Current Lab Members
DAVID "SKIP" SALDAÑA, MS ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
I am a Compton native born of immigrant parents and a first-generation college student who graduated from CSUDH with a BA in Geography and minors in Earth Sciences/Geotechniques. While at Dominguez Hills, I held several positions on campus such as: Research assistant at CSUDH’s Biogeography Research Lab, Intern for CSUDH Office of Sustainability, and President of the Earth Science Club. With the coursework completed alongside my involvement in pioneering green initiatives with the Office of Sustainability, I became passionate about fighting climate change within my community. As a Climate Action Corps Alumni now working as a research assistant in the Valliere Applied Plant Ecology Lab, I plan on continuing my tree-ring related research while deepening my understanding of the ecological effects of nitrogen deposition and its effect on climate-growth response patterns.
MATTHEW WELLS, MS BIOLOGY
I received a B.S. in Environmental Science and Resource Management from CSU Channel Islands. I currently work with the National Park Service in the Santa Monica Mountains where I am assisting with post-fire recovery and invasive plant control. My research is focused on using timed mowing to restore invaded grasslands.
RHAY FLORES, MS BIOLOGY
I graduated with a B.S. in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution from UCLA in 2021. I’m currently studying native California plant communities in the context of restoration. I hope to gain a strong scientific understanding of the ecology of native plant communities and enter a career as a restoration practitioner. I am currently working on a project funded by the Bureau of Land Management evaluating the use of Mojave Desert annuals to facilitate the restoration of native perennials via plant-soil feedbacks.
MAYRA HERNANDEZ, BS BIOLOGY
I am majoring in Ecology and Environmental Biology, and I will be graduating in Spring 2022. My research interests include drivers of vegetation change in California and applications for ecological restoration. My current project is exploring the effects of drought and nitrogen pollution on post-fire recovery of native shrublands. I am also conducting a study on the effects of fire frequency on vegetation-type conversion in chaparral.
MARCO CASTANEDA MARTINEZ, BS BIOLOGY
I am majoring in Ecology and Environmental Biology; I will be graduating in the fall of 2023. I am currently assisting with a project testing plant-soil feedbacks in the Mojave Desert. My current and past research include studying the genetic basis of aspen demography along climate gradients in Colorado and exploring the drivers that impact tree responses to drought. I am also interested in outdoor inquiry-based education and helping communities of color bridge the “outdoor gap” by providing recreational information through the experiences and narratives of people of color.
MARIALUISA FLORES-JACOBO, BS BIOLOGY
I am a Senior pursuing a BS in Ecology and Environmental Biology. My research interest are marine biology, animal physiology and plant ecology. I would like to become a research scientist to help make a positive change for women in STEM. I am currently assisting with research exploring invasive plant adaptations in southern California. The aim of this project is to understand if invasive species exhibit population-level differences in functional traits and plasticity in response to climate and nitrogen deposition.
MIKAELA VAN GIL, BS BIOLOGY
I am majoring in Ecology and Environmental Biology. I am currently conducting a literature review on prescribed burning in California and the effectiveness of this technique for native grassland restoration and invasive species control. I am interested in environmental research, and I also love animals. I am part of the graduating class of Fall 2023.
Former Students
CARLOS CONTRERAS
Carlos Contreras graduated from UCLA in 2018 majoring in Biology and minoring in Evolutionary Medicine. He joined the lab in Summer 2017 and assisted with multiple projects exploring the impacts of nonnative plant invasion on California's native ecosystems. Carlos completed a seed bank study to test the effects of mowing treatments on the restoration of invaded grasslands.
TAI MICHAELS
Tai Michaels was a student at North Hollywood High School and is currently attending Yale University. His research project focused on the effects of fire return intervals in chaparral before full type conversion as well as its effects on long-term vegetation dynamics. Tai joined the lab in 2017 as a research volunteer. He was a member of the Southern California Academy of Science Research Training Program with Justin as his research mentor, and his research project won first place at the LA County and statewide science fairs.
JACQUELINE ZHANG
Jacqueline Zhang graduated from UCLA with a BS in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution. Her research explored the effects of drought on native California plant species and restoration. She analyzed how these species are able to become more drought tolerant through metaplasticity, a type of phenotypic plasticity that occurs when exposure to drought and stressors for a plant as a seedling can have significant influences on their growth and response to future environmental change. Jacqueline received a Stunt Ranch Research Grant and Whitcome Undergraduate Research Fellowship to support this work. She also served as the co-president of Environmental Student Network, whose projects include helping out with the Sage Hill restoration at UCLA.
EVELIN ESCOBEDO
Evelin Escobedo graduated from UCLA with a degree in Environmental. She received a Stunt Ranch Research grant in 2017 to study the effect of maternal effects and plant phenotypic plasticity in response to drought in native California annuals with Justin. Her interests lie between plant conservation and food sustainability, and she participated in research with the La Kretz Conservation center and also volunteered with food-related non-profits throughout the Los Angeles area. She is currently enjoying a semester abroad in Europe.
JOSHUA DANSIE
Josh Dansie is a recent graduate of UC Riverside, with a background in a wide range of scientific disciplines ranging from genetics to ecology to molecular biology of plants and fungus. While working with Justin in Edie Allen’s lab at UC Riverside, he explored the impacts of atmospheric nitrogen deposition on plants, soils and mycorrhizal fungi in the Santa Monica Mountains of southern California. More recently, he has aided efforts to enhance photosynthetic output using nanoparticles. Currently, he is a prospective Neuroscience graduate student hoping to understand the connections between the immune and nervous systems of humans.
AMANDA HARAKSIN
Amanda received her B.S. in Biology from the University of California, Riverside, in 2015 and was very active in research as a student. She assisted with numerous field and greenhouse experiments and completed an independent study to test the effects of invasive and native soil communities on the growth of native coastal sage scrub species. She published this work in UCR's Undergraduate Research Journal. Since graduating, she has served as a Field Technician for NEON and worked in environmental education. She is currently pursuing her teaching credential at the University of Redlands.
DANIEL SANCHEZ
Daniel Sanchez served as a research at the University of California, Riverside, assisting with field and greenhouse experiments exploring the impacts of invasive plant species on California ecosystems. He also completed a study with Justin evaluating the effects of mowing on soil seed banks in California perennial grasslands. He graduated in 2015 and currently works as a Park Ranger at Monrovia Canyon Park in southern California.
CIERRA WIKMAN
Cierra graduated from UC Riverside in 2017 with a B.S. in Plant Biology. While at UCR she was actively involved in research with Justin in Edie Allen's lab. She assisted with multiple projects exploring feedbacks between soil communities and plants, and also completed a greenhouse experiment aimed at understanding how drought and nitrogen availability influence the performance of native coastal sage scrub seedlings. She is also an avid hiker and outdoor photographer.