UMass Lowell

Mathew Barlow, PhD

Professor, Graduate Coordinator
Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Climate Change Initiative
College of Sciences
University of Massachusetts Lowell
email: Mathew_Barlow@uml.edu
phone: 978.934.3908

Areas of expertise: Climate Variability and Change.

Jeffrey Basara, PhD

Chair, Professor
Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Kennedy College of Sciences
University of Massachusetts Lowell
email: Jeffrey_Basara@uml.edu
phone: 978.934.3918

Areas of expertise: Weather and Climate Extremes, Hydrometeorology, Hydroclimatology

Areas of research/interest: Professor Basara is interested in the complex challenges at the intersection between weather, climate, water, and ecosystems with specific focus on the processes that drives hydrometeorological and hydroclimatological extremes and impacts from local to global scales.

Frank Colby, PhD

Professor, Transfer Coordinator
Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Center for Wind Energy
College of Sciences
University of Massachusetts Lowell
email: Frank_Colby@uml.edu
phone: 978.934.3906

Areas of expertise: Weather Modeling, Analysis and Forecasting, Boundary Layer Meteorology

Areas of research/interest: Nor'easters, snow squalls, tropical storms and hurricanes, ensemble modeling, large eddy simulation of the atmospheric boundary layer, forecast model errors, back door cold fronts.

Nelson Eby, PhD

Professor
Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
College of Sciences
University of Massachusetts Lowell
email: G_Eby@uml.edu
phone: 978.934.3907

Areas of expertise: Geochemical Processes, Undergraduate and Graduate Programs

Areas of research/interest: Geochemical processes, alkaline rocks and granites, nuclear methods, metals in the environment.
Professor Eby’s general area of research is geochemistry, but he has eclectic interests which range from forensic geology to archaeology. Recent projects - characterizing the glass (Trintite) produced during the first atomic bomb test; determining the concentration of Br in geological and biological materials; petrology and geochemistry of Jurassic - Cretaceous magmatism in the northeastern US and Canada; F and Cl in apatite, amphibole, and biotite; sources of obsidian; using tree-ring cores to map environmental change; and atmospheric pollutants

Robert Gamache, PhD

Professor Emeritus
Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Climate Change Initiative
College of Sciences
University of Massachusetts Lowell
email: Robert_Gamache@uml.edu
phone: 978.934.3904

Areas of expertise: Theoretical Molecular Spectroscopy with Emphasis on the Spectral Line Shape Problem

Areas of research/interest: Quantum theory of the interaction of radiation with matter, spectral line shapes, widths, and pressure shifts for atmospheric molecules. Theoretical and experimental studies of remote sensing of the Earth's troposphere, stratosphere, and ionosphere, and planetary atmospheres. Measurement and modeling of tropospheric pollutant gases. Atmospheric modeling and simulation code development and maintenance. Expert Systems. Electron density and molecular density profiles for terrestrial atmosphere. Ionospheric modeling and prediction. Radiative transfer and its applications to the Greenhouse effect. Database structure and design for application to physical data.

Jessica Garb, PhD

Associate Professor
Biological Science
College of Sciences
University of Massachusetts Lowell
email: Jessica_Garb@uml.edu
phone: 978.934.2899

Areas of expertise: Molecular Evolution and Systematic Biology

Areas of research/interest: Evolutionary Biology and Genomics

Work in Professor Garb’s laboratory is broadly aimed at understanding biological evolution, from the molecular level to species diversification. They specialize in spiders, one of the most species-rich animal groups, and their current projects largely concern the evolution of proteins that have enabled their proliferation. Spider silks are renowned for their impressive mechanical properties and exhibit tremendous functional variation within and across species. They are using genomic tools to characterize the polymer-like proteins that make up spider silks from a variety of species. Because these proteins are encoded by a gene family, phylogenetic analyses of spiders and the silk proteins they synthesize are used to trace the long and complex history of silk evolution. Another major project is focused on the evolution of venom from black widow spiders and their close relatives. They are determining the molecular composition of these venoms to investigate the origin and diversification of potent toxins that enable prey capture. Such evolutionary work facilitates the discovery of beneficial and hazardous toxins with biomedical significance.

Michael Graves, PhD

Associate Professor
Biological Science
College of Sciences
email: Michael_Graves@uml.edu
phone: 978.934.2887

Areas of expertise: Molecular Biology and Virology

Areas of research/interest: Research in Professor Graves’ lab focuses on the chlorella viruses that infect chlorella-like algae. They are distributed worldwide and many genetically distinct isolates populate a single water sample. Their genome is unusually large. One isolate, PBCV-1, for example, (genome size = 330744 bp dsDNA) codes for ~375 proteins, nearly half of which resemble proteins of known function. The genomes of other chlorella virus isolates are probably co-linear with PBCV-1 and appear to share many, but not all, genes. This suggests that the entire “gene pool” of this genus exceeds the 375 PBCV-1-encoded genes. Many of these genes encode proteins (e.g., enzymes involved in protein glycosylation) rarely associated with viruses.

James Heiss, PhD

Associate Professor with Tenure
Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
College of Sciences
email: James_Heiss@uml.edu
phone: 978.934.6304

Areas of expertise: Coastal Hydrogeology, Groundwater-Surface Water Interactions, Coastal Groundwater Resources, Aquifer Biogeochemistry

Areas of research/interest: Professor Heiss’ research interests are in coastal groundwater-surface water interactions, climate change and sea level rise impacts to groundwater resources, and chemical fluxes along the land-sea transition zone. In particular he is interested in the hydrologic forcings (waves, tides, currents, extreme precipitation, storm surge, sea level rise) that move water and chemicals between aquifers and coastal surface waters. He explores these processes from the meter- to global-scale through field experiments, numerical models, and quantitative synthesis of large datasets.

Rick Hochberg, PhD

Professor, Graduate Admissions Coordinator
Biological Sciences
College of Sciences
University of Massachusetts Lowell
email: Rick_Hochberg@uml.edu
phone: 978.934.2885; Lab: 978.934.2884

Areas of expertise: Invertebrate Zoology

Areas of research/interest: Invertebrate Zoology, Functional Morphology, Systematics, Evolution, Biodiversity

Research in Professor Hochberg’s lab is dedicated to the study of invertebrate diversity at all levels of biological organization. The chief focus is on microscopic invertebrates of the interstitial and planktonic realms, such as gastrotrichs, plathelminths, and rotifers, although research on any aquatic invertebrate is welcome. Examples of the range of on-going projects include: 1) immunohistochemistry of the rotifer nervous system; 2) functional morphology of the head and pharynx in marine gastrotrichs; 3) systematics of typhloplanoid flatworms; and 4) structure of the neuromuscular system of neomeniomorph molluscs. Research is both field and laboratory based, with a strong emphasis on comparative studies and structure-function relationships.

Kimberly Howell, PhD

Visiting Faculty Lecturer
Kennedy College of Sciences
Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
email: Kimberly_Howell1@uml.edu
phone: 978.934.3917

Areas of expertise: Sedimentology, Stratigraphy, Petroleum Geology

Nicolai Konow, PhD

Associate Professor with Tenure, UMOVE Co-Director
Biological Sciences, UMOVE
College of Sciences
University of Massachusetts Lowell
email: Nicolai_Konow@uml.edu

Areas of expertise: Biomechanics, Muscle Physiology Ecomorphology

Areas of research/interest: PForm-function-mechanics relationships. Integration and coordination of movements. Muscle contraction and tendon action. Ecological diversification. Evolutionary transitions. Feeding.

Pradeep Kurup, PhD

Professor, Distinguished University Professor
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Francis College of Engineering
University of Massachusetts Lowell
email: Pradeep_Kurup@uml.edu

Areas of expertise: Geotechnical Engineering

Areas of research/interest: Multi-sensor data fusion, site characterization and monitoring, application of novel sensing technology to geotechnical and geo-environmental engineering; finite element modeling; artificial neural networks; calibration chamber testing; soil-structure interaction; and Aseeing-ahead techniques@ for trenchless technologies.

Susanna Remold, PhD

Professor
Biological Sciences
College of Sciences
University of Massachusetts Lowell

Areas of expertise: Microbial evolution ecology and genomics.

Juliette Rooney-Varga, PhD

Professor, Director – Climate Change Initiative
Environmental Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Climate Change Initiative, Rist Institute for Sustainability and Energy
Kennedy College of Sciences
University of Massachusetts Lowell
email: Juliette_RooneyVarga@uml.edu
phone: 978.934.4715

Areas of expertise: Climate Change and Sustainability, Microbial Ecology, Biogeochemistry

Areas of research/interest: Professor Rooney-Varga is Director of the UMass Lowell Climate Change Initiative (CCI) and Professor of Environmental Biology. Her microbial ecology research has spanned diverse topics related to carbon cycling, climate change, and energy; from feedback loops in microbial production of methane in the Arctic and the climate system, to harnessing electricity produced by anaerobic microorganisms in soil.

David Ryan, PhD

Professor
Chemistry
College of Sciences
University of Massachusetts Lowell
email: David_Ryan@uml.edu
phone: 978.934.3698

Areas of expertise: Analytical and Environmental Chemistry

Areas of research/interest: Analytical Chemistry, Environmental Analysis, Carbon Dioxide Emulsions, Artificial Photosynthesis, Humic Materials, Fluorescence Spectroscopy, Metal Speciation, Vitamin E Oxidation Reduction, Enhanced Oil Recovery

Fluorescence quenching and enhancement phenomena are being utilized to assess binding reactions of metal ions and organic compounds including fulvic and humic acids, Alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) is being studied to elucidate oxidation and reduction reactions, Liquid and supercritical carbon dioxide droplets are stabilized by particles creating emulsions that have several advantages for carbon dioxide sequestration in geologic formations or the deep oceans and can also be employed for enhanced oil recovery and other valuable applications, Artificial photosynthesis research is being conducted to convert carbon dioxide and water into hydrocarbon fuels.

Christopher Skinner, PhD

Assistant Professor
Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Climate Change Initiative
College of Sciences
University of Massachusetts Lowell
email: Christopher_Skinner@uml.edu
phone: 978.934.3901

Areas of expertise: Climate Change, Weather Extremes, Biosphere-Atmosphere Interactions, Climate Modeling

Areas of research/interest: Professor. Skinner is interested in the intersection of climate change and climate impacts. In his research he uses process-based numerical models (i.e. climate models) to study how perturbations to the earth system influence weather and climate events. The insights from this work can be used to better understand the role of climate and weather in shaping societies and ecosystems in the past, and to prepare for climate-related impacts in the future.

Kate M. Swanger, PhD

Associate Professor
Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Climate Change Initiative
College of Sciences
University of Massachusetts Lowell
email: Kate_Swanger@uml.edu
phone: 978.934.2664

Areas of expertise: Earth Surface processes and paleoclimatology, with an emphasis on glacial geology, permafrost processes and high-latitude climate change

Areas of research/interest: Professor Swanger’s current research themes focus on the response of Antarctic ice sheets to late Cenozoic climate change, quantifying earth surface processes with rigorous field experiments and numerical modeling, and investigating the role of buried glacier ice in permafrost processes and their potential as climate archives.

Joy Winbourne, PhD

Assistant Professor
Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
Kennedy College of Sciences
University of Massachusetts Lowell
email: Joy_Winbourne@uml.edu
phone: 978.934.3964

Areas of expertise: Terrestrial Biogeochemistry, Global Change Biology, Urban Ecology, Ecosystem Ecology, Forest Ecology, Plant Ecophysiology

Areas of research/interest: As a terrestrial biogeochemist and global change ecologist, Professor Winbourne’s research centers on understanding how plants regulate the movement of carbon, nutrients and water in terrestrial ecosystems under a variety of human perturbations. In particular, she is interested in understanding the impacts of urbanization, deforestation, forest fragmentation, and climate change on ecosystem processes. Her research agenda is motivated by the need for actionable ecological data and theory to inform sustainable environmental policies and evaluate their efficacy, especially in the context of global climate change. To address these research aims, she has conducted studies in remote tropical forests to the densely populated cities of northeastern United States. She integrates field studies, molecular analyses, stable isotopes, remote sensing, meta-analyses, and modeling approaches to scale ecosystem processes at the individual soil core or tree to landscape scales to uncover trends in key services ecosystems provide human societies .