Associate Professor of Freshwater Ecology and Conservation, and co-lead of Berkeley Freshwater. Our program seeks to advance effective conservation of freshwater ecosystems in the face of climate change and drought. We combine computational approaches on hydrological and ecological data, field experiments, and chemical tracers to understand how global change alters aquatic biodiversity – and the ecosystem processes and services that depend on it. I received a B.Sc. in Biology and a Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of Girona (Catalonia, Spain). Prior to starting the Ruhi Lab I was a postdoc at Arizona State University and at SESYNC.

I am a quantitative aquatic ecologist who bridges freshwater and estuarine ecosystems to investigate and anticipate how ecosystems resist, recover from, or transform under environmental stress. My research combines large-scale experimental manipulations, statistical frameworks that synthesize extensive ecological datasets, and theory-driven mathematical modeling. My postdoctoral work has examined questions around stream macroinvertebrate metapopulation dynamics, estuarine food webs, climate-driven phenological change, and predator reintroductions. I hold a dual appointment with the Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory at UC Santa Barbara.

I am a postdoctoral researcher and NSF PRFB Fellow studying how energy and contaminants move across aquatic-terrestrial ecosystem boundaries. My research focuses on the quantity and quality of these transfers, with an emphasis on emergent aquatic insects as vectors. These insects transport both essential nutrients, like long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs), and harmful contaminants, such as mercury, to riparian terrestrial predators (e.g., Tetragnatha spiders). I use a combination of field and laboratory studies to investigate when and where these movements occur – and how they could be disrupted by drought.

Using field, modelling, and genetic approaches, I strive to advance the understanding of how global environmental change impacts the marine-freshwater continuum, focusing on highly mobile and imperilled diadromous migrants. As an incoming Croucher Fellow at the Ruhi lab, we will investigate how extreme events are reshuffling diadromous fishes and whether range-expanding “vagrants” gain adaptive advantages. I am currently a postdoc at UC Santa Barbara, awaiting my PhD defence at The University of Hong Kong, and hold an MRes from Imperial College London. Beyond research, I founded Freshwater Collective to connect science and education. Personal website here.

I research the relationships between changing river flows and biological communities (birds, invertebrates, plants, and people) with a focus on the Los Angeles River and Santa Clara River in Southern California. More specifically, I study treated wastewater (effluent) as a river restoration tool, as well as how people’s perceptions of rivers inform their policy priorities. Previously, I was the Watershed Programs Manager at Los Angeles Waterkeeper. I have an MSc in Water Science, Policy, and Management from the University of Oxford.

I am  interested in the ecology of intermittent streams and riparian zones, specifically how drought impacts and feedbacks between these ecosystems. Most of my work is in Chalone Creek, Pinnacles National Park, California, which provides a unique setting to study the effects of seasonal and supra-seasonal drought. I am exploring how riparian trees influence the hydrology of intermittent streams, affecting invertebrate persistence during the dry season. Additionally, I am studying how water availability impacts leaf litter quality and the subsequent effects on aquatic communities and leaf litter decomposition.

I advance quantitative methods to better understand and predict water resource dynamics under human, natural, and climate-driven influences. My Ph.D. focuses on how the expansion of the North American beaver could influence water storage and river flow regimes in California’s Sierra Nevada. I combine hydrologic modeling and remote sensing tools. Before coming to Berkeley I earned a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and Spanish from Skidmore College,  and I conducted research at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the U.S. Geological Survey. Co-advised by Manuela Girotto.

I study community ecology in fluctuating aquatic-terrestrial ecosystems, including temporary freshwaters (e.g., vernal pools and intermittent streams). My research focuses on the impacts of  disturbance on community dynamics and ecosystem functioning. During my PhD, I plan to research how changes in hydroclimates and associated flooding-drying regimes may drive changes in the plant and animal ‘seedbank’, thus altering community succession in these fluctuating environments. Co-advised by Laureano Gherardi.

I am interested in expanding the approach of restoration ecology beyond structural aspects, to include functional considerations such as food-web and ecosystem processes. During my Ph.D., I would like to apply this approach to studying dam removals in the Klamath River basin. This research will draw on my master’s research at the Yale School of the Environment, where I examined the effects of a climate change restoration method on salt marsh food webs. My undergraduate research at Simon Fraser University further focused on using the ecosystem function of organic matter decomposition to monitor urban stream restoration. Co-advised by Ted Grantham.

I am  interested in fish and their relation to each other and the ecosystems they inhabit. My graduate studies focus on the invasive Sacramento Pikeminnow population in the Eel River. Specifically, I am using simulation modeling to investigate questions related to their environmental impact and the potential for their removal or control. I am from Saint Louis, Missouri. Prior to coming to Berkeley, I earned Bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Computer Science from Saint Louis University, and a Master’s degree in fisheries from Cal Poly Humboldt. While studying, I worked as a fisheries technician for the Wiyot Tribe Natural Resources Department. Co-advised by Stephanie Carlson.