Chris Vito | Ph.D. Student
Chris joined the Sala lab in the fall of 2019 as a Ph.D. student in the ELS program. He received a Bsc in Geoscience from Drexel University in 2016, where he researched paleontology and tropical ecology. After graduating, he worked as a staff scientist at the Academy of Natural Sciences assisting with a variety of aquatic ecology research projects investigating the impacts of land use practices on ecological systems. Chris is interested in researching the effects of changes in climate and land use on ecosystem services and resilience at multiple scales.
Annessa Foss | Master’s Student
Annessa joined the Sala lab in the fall of 2023 as a master’s student through the School of Life Sciences & the Plant Biology and Conservation program. She received her Bsc from the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University, where she will be continuing with the Sala lab. After graduating, Annessa continued her education with fieldwork in partnership with Fish & Wildlife Services doing invasive plant species & endangered species monitoring. Annessa is interested in plant ecology, with a special interest in plant/animal interactions.
Lily Nichols | Master’s Student
Lily is joining the Sala lab in the Fall 2024 semester as a master’s student in the Plant Biology and Conservation program through the School of Life Sciences. She received her Bsc in Biology and Psychology from the University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire in 2021. Lily is interested in plant ecology, particularly the relationship between plants and humans as well as the impacts of climate change.
Current Visiting Scholars
Lydia de la Cruz Amo | International Scholar
Lydia is joining the Sala lab in Fall 2024 as a visiting PhD student. She received a Bsc in Biology from Universidad Rey Juan Carlos de Madrid in 2017 and an Ms’c in Biodiversity in Tropical Areas and Conservation from Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo in 2019. During that period, she studied the role of montane tropical forests in the Andes as carbon sinks. Lydia is working on their PhD thesis at the Pyrenean Institute of Ecology-CSIC studying the impact of livestock on large-scale vegetation in Spain and in the USA.