People

Dr. Alex Webster (she/her)
I am an ecosystem ecologist interested in the resilience of ecosystems and social-ecological systems to increasing water scarcity and changing hydrologic regimes.

Water drives life across diverse settings. I work in freshwater ecosystems, watersheds, and water infrastructure networks in a variety of land use settings and biomes. This has taken me from desert cities to subarctic forests to agricultural ditches to try to understand and improve interactions between humans and the environment. I'm particularly interested in using large temporally- and spatially-rich datasets to address hypotheses about resilience, connectivity, and sustainability in the face of climate and land use change.

Advancing equity in STEM education and research practices is integral to my teaching, service, and research approach. See the Teaching, Outreach, and Service page for more.

Graduate Students

William Mejía-García (he/him)
I am a PhD student interested in understanding ecological systems and their vulnerabilities in a changing world.

Before becoming a graduate student at the University of New Mexico, I was working as a field technician at El Yunque Rainforest in Puerto Rico. As drastic changes in ecosystem water availability occur, I am specifically interested in learning more about water resources and their impact & importance in the environment.

Eve Tipps (they/them)
I am a master’s student interested in working at the intersection of community and ecosystem ecology to better understand the impact of climate change on riparian networks.

Before coming joining the University of New Mexico, I’ve spent time assisting research across the east coast. From studying neurodegeneration in dopaminergic neurons at Columbia Medical to collecting pollen and spring forest bees in the Yale-Myers Forest, I hope to integrate my assorted research background into my interest in ecological resilience.

Jazzmyn Luna (she/her)
I am a PhD student interested in freshwater ecology and stream biogeochemistry. I have a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and a master’s degree in Conservation and Restoration Science from the University of California, Irvine. Freshwater systems are my passion, and I hope to spend a lifetime researching this so I can do my part in preserving access to reliable sources of freshwater for generations to come.

Staff

Roan Marion (he/him)
I am a research scientist supporting our research on carbon and water cycling in Rio Grande riparian floodplains.

My interests include (among many other things) hydrology, microbiology, natural resource management and vertebrate physiology. When not in the field or lab, I spend most of my time supporting my brilliant family.

Manuela Londoño-Gaviria (she/her)
I am a data manager and project coordinator for the QuEST project. I am interested in ecosystem ecology in the context of climate change, exploring ecosystem resilience, and using data to discover improved environmental and management practices.

In my current role, I oversee data collection, management, and analysis to support our research objectives.

Before joining the lab, I worked in population genomics for the conservation of endangered species and phylogenetics. This experience has provided me with an understanding of genetic diversity and evolutionary relationships, which I now apply to ecological research.

Christopher O’Connor (they/them)
I am a lab technician for the Webster Lab and a master’s student in the UNM Water Resources Program. I am interested in biogeochemistry, ecosystem ecology, and water resource resilience in the arid Southwest.

Before joining the Webster Lab, I worked in various chemistry labs, including most recently as an organic chemistry lab technician at UNM. I aim to apply my background in chemistry and water resources toward watershed and ecology research.