Gough Lab

Thanks for visiting! Here, you will find information about our research in plant physiological and ecosystem ecology. Our emphasis is on understanding how climate, disturbance, succession, and ecosystem structure affect leaf to ecosystem-scale function, with a focus on forest and wetland carbon cycling. Currently, we seek undergraduate student collaborators to conduct Department of Energy (DOE), National Science Foundation (NSF), and NASA supported research at VCU's Rice Rivers Center, and the University of Michigan Biological Station. Please contact Chris.

What are we doing this field season? A National Science Foundation project is asking how forests respond to different levels of disturbance. NASA’s Student Airborne Research Program East (SARP-E) is providing immersive research training for undergraduates. And, a DOE experiment is using mesocosms and flux towers to test the effects of sea level rise and nitrogen pollution on wetland carbon fluxes.

OUR TEAM

We are a student-centered, collaborative, creative and engaged research group. We like what we do, a lot. Lab members include undergraduate and graduate students, post-bacc researchers, post-docs, and artists. Students in the lab participate in all aspects of research, including study design, data collection and analysis, and publishing.

Chris

Lisa

Chris Gough, Associate Professor, CV

Carbon is my favorite element

Kayla

Lisa Haber, PhD Candidate

Disturbance and forest + wetland leaf and canopy physiology

Laura

Kayla Mathes, PhD

Disturbance, stability theory, below-ground carbon cycling

Ariel Johnson, PhD Student

Forest compositional change and ecosystem resilience after disturbance

Kerstin

Ariel

Sara Tenda, MS Student

Tidal wetland carbon cycling

Ariel

Mindy Priddy, PhD Student

Tidal wetland carbon cycling, SARP-E mentor

Laura

Angela Menna, MS student

Drivers of long-term carbon cycling processes

Ærn Stapel

Lab Coordinator

Ariel

Leah

Erin-Darby McClain, MS student

Forest carbon cycling, disturbance, and arthropods

Ariel

Gwenny Verity, NASA SARP-E student, 2023

Remote sensing of anthropogenic and natural methane source signatures

Leah

Sona Sunhil, Research Experience for Undergraduates participant, 2023

Forest carbon cycling and disturbance

Daulton White, undergraduate independent study and artist

Ecological illustration

Ariel

Cameron

Brandon Alveshere, post-doc (Fall ’23)

Next generation remote sensing of vegetation structure

Olu Johnson, undergraduate work study student

Leaf and root specialist

ALUMNI:

Akhil Valluri, BS, 2022, undergraduate independent study student

Jason Funderburk, BS, 2022, undergraduate volunteer

Kerstin Niedermaier, MS, 2022

Laura Hickey, MS, 2022

Erika Masis Laverde, BS, 2022, former artist in residence

Leah Capili, NSF REU, 2021

Dr. Jeff Atkins, Post-doc, 2015-2020: Now with USDA Forest Service

Ellen Stuart Haentjens, PhD, 2021: Now with US Geological Survey

Cameron Clay, MS, 2021

Max Grigri, MS, 2020 : Now Program Manager with Verra

Shea Wales, MS, 2019 : Now Environmental Scientist with Verra

Ben Sagara, MS, 2017: Now VA Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries

Cynthia Sheuermann, M.S. 2016: Now a USDA Forest Service Employee

Amy Schmid, M.S. Biology, 2015: Now Manager with Verra

Lisa Collins, M.ENVS.

Alexis Spencer, work study student

Alex Marini, field/lab tech, 2021

Kirsten Street, field/lab technician, 2020-2021

Carol-Anne Petit, field/lab technician, 2020

Keith Dickerson, field/lab technician, 2020

Alley Barry, field/lab technician, 2017-2018

Sheryl Yaconiello, field/lab technician, 2018

Chase Hershberger, field/lab technician, 2018

Catherine McQuigan, scientific illustrator, 2018