ACER Scientist Spotlight

ACER would like to welcome our newest post-doctoral researcher, Dr. Corianne Tatariw.

Dr. Tatariw joined the Nitrogen Cycling group, lead by Dr. Behzad Mortazavi, in September and has hit the ground running. During her time with ACER she will be investigating the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on nitrogen cycling in the Chandeleur Islands. With a B.S. from Virginia Tech, M.S. at the University of Alabama, and Ph.D. from the University of Maine her research focus is on microbial biogeochemistry. Her previous research includes:

• M.S. research with Dr. Jennifer Edmonds at the University of Alabama (now at Nevada State College), studying the factors controlling sediment denitrification in the Cahaba River, a large, unregulated river in Alabama.
• Ph.D. research with Drs. Jean MacRae (University of Maine) and Kevin Simon (University of Auckland), studying the effects of human-driven disturbances on soil microbial community composition and ecosystem function.
• Bear Brook Watershed in Maine, a whole-watershed acid deposition experiment, to determine the effects of long-term nitrogen and sulfur enrichment on microbial functional composition and nutrient demand.
• University of Auckland as a NSF East Asia and Pacific Summer Institute fellow comparing the factors regulating riparian zone denitrification in dairy pasture and native forest soils.
• Partnership study on the effect of snowpack removal on soil microbial community composition and respiration.

Originally from Herndon, Virginia, Dr. Tatariw said her love of water started at a young age. “I used to spend my after-school time playing at the creek by my parents’ house, and would come home covered in mud, to my mother’s annoyance. I could see how land use change in the area was causing the creek to change, and by the time I went to college I knew I wanted to work in a field that focused on water quality improvement and protection.”

ACER welcomes Dr. Tatariw.