Dr. Ashley Helton, Principle Investigator
Ashley is a Professor in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment & the Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering at the University of Connecticut. Ashley earned her BS from the University of Cincinnati, and both her MS and PhD in Ecology from the University of Georgia's Odum School of Ecology. Ashley is interested in hydrology, biogeochemistry, and how water and elemental cycles are linked across broad spatial scales.
Click here for Google Scholar.
Click here for CV.
Lev Becker, PhD Student
Lev is a PhD student studying the biogeochemistry of beaver-created ecosystems on water quality and carbon cycling. He is especially interested in understanding aquatic biological processes that drive landscape-level carbon storage, as well as utilizing satellite remote sensing and community outreach to enrich his research with a variety of perspectives.
Lev graduated from Northeastern University in 2024 with a B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary biology, where he completed an undergraduate thesis on marine genomic methodology at Ocean Genome Legacy, a non-profit biorepository affiliated with Northeastern University.
Lev is a PhD student studying the biogeochemistry of beaver-created ecosystems on water quality and carbon cycling. He is especially interested in understanding aquatic biological processes that drive landscape-level carbon storage, as well as utilizing satellite remote sensing and community outreach to enrich his research with a variety of perspectives.
Lev graduated from Northeastern University in 2024 with a B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary biology, where he completed an undergraduate thesis on marine genomic methodology at Ocean Genome Legacy, a non-profit biorepository affiliated with Northeastern University.
Nicolette Nelson, Project Manager
Nicolette manages several projects focused on coastal marsh restoration (jointly with the Helton, Lawrence, and Elphick labs). She also assists with graduate student projects and data management and analysis.
Nicolette received her BS in Wildlife from Humboldt State University and her MS in Biology from Washington State University Vancouver, where her research was funded by an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and focused on American bullfrog invasion in California
Rachel Biton, Project Manager
Rachel works as part of our coastal marsh research team. She is the project manager for our new EPA Long Island Sound Study project on sediment addition as a salt marsh restoration technique.
Rachel graduated from Eckerd College in 2020 with a B.S. in Marine Science and a minor in Environmental Studies. She recently earned her M.S. in Biological Science from Florida State University, where her research focused on mangrove range expansion in northern Florida
Rachel works as part of our coastal marsh research team. She is the project manager for our new EPA Long Island Sound Study project on sediment addition as a salt marsh restoration technique.
Rachel graduated from Eckerd College in 2020 with a B.S. in Marine Science and a minor in Environmental Studies. She recently earned her M.S. in Biological Science from Florida State University, where her research focused on mangrove range expansion in northern Florida
Sage Ganshirt, MS Student
Sage is an MS student studying coastal wetland restoration and management, specifically looking at the addition of sediment to salt marshes to increase elevation. She is interested in greenhouse gas and nutrient cycling in aquatic environments, particularly in relation to anthropogenic disturbances.
Sage graduated from Skidmore College in 2022 with a B.A. in Biology and a minor in Environmental Science and Studies. Prior to starting her MS at UConn, Sage worked at the New England Aquarium as an Environmental Quality Technician.
Sage is an MS student studying coastal wetland restoration and management, specifically looking at the addition of sediment to salt marshes to increase elevation. She is interested in greenhouse gas and nutrient cycling in aquatic environments, particularly in relation to anthropogenic disturbances.
Sage graduated from Skidmore College in 2022 with a B.A. in Biology and a minor in Environmental Science and Studies. Prior to starting her MS at UConn, Sage worked at the New England Aquarium as an Environmental Quality Technician.
Skylar Ross, PhD Student
Skylar is a PhD student studying nitrogen and phosphorous dynamics in beaver created ecosystems. She is generally interested in wetland biogeochemistry and exploring factors that drive spatial and temporal variations in nutrient cycling at various scales.
Skylar graduated in 2023 with a B.S. in Environmental Science with a minor in Wildlife and Conservation Biology and in 2025 with a M.S. in Watershed Science, both from Murray State University. Her previous research explored methane fluxes from bald cypress knees.
Skylar is a PhD student studying nitrogen and phosphorous dynamics in beaver created ecosystems. She is generally interested in wetland biogeochemistry and exploring factors that drive spatial and temporal variations in nutrient cycling at various scales.
Skylar graduated in 2023 with a B.S. in Environmental Science with a minor in Wildlife and Conservation Biology and in 2025 with a M.S. in Watershed Science, both from Murray State University. Her previous research explored methane fluxes from bald cypress knees.
Congratulations to recent graduates!
Madeline Kollegger, PhD (2025) Madeline's PhD research focused on salt marsh restoration and biogeochemistry. Madeline is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor at Mitchell College. You can read more about Madeline on her website. 
Eric Moore, PhD (2024)
Eric's PhD research focused on river network-scale patterns of groundwater discharge of legacy nitrogen to streams. You can read more about Eric's research on his website. Eric was recently an EPA ORISE postdoc working on legacy nitrogen dynamic in the Upper Missippi River watershed. |
Lab Alumni (Not Pictured) Postdocs
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