Meet the Team
Dr. Brittany Hupp
Assistant Professor
Dept. of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Earth Sciences
Principle Investigator
Faculty Fellow, Potomac Environmental Research and Education Center
Dr. Tianshu Kong
Postdoctoral Researcher
Ph.D. 2025 Boston College
Research Focus: Deconvolving the Effects of Sediment Mixing on Foraminiferal Trace Element Geochemistry from a New Deep Sea Record of the PETM
Dr. Patty Standring
Peter Buck Deep Time Postdoctoral Research Fellow Smithsonian Museum of Natural History
Ph.D. 2025 University of Texas- Austin
Research Focus: Exploring Planktic Foraminiferal Morphometrics and Geochemistry as Recorders of Past Surface Ocean Conditions
Allison Burgess
Ph.D. Candidate
Chemistry & Biochemistry Ph.D.
Dissertation Research: Development of Trace-Element Based Paleosalinity and Paleoredox Proxies in Estuarine Benthic Foraminifera
Paige Klug
Ph.D. Student
Environmental Science & Public Policy PhD
Dissertation Research: Benthic Foraminifera as Recorders of Human Impacts and Recent Climate Change in the Chesapeake Bay
Olabayo Olaopa
Ph.D. Student
Geology & Earth Science PhD
Dissertation Research: Reconstructing PETM Climate Dynamics from Deep Sea Sediments and Coastal Plain Records
Anna Marie Mozisek
M.Sc. Student
Earth Systems Science MSc
Thesis Research: Spatiotemporal Variability in Benthic Foraminiferal Assemblages from
Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay Surface Sediments
Sara Thomasian
M.Sc. Student
Earth Systems Science MSc
Thesis Research: Assessing Dissolution Impacts on Foraminiferal Shell Size and Community Composition
Gracie Harrington
M.Sc. Student
Earth Systems Science MSc
Thesis Research: Impact of Salinity on Foraminiferal and Water Stable Isotopes in the Chesapeake Bay
Gavin Limroth
Geology BS
(Paleontology Track)
Undergraduate Student Research Assistant (2023-present)
Past Graduate Student Lab Members
Dr. Joao Gallotti
Environmental Science & Public Policy PhD 2026
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Dissertation: Integrated Geochemical Modeling, Reservoir Suitability Assessment, and Techno-economic Evaluation of Converting Depleted Hydrocarbon Reservoirs for Hydrogen Storage
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Current Position: Physical Scientist, United States Geological Survey
Owen Alfaro
Earth Systems Science MSc 2026 (co-advised, Dr. Geoff Gilleaudeau)
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Thesis: Spectroscopic Investigations of Critical Mineral Hosts in Zinc Mine Waste at the Tar Creek Superfund Site, Oklahoma
Current position: Contractor, United States Geological Survey
Caroline Miller
Environmental Science MSc 2026
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Thesis: Constraining the Depth Habitat Preferences of Polar and Subpolar Planktic Foraminifera: Insights from the Northern California Current
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Current position: Invasive Plant Species Management Program Outreach Specialist, Loudoun Soil and Water Conservation District
Mason Brown
Earth Systems Science MSc 2025
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Thesis: A Multiproxy Approach to Constraining the Age and Paleoenvironment of Two Paleogene Fossil Cetaceans
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Current position: PhD student at North Carolina State University
Past Undergraduate & High School
Student Lab Members
Mariam Khan Niazi
Psychology & Biology BS (current student)
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2026 Summer Teams Project: Constraining Benthic Foraminiferal Population Growth Rates via Culturing Experiments
Reagan Peresta
Neuroscience & Statistics BS (current student)​
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2026 Summer Teams Project: Constraining Benthic Foraminiferal Population Growth Rates via Culturing Experiments
Nessa Holbrook
Environmental Science BS (current student) ​
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2026 Summer Teams Project: Reconstructing Environmental Change Over the Past ~200 yrs in the Northern Chesapeake Bay using Sediment Geochemistry, Sediment Grain Size, and Benthic Foraminiferal Community Composition
Marissa Poh
Geology BS (current student)​
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Summer Teams Project: Reconstructing Environmental Change Over the Past ~200 yrs in the Northern Chesapeake Bay using Sediment Geochemistry, Sediment Grain Size, and Benthic Foraminiferal Community Composition
Samar Rafiqzad
Environmental Science & Sociology BS (current student)
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Summer Teams Project: Comparison of Benthic Foraminifera Assemblages Between the Potomac and Patuxent Rivers
Karina Cabrera
Geology BS (current student)
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Summer Teams Project: Comparison of Benthic Foraminifera Assemblages Between the Potomac and Patuxent Rivers
Sarah Elpers
Geology BS (current student)
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OSCAR Project: Investigating the Potential for Pacific Overturning Circulation During the Mid-Miocene Climatic Optimum: Insights from the North Pacific Ocean
Julie Kinkead
Oakton High School Graduate 2026
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Volunteer Summer 2025
Nishka Shah
Thomas Jefferson High School Graduate 2026
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Volunteer Summer 2025
Sydnee Baldwin
Geology BS 2026
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RISE Project: Assessing the Impacts of Ocean Acidification and Warming on Foraminiferal Test Size and Preservation: Insights from the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum record at Ocean Drilling Program Site 1266 (Walvis Ridge)
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Current position: GIS Analyst for LJA Engineering
Caroline Miller
Environmental Science BS 2024
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Sr. Project: Planktic Foraminiferal Abundances Across Depth in the Northern California Current
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Current position: Invasive Plant Species Management Program Outreach Specialist, Loudoun Soil and Water Conservation District
Nikki Curtis
Environmental Science BS 2024
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Sr. Project: Assessing the Effect of Salp Blooms on Planktic Foraminifera and Pteropod Populations in the Surface Ocean
Current position: Environmental Analyst, Prince William County
Erik Haralson
Geology BS 2024