Welcome Environmental Dynamics Post-Doctoral Affiliates

Photos Submitted

Top row: Gerardo Celis, Almudena Estalrrich, Chang Liu, Kishan Mahmud. Lower row: Beatriz Moreno-Garcia, Elahe Tajfar, Caitlin Yoakum.

Our first cohort of post-doctoral fellows have joined the ranks of ENDY Affilliates!

Gerardo Celis received his doctorate from the University of Florida in ecology. He is working with Peter Ungar, Distinguished Professor of anthropology, on a collaborative research project titled "Interactions of natural and social systems with climate change, globalization, and infrastructure development in Yamal (Russian Arctic)." He is focusing on the biotic components of the project.

Almudena Estalrrich is also working with Ungar on the development of new approaches to studying the teeth of fossil human ancestors. She holds a prestigious European Union Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship. Her Ph.D. is in paleontology from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain, and her research is focused on biocultural evolution of the genus Homo.

Chang Liu is a graduate of the environmental dynamics program here at the U of A and has continued on as a post-doctoral fellow with Song Feng, associate professor of geosciences. Her research addresses climate change past (reconstructing paleoclimate data), present (through regional and continental scales) and future (improving freeze/thaw index).

Kishan Mahmud received his doctorate in crop and soil sciences from the University of Georgia, Athens. He is presently working as a soil health ecologist with professors Mary Savin and Mike Daniels, both of the Department of Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences. His research is investigating interactions between soil biological communities and agronomic crops. He is especially interested in the soil microbial communities' impact on soil health in Arkansas.

Beatriz Moreno-Garcia is working with Benjamin Runkle, assoociate professor of biological and agricultural engineering, and is part of the Landscape Flux Group on sustainable agriculture with an emphasis on rice systems. She received her doctoral degree from University of Zaragoza and Centro de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentaria de Aragón, CITA, in agricultural and environmental sciences.

Elahe Tajfar received her doctorate from the University of Hawaii–Manoa in civil and environmental engineering. She is also working with Runkle investigating the effects of land cover and management practices on rates of carbon dioxide.

Caitlin Yoakum is a graduate of the U of A in anthropology. She has continued as a postdoctoral fellow working with Claire Terhune, associate professor of anthropology, studying differences in chewing muscles between capuchin monkey species.

This newly formed community is open to all post-doctoral fellows who are interested in environmental issues. The group is truly interdisciplinary, with members currently residing across multiple colleges including Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences; the U of A Division of Agriculture; the Dale Bumpers College of Agriculture, Food and Life Science; and the College of Engineering.

We hope this new group will foster community across colleges, networking opportunities and mutual support and assistance.

If you are interested in joining this group, please have your mentor/sponsor write a short introductory note and send your CV to Jo Ann Kvamme jkvamme@uark.edu or Peter Ungar pungar@uark.edu.