan, GA. Her research interests include biogeochemical cycling, aquatic ecosystems, and climate change. She is currently working on analyzing what factors impact carbon export from peatland soils to canals in Indonesia and how land disturbances may impact carbon dioxide concentrations and emissions. In her free time, she likes to read and do theater.
Undergraduate researcher
Isabel O'Connell
Isabel (she/her) is a second-year undergraduate majoring in Environmental Science. She is interested in the intersection between biogeochemistry and climate science in different ecosystems, such as the soil biome and aquatic ecosystems. Her current project with the group is exploring microbial methane oxidation and carbon dioxide production in Alaskan wetlands, studying the impact of different wetland type (bogs versus fens) and different weather. In her free time, she enjoys reading, baking, dancing, and hanging out with friends.