RISCC Founders

Bethany Bradley, Professor, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Bethany is an expert in plant invasion ecology and biogeography. Her research uses spatial analysis and ‘big data’ to understand risk from invasive species, including their interactions with climate change.

Carrie Brown-Lima, Director, New York Invasive Species Research Institute

Carrie is an expert in invasive species research and management and in developing strategies and building collaborations to address conservation challenges. 

Toni Lyn Morelli, Research Ecologist, U.S. Geological Survey

Toni Lyn is an expert in translational ecology. Her research uses lab, field, and modeling techniques to facilitate natural resource management and conservation in the face of climate change.

RISCC Leadership Team

Jenica Allen is a senior research fellow at UMass, Amherst. She studies the intersection of invasion ecology and data science in order to inform proactive invasive plant management.

Audrey Barker-Plotkin studies the effects of invasive forest insects on forest ecosystems as part of the Harvard Forest Long-Term Ecological Research Site and the Spatial Ecology Lab.

Evelyn Beaury is a postdoc at Princeton University. She studies the ecological impacts of global change, including the spread of invasive species.

Sarah Bois is the Director of Research and Education at the Linda Loring Nature Foundation. She works to restore and maintain native habitats in light of climate change. Sarah serves as the co-Chair for the Nantucket Invasive Plant Species Committee as well as Nantucket’s Coastal Resiliency Advisory Committee.

Matt Brincka is an Invasive Species Biologist with New York State Parks and Historic Sites. He believes collaboration and strong partnerships are the foundation for developing feasible solutions to our most critical invasive species and climate change needs.

Dan Buonaiuto is a postdoc at UMass. He is interested in how global change affects plant communities. His current research focuses on understanding how invader abundance influences patterns of biodiversity across multiple spatio-temporal scales.

Giancarlo Ceja is a senior at USC majoring in Environmental Studies and International Relations, and an intern for the US Geological Survey through the Virtual Student Federal Service Program. He is focused on issues of environmental justice within state and federal government, with experience in drafting policy, climate research, and citizen science.

Eva Colberg is a postdoc at Cornell where she is working with natural resource practitioners to develop climate-smart guidelines for invasive species management. 

Annette Evans is professor at the University of St. Joseph. She is interested the eco-evolutionary cascades caused by the introduction or removal of invasive species from native communities.

Matt Fertakos is a PhD student at UMass. He studies invasive plants and biogeography, with a focus on how climate change will affect plant distributions.

Jeffrey Flory is an Aquatic Invasive Species Specialist for the Minnesota DNR.  He is interested in developing more proactive introduction prevention efforts and expanding outreach about invasive species to school kids and the general public.

Julie Lockwood is a Professor of Ecology at Rutgers University and the Interim Director of the Rutgers Climate and Energy Institute. Her research currently centers on aquatic and forest animal invasions, the use of environmental DNA for invasive species management, and the nexus between biodiversity, climate change, and renewable energy.  

Caroline Marschner is an Extension Associate in the School of Integrated Plant Science at Cornell. She is the outreach coordinator for the NYS Hemlock Initiative, and works with agricultural weeds and climate change with the Weed Ecology and Management Lab.

Thomas Nuhfer is a PhD student at UMass. He studies plant biogeography and is currently working on risk assessment of range shifting native plants. 

Will Pfadenhauer is a PhD student at UMass. He is currently studying biogeographic traits of plants with the goal of improving predictions of future invasions.

Emily Posteraro is a Program Development Coordinator at the Invasive Species Centre (ISC). Based in southern Ontario, she works to prevent the spread of spotted lanternfly and coordinates efforts to address the cumulative impacts of invasive species and climate change.

Aly Putnam is a PhD student at UMass. Her research focuses on interactions between non-native marine species and climate change.

Nicole Read is a Virtual Student Federal Services (VSFS) intern working across the various RISCC regions. She is an undergraduate student at Duke University studying biology and environmental science.

Julie Richburg is an ecologist with The Trustees, the oldest regional land trust in MA. She works on restoration of native habitats including invasive plant control and improving resiliency to climate change. She is a member of MIPAG and co-founder of the Westfield River Watershed Invasive Species Partnership.

Amanda Suzzi is a PhD student at UMass. Her research focuses on geospatial analyses of interactions between species and the environment.