Chris Vito | Ph.D. Student
Chris joined the Sala lab in the fall of 2019 as a Ph.D. student in the ELS program. He received a Bsc in Geoscience from Drexel University in 2016, where he researched paleontology and tropical ecology. After graduating, he worked as a staff scientist at the Academy of Natural Sciences assisting with a variety of aquatic ecology research projects investigating the impacts of land use practices on ecological systems. Chris is interested in researching the effects of changes in climate and land use on ecosystem services and resilience at multiple scales.
Madeline Buhman | Ph.D. Student
Madeline Buhman joined the Sala lab in the fall of 2021 as a Ph.D. student in the ELS program. She is interested in the effects of precipitation and vapor pressure deficit (VPD) on dryland ecosystems. Her work looks at the drivers behind VPD, and involves the set-up for a field experiment manipulating VPD and precipitation. Prior to joining the Sala lab Madeline worked as a contractor at the Environmental Protection Agency assisting in their Extramural Branch Division of the Office of Research and Development. She also worked previously in laboratories studying salt marsh food webs and nutrient cycling in Great Basin watersheds.
Annessa Foss | Master’s Student
Annessa will be joining the Sala lab in the fall of 2023 as a master’s student through the School of Life Sciences & the Plant Biology and Conservation program. She received her Bsc from the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University, where she will be continuing with the Sala lab. After graduating, Annessa continued her education with fieldwork in partnership with Fish & Wildlife Services doing invasive plant species & endangered species monitoring. Annessa is interested in plant ecology, with a special interest in plant/animal interactions.