Gio McClenachan (she/her) is a systems ecologist whose research focuses on investigating the drivers of ecosystem and societal coastal change.
Understanding the interactions between global-scale climate variables and local-scale factors is essential in adapting to and mitigating climate change impacts. Gio studies these changes on multiple spatial and temporal scales, using GIS, remote sensing, and climate data to document broadscale shifts over time as well as field experiments to measure community-level response.
Originally from the great state of Vermont, Gio received her PhD from LSU in Oceanography & Coastal Sciences and BS from Dickinson College in Environmental Science. She's currently an Assistant Professor and head of CDEL at Stony Brook University.
Understanding the interactions between global-scale climate variables and local-scale factors is essential in adapting to and mitigating climate change impacts. Gio studies these changes on multiple spatial and temporal scales, using GIS, remote sensing, and climate data to document broadscale shifts over time as well as field experiments to measure community-level response.
Originally from the great state of Vermont, Gio received her PhD from LSU in Oceanography & Coastal Sciences and BS from Dickinson College in Environmental Science. She's currently an Assistant Professor and head of CDEL at Stony Brook University.
Current lab members
Therese Apuzzo is a master's student whose thesis is focused on using remote sensing and GIS to help understand the variables affecting salt marsh loss.
Therese is from New Jersey and graduated from Rutgers University with a BS in Marine Biology. Before joining the CDEL lab, she worked in forest ecology and environmental testing. She's especially interested in salt marsh loss because of the potential impacts on coastal communities.
Therese is from New Jersey and graduated from Rutgers University with a BS in Marine Biology. Before joining the CDEL lab, she worked in forest ecology and environmental testing. She's especially interested in salt marsh loss because of the potential impacts on coastal communities.
Alyssa Pfitzer Price (she/her) is a graduate research student focusing on the restoration and resilience of Long Island salt marshes. She is interested in the intricate intersections of the ocean, land, and coastal communities, as well as salt marshes’ unique responses to climate change and anthropogenic pressures.
Alyssa is from Huntington, West Virginia and was raised in Louisville, Kentucky. She received her B.A. in Marine Biology and Studio Art from Occidental College. During undergraduate studies, she conducted research on the effects of ocean acidification on sponge boring behavior in Dr. Amber Stubler’s Marine Ecology Lab. She has gone on to work as an environmental educator for Johns Hopkins University, Sustainability Service Corps, and The Marine Mammal Center. Most recently, she has worked as a rescue dispatcher, coordinating responses to stranded marine mammals over 600 miles of the California coast.
Alyssa is from Huntington, West Virginia and was raised in Louisville, Kentucky. She received her B.A. in Marine Biology and Studio Art from Occidental College. During undergraduate studies, she conducted research on the effects of ocean acidification on sponge boring behavior in Dr. Amber Stubler’s Marine Ecology Lab. She has gone on to work as an environmental educator for Johns Hopkins University, Sustainability Service Corps, and The Marine Mammal Center. Most recently, she has worked as a rescue dispatcher, coordinating responses to stranded marine mammals over 600 miles of the California coast.
Ciara Torres (she/her) is a recent college graduate who just received her B.S. in Coastal Environmental Studies from Stony Brook University with aspirations to return for graduate studies.
Born and raised on Long Island, NY, she is interested in the variety of biological and physical influences contributing to local salt marsh loss and how such trends manifest quantitatively. She is uniquely focused on local coastal resiliency in response to changing climate and the associated increases in coastal ecological disturbance.
In CDEL, she works closely with Therese using drone aerial imagery to better understand how variables such as vegetation contribute to marsh loss in salt marshes across the Long Island Sound.
Born and raised on Long Island, NY, she is interested in the variety of biological and physical influences contributing to local salt marsh loss and how such trends manifest quantitatively. She is uniquely focused on local coastal resiliency in response to changing climate and the associated increases in coastal ecological disturbance.
In CDEL, she works closely with Therese using drone aerial imagery to better understand how variables such as vegetation contribute to marsh loss in salt marshes across the Long Island Sound.
PAst lab members
Erik Nati-Johnson completed his Master's degree in 2024 focused on characterizing the emergent and aquatic vegetation communities of Louisiana’s coastal ridges. He has an interest in using geospatial data science to answer research questions. He is currently a PhD student at Boise State University.
Marriah Hebert was an undergraduate researcher in CDEL working on multiple coastal research projects. As well as being a part of the larger lab projects, she is researching how varying vegetation habitats in coastal southeastern Louisiana affect insect community compositions. She is especially interested in the impact of the shift from salt marsh to mangrove dominance. Marriah is from Houma, LA and currently a junior majoring in biology with a minor in environmental science.