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Lab PI
Dr. Kevin C. RoseEmail: [email protected]
Rensselaer faculty webpage Darrin Freshwater Institute Dr. Rose received his Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology from Miami University studying the causes and consequences of variation in ultraviolet radiation in aquatic ecosystems. Following his Ph.D., Dr. Rose went on to a postdoctoral fellowship at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, an AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowship at the U.S. National Science Foundation, and a postdoctoral appointment at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Rose joined at the Department of Biological Sciences at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2015 as the Frederic R. Kolleck ’52 Career Development Chair in Freshwater Ecology. As of 2022, Dr. Rose began leading the Darrin Freshwater Institute and the Jefferson Project, a partnership between RPI, IBM Research, the Lake George Association, and the Chautauqua Institution. When he isn't working, Dr. Rose is chasing after his kids, fixing something around the house, getting into the outdoors, or volunteering in his community. |
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Graduate students
Vince MoriartyEmail: [email protected]
Vince's website Vince is a PhD student in the multidisciplinary sciences graduate program at Rensselaer and a Senior Research Engineer with the Jefferson Project. He received his MS in marine biology from Northeastern University and spent 10 years working in French Polynesia researching coral reef ecology and biology as part of the Moorea Coral Reef LTER (Long Term Ecological Research) program. His current research focuses on understanding the factors regulating the formation of harmful algal blooms (HABs), as well as potential mechanisms driving the aerosolization of cyanotoxins associated with HABs. His research draws on a diverse skill set in high-frequency sensing, remote sensing, modeling, and surveys. |
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Kasey CrandallEmail: [email protected]
Kasey is a PhD student in the Department of Biological Sciences at Rensselaer. He completed an MS in Biology at SUNY Fredonia in 2024 where he focused on spatial patterns of stratification in Chautauqua Lake, NY using high frequency sensors and modeling approaches. He has worked on a wide range of ecological issues including microplastic pollution and harmful algal bloom (HAB) formation. Kasey joined RPI in Fall 2024. His current research seeks to understand the sources and cycles of nutrients that may be used by cyanobacteria in the formation of HABs and changes in the physical and chemical structure of lakes as a result of climate change. Outside of research, Kasey spends his time hiking and fishing. |
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Shaelyn PradaEmail: [email protected]
Shaelyn is an Environmental Engineering PhD student in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Rensselaer. She completed her BS in Environmental Engineering in 2022 at Michigan Technological University. She researched the groundwater quality implications for underground pumped hydro storage facilities in decommissioned mines. Following undergrad, Shaelyn worked at Stantec as a Water Resources Engineer and specialized in separate and combined sanitary sewer flow monitoring, rainfall-derived inflow and infiltration studies, and water quality monitoring and management for various industrial clients. Shaelyn joined RPI in Fall 2024. Her current research focuses on understanding carbon cycling in lakes and its role in global climate change, as well as how anthropogenic activities may affect the carbon cycle and overall lake water quality. Outside of research, you can likely find Shaelyn working on DIY home renovations or on a hiking trail. |
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Georgia LarzelereEmail: [email protected]
Georgia is a PhD student in the Department of Biological Science at Rensselaer. She completed her BS in Biology in 2022 at Gettysburg College where she worked on several research projects including surveying cave invertebrate biodiversity and analyzing amphibian acoustic and vibrational communication. Following undergrad, she worked in the outdoor recreation field before joining a start-up regenerative biology lab as a technician and manager at Massachusetts General Hospital. Georgia joined RPI in Fall 2024. Her current research focuses on understanding patterns and drivers of biodiversity, community structure, and trophic cascades in lakes. Outside of research, Georgia enjoys snowboarding, backpacking, and bird watching. |
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Research & technical staff
Laurie AhrensEmail: [email protected]
Laurie is a Senior Research Specialist. She is primarily responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Chemistry lab at the Darrin Freshwater Institute, but over the past 20 years has also been involved in numerous lake research and monitoring projects, including aquatic plant surveys in Lake George and various other lakes in the Adirondacks and Vermont, herbarium collection preparation, the Lay Monitoring program, Asian Clam surveys, and bacteria analyses. Laurie also mentors undergraduate Research Assistants each summer in good laboratory practices. Laurie is interested in learning new methodology and instrumentation to improve efficiency in the lab. In her free time Laurie loves kayaking, wandering in the woods, wishing for her own dragon, and planning the next trip to see her grandbaby. |
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Dr. Guillaume AugerEmail: [email protected]
Guillaume is a Senior Research Scientist with the Jefferson Project. His research focuses on the role of three-dimensional hydrodynamic processes on variations in lake water quality, with an emphasis on understanding, forecasting, and mitigating harmful algal blooms. Guillaume received his PhD in Applied Marine Environmental Studies from Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Japan, studying the propagation of internal Kelvin waves and the generation of turbulent mixing in Lake Biwa, Japan. Using his expertise in hydrodynamic modeling and data analysis, Guillaume's current research focuses on hydrodynamic processes in Chautauqua Lake, New York. There, he is investigating the dynamics of water parcels within and between lake basins and the linkages to atmospheric patterns, with a goal to generate long term prediction of material exchanges in a changing climate. |
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Jay BeuglyEmail: [email protected] & [email protected]
Jay is a Senior Research Specialist and Facilities Manager at the Darrin Freshwater Institute. He is responsible for the day-to-day operation of DFWI facilities and equipment. Jay also provides technical assistance for aquatic ecology sampling and general research support. He received a BS in Natural Resources from Ohio State University and a MS from Ball State University where he focused on aquatic community ecology in rivers and streams. Jay then worked at Purdue University and IL-IN Sea Grant as an Aquatic Ecology Specialist until 2020. While there, he managed Great Lakes fish ecology research projects out of Purdue, headed a stream and river ecology outreach program, and maintained the IL-IN Great Lakes weather buoy network. Jay relocated to Bois Blanc Island in 2020 and spent 4yrs enjoying life on a remote island in Lake Huron before joining RPI in January of 2025. Jay spends free time with his family, sailing, biking, and hiking. |
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Dr. Jonathan Borrelli Email: [email protected]
Website Jon is a Research Associate whose research focuses on developing methods to better understand the ecology of lake ecosystems and using that knowledge to predict how lakes will respond to environmental change. Jon received his PhD in Ecology and Evolution from Stony Brook University studying the relationship between food web structure and the stability of community dynamics. He leverages his expertise in R programming and data analysis to combine insights from surveys, sensors, and hydrodynamic models for modelling and forecasting lake food web dynamics. Jon is developing models to forecast water quality and to identify conditions for potential harmful algal blooms. Working with both internal and external collaborators, he is combining his modelling approaches with long-term predictive models to better understand how different climate change and management scenarios will impact lake water quality. |
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Dr. Allison HrycikEmail: [email protected]
Allison is a Research Scientist who investigates harmful algal blooms and algae ecology. She is involved in sampling efforts on Chautauqua Lake. Prior to her position at RPI, Allison was a research scientist at SUNY Buffalo State, working on benthic invertebrate and water quality monitoring in the Great Lakes. During her PhD at University of Vermont, she studied how changing winter conditions help set the stage for algae blooms during the open water season. She also holds a master’s from Purdue in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences and a bachelor's from Cornell in Natural Resources. Her current projects include monitoring lake bottom algae, understanding nutrient inputs from the Chautauqua Lake watershed, and working with colleagues on Lake George and Chautauqua Lake to understand the different drivers of algae blooms in different lake types. Outside of lake research, Allison enjoys spending time outdoors, especially hiking and gardening. |
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Dr. Harry KolarEmail: [email protected]
Harry is a Senior Research Scientist with The Jefferson Project and was previously an IBM Fellow with IBM Research focused on environmental science. Harry has been involved in The Jefferson Project from its inception and led a multidisciplinary research team as the Associate Director of the project for over a decade. He has worked across several IBM divisions in technical, management, and executive roles to advance new technologies, including materials, advanced analytical methods, AI, information and knowledge management, distributed embedded real-time intelligent systems, and sensor-based, cyberphysical systems. Harry also led the SmartBay Galway project with the Marine Institute of Ireland, an underwater acoustic monitoring project for sustainable ocean energy with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland, and the River and Estuary Observatory Network (REON) on the Hudson River with the Beacon Institute for Rivers and Estuaries in New York. He holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in physics and an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in the science and engineering of materials. Harry is an Adjunct Professor of Physics at Arizona State University and an Adjunct Professor at the Dublin City University Water Institute in Ireland. |
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Mark LuciusEmail: [email protected]
Mark is a Senior Software Engineer whose work is focused on developing software to drive high-frequency sensors, web applications for easier control of sensors and equipment, and data QA/QC tools to streamline data pipelines for the Jefferson Project at Lake George. Mark also works to develop new sensor deployments and works closely with our cutting-edge vertical profiling platforms. He also contributes to limnological research, with a focus on Lake George and Chautauqua Lake, New York. Mark has a BS in Psychology from University of Central Florida and a MS in Environmental Science from Florida Gulf Coast University. |
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Brian MattesEmail: [email protected]
Brian is a Senior Research Specialist. Brian's primary responsibilities include managing the long-term monitoring programs at Lake George, including offshore and littoral sampling programs that began in 1980. However, Brian is also involved in numerous other aspects of our research and monitoring programs, and has experience in running and assisting with mesocosm experiments, sampling other lakes, conducting zooplankton identification, and assisting with the deployment, calibration, and maintenance of our sensor network. More recently, Brian led the creation of an attached algae monitoring program to understand the productivity in nearshore areas around Lake George and is active in outreach and stakeholder engagement efforts to educate the public about our research. Brian earned his B.S. in Natural Sciences from the University of Pittsburgh. |
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Dr. Madhushree MunsiEmail: [email protected]
Madhushree is a Postdoctoral Research Associate whose research interests lie in application of remote sensing and GIS in freshwater ecosystem conservation. She received her PhD in Conservation Science and Sustainability Studies from Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), India, where she developed a holistic framework to identify vulnerable river basins for the conservation of freshwater biodiversity. Currently, she is investigating spatiotemporal trends in key lake attributes and processes using multi-sensor remote sensing data and geospatial analysis. She is particularly interested in developing models to monitor ecosystem health and forecast changes in key indicators under future environmental conditions. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, birdwatching, and reading. |
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Maria PelusiEmail: [email protected]
Maria is a Senior Research Specialist. She earned her BS in Environmental Science and Policy and her MS in Environmental Science and Engineering from Clarkson University. During her time at Clarkson Maria focused on research related to water quality sensors, investigating spatial changes in physicochemical properties throughout the St. Lawrence River. Her work extended to applying fluorescent water quality sensors to identify pollution sources in the St. Lawrence River watershed. In her current role, Maria contributes to the management of the innovative sensor network at the Jefferson Project and supports ongoing research initiatives, with a specific emphasis on understanding water quality patterns, trends, and disturbance events. |
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Dr. Jenna RobinsonEmail: [email protected]
Jenna Robinson is a postdoctoral researcher, and she serves as Project Manager and Quality Assurance Manager for the SCALE project (Survey of Climate and Adirondack Lake Ecosystems), a three-year, statewide study of more than 250 lakes across Adirondack State Park, New York. Jenna defended her PhD in Biology from RPI in 2025. Her research focuses on spatiotemporal variability in lake ecosystem metabolism and greenhouse gas dynamics, using long-term records, high-frequency sensor data, and global syntheses. Her work spans lakes in New York and Pennsylvania and includes international datasets through the Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON), where she has held leadership roles in the Graduate Student Association. |
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Jordanne SchwitzgebelEmail: [email protected]
Jordanne is a Project Manager and helps coordinate many diverse projects for our team. She is passionate about environmental education and outreach. Jordanne received her B.S. in Geology and Geological Oceanography and Graduate Certificate in Hydrology from the University of Rhode Island where she studied water quality and remediation techniques. Throughout her college experience she was a Coastal Fellow working in a lab researching wastewater treatment as well as informing community members on the importance of annual well water testing. Since then, Jordanne has been an AmeriCorps member, a Water Conservation Coordinator for a non-profit in Boulder, Colorado, and most recently the Student Services Coordinator for the School of Science at Rensselaer. She grew up in the Adirondacks and has always been passionate about preserving the natural beauty of the outdoors, which sparked her interest in conservation and community outreach. Outside of work, Jordanne can be found hiking on the Rensselaer Plateau, reading a book, or looking for diamonds in the rough at local thrift stores. |
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Dave WinklerEmail: [email protected]
Dave is a Senior Research Specialist. He has over 25 years of field and laboratory management experience and works as a bridge to successfully translate project logistics between the lab and field. This includes new project implementation, field data collection, sensor deployments, and graduate/undergraduate student support. His research interests include invasive species, bio-acoustics, and remote sensing. Dave holds certifications as an advanced open water and scientific diver, is a licensed commercial drone pilot, and is also the lead pilot for the lab's Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV). His laboratory experience includes methodologies in various types of analytical chemistry, mainly focusing on freshwater ecology applications. Currently, Dave is involved in the LTREB long term sensor and monitoring program in collaboration with the Lacawac field station in Lake Ariel, PA. When not out in the field, Dave enjoys photography, traveling, art, spending time with his family, and diving in places that are not cold. |
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Kira YerokeevEmail: [email protected]
Kira is a Research Specialist working on the Jefferson Project at Chautauqua Lake, New York. She is investigating the factors influencing water quality, including nutrient inputs and harmful algal blooms. Her work includes monitoring and sampling efforts on Chautauqua lake and streams within its watershed. Kira earned her BS in Environmental Science, dual Major in Spanish, at Allegheny College. During her time in undergrad she worked as a Research Assistant in the Biology department researching vernal pool food-web dynamics, and with the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory in Colorado focusing on montane pond food-web dynamics and invertebrate habitat range shifts. More recently she has worked as a Teaching Assistant at SUNY Buffalo State College, where she led cell biology courses and collaborated on predator-prey interaction studies. She has also worked as a Product Specialist at Thermo Fisher Scientific. Outside of work Kira loves reading fantasy books, experimenting in the kitchen, and hiking - especially the Niagara Gorge trails! |
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Lab alumni
Jenna Robinson
Jenna completed her PhD in 2025. Her research focused on spatial and temporal variability in ecosystem metabolism and greenhouse gas dynamics in lakes using high-frequency sensors, long-term data, and manual sampling. Jenna was also deeply involved in GLEON, the Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network. Jenna has remained in the lab since obtaining her PhD and is now a Project Manager and Postdoctoral Scholar focusing on implementing a large survey to understand spatial and temporal patterns in the physics, chemistry, and biology of Adirondack lakes.
Mike Kelly
Mike completed his PhD in 2025. His research focused on leveraging advanced aquatic sensors and process-based simulation modeling to understand and forecast harmful algal blooms and nutrient dynamics in lakes. Mike continues to collaborate and consult with the lab and broader Jefferson Project team.
Caitlin Williams
Caitlin completed her MS in 2025. Her research focused on understanding the controls of nearshore or littoral algal growth, including how winter conditions and food web interactions modulate primary production. Caitlin now teaches at Hudson Valley Community College.
Ria Massoni
Ria completed her MS in 2025. Her research focused on understanding the genetic factors driving differences in aquatic microbe species abundances and gene expression under changing environmental conditions. Ria used metagenomic analyses to create machine learning models that predict the interactions between microbial abundances, genes, and aquatic conditions to investigate associations between freshwater conditions and genetic differences. After graduating Ria went on to become a Research Assistant at the Marine Biological Laboratory.
Max Glines
Max completed his PhD in 2024. His research focused on the dynamics of lake water clarity and used high frequency sensors and satellite remote sensing to examine patterns from days to decades and from single lakes to continents. Max is now a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies.
Cassie Roberts
Cassie completed her MS in 2022. Her research focused on understanding the source of dissolved organic matter in lakes, reservoirs, and stream networks. She also conducted research to calibrate and validate a novel in situ sensor to detect the source of dissolved organic matter. Cassie is now a Limnologist at the Whitefish Lake Institute in Whitefish, MT.
Monika LaPlante
Monika completed her MS in 2017. Her research focused on understanding patterns of dissolved organic matter among lakes using fluorescence dissolved organic matter profile measurements made in dozens of lakes around the world. Monika is now a a Program Director at the Lake George Association in Lake George, NY.
Luke Winslow
Luke was a Postdoctoral Researcher in the lab, 2017-2018. His research focused on understanding and forecasting continental-scale changes in lakes, including understanding lake warming rates and ice cover trends. Luke went on to obtain an Insight Data Science Fellowship, various data science industry jobs, and is now a Senior Manager in Data Science at TRM Labs.
Taylor Leach
Taylor was a Postdoctoral Researcher in the lab, 2018-2020. Her research focused on understanding biotic changes in Adirondack lakes and forecasting aquatic greenhouse gas fluxes. Taylor went on to obtain an Insight Data Science Fellowship and is now the Senior Manager of Data Science and Causal Inference at Tala.
McArd Joseph Mlotha
Joseph was a Postdoctoral Researcher in the lab, 2019-2020. His research focused on using satellite remote sensing to understand patterns of water quality in the Limpopo River Basin and broader Southern Africa region. Joseph now works as a Consultant.
Steve Jane
Steve completed his PhD in 2020. His dissertation research focused on understanding ecosystem-scale changes in lakes, including dissolved organic matter quality and dissolved oxygen dynamics and responses of these characteristics to climate change. During his time as a PhD student in the lab, Steve was a Fulbright scholar in Sweden and participated in SESYNC research. Steve was, and still is, an active member of GLEON, the Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network. After completing his PhD, Steve was an Atikinson Fellow at Cornell University is now at University of Notre Dame.
Jonathan Stetler
Jonathan completed his PhD in 2021. His dissertation research focused on understanding lake responses to environmental change, including climate-induced changes in thermal stratification and browning-induced nutrient, productivity, and fisheries changes. During his time as a PhD student in the lab, Jon obtained a NSF INTERN grant supplement and collaborated with Dr. Chris Solomon at the Cary Institute to forecast the effects of lake browning on lake fisheries. Jon also developed a series of outreach tools and media to engage the public in lake science. Jon is now a Lecturer in the Department of Biological Sciences at Rensselaer and maintains a strong engagement with our lab group.
