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People
Principal Investigator
Aidee Guzman, Ph.D.
she/hers
Assistant Professor
Department of Biology
Stanford University
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Postdoctoral Researchers
Ceyda Kural-Rendon, Ph.D.
she/her
Postdoctoral researcher
Department of Biology
Research interests
My research focuses on plant-microbe interactions and how these change with environmental stressors, specifically drought. I am interested in crop wild relatives, crop landraces, plant-plant-interactions, and how microbes vary in their association amongst all of these.
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Graduate Students
Gisel DeLaCerda
she/they
Ph.D. Student
Department of Biology
Research interests
Investigating the impacts of different agricultural management practices on plant-soil interactions within farming systems.
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Tenzin Norzin
they/them
Ph.D. Student
Department of Biology
Research interests
བཀྲ་ཤིས་བདེ་ལེགས། Tashi delek. I am enamored by the dynamic interconnections among plants, animals, microorganisms, environmental cycles (of water, heat & chemical elements), and ancestral paradigms encoded with sacred / playful relationalities (རྟེན་འབྲེལ་) with the land. Within my current research, I explore such interconnections, particularly in the plants of the Tibetan Plateau and the Himalayas, using molecular ecology (DNA metabarcoding), community ecology, plant ecophysiology, and critical studies of “biological collections.”
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Crystal Ramirez
she/her
Ph.D. Student
Department of Biology
Research interests
My research interests involve the intersection between agriculture and community ecology. My goal is to have my research address ways that can help farmers grow food sustainably by studying the mechanisms that underly polyculture systems. Prior to starting my PhD, I studied the Three Sisters growing system for my master’s thesis at California State University, Los Angeles. Specifically, I studied the growth advantages and the microclimate of the Three Sisters in an urban garden located in Los Angeles.
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David Wilkerson-Lindsey
he/they/any
Ph.D. Student
Department of Biology
Research interests
I aim to be a better steward of the land by applying my knowledge of agroecology in practice. I work with, and learn from, farmers to promote the use of agroecological production strategies. My current research interests include transitions from conventional to agroecological systems, as well as the effects of diversified agriculture on farm ecology and the people who tend them.
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Undergraduate Students
Ash Galeana Dominguez
he/they
Undergraduate Student
Major: Earth Systems
Doerr School of Sustainability, Stanford University
I am interested in sustainability through community-engaged research at the moment. My concentration is Sustainable Food and Agriculture, although I am also exploring Urban Studies. A meaningful career for me would be community-driven and contribute to large sustainability goals.
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Ashley He
she/her
Undergraduate Student
Major: Bioengineering, Pre-Medicine
Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University
I'm very interested in sustainability as it pertains to community ecology and environmental health. I hope to utilize my research to work with communities to make science-informed decisions to optimize sustainable practices for both agricultural and human health.
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Cooper Kaligis
he/him
Undergraduate Student
Major: Cellular, Molecular, and Organismal Biology
Department of Biology, Stanford University
I want to work at the interface between institutional research and community collaborations. Through this work, I hope to contribute a biological background to projects that are designed with and for community partners, utilizing the natural sciences as a practical and accessible tool.
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Katherine Lai
she/her
Undergraduate Student
Major: Biology
Department of Biology, Stanford University
My honor thesis research examines how shade affects plant-mycorrhizal relationships, specifically focusing on endemic Hawaiian plants grown in agroforestry systems! I hope to provide more information about the soil microbiome to farmers and ecologists cultivating agroforestry systems!
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Jonathan Rodriguez
he/him
Undergraduate Student
Major: Electrical Engineering
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Syracuse University
I hope to break into the field of energy systems and find new and sustainable energy sources. For my major, I will specialize in lasers and optics in the field of electrical engineering to achieve this goal.
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High School Students
Yuqin (Victoria) Ma
she/her
High School Student
The Harker School
I am interested in biomolecular recognition approaches to trace arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and utilize nanoscience techniques to study plant-microbe interactions. In building biosensing systems for soil microbiology contexts, I aim to emphasize in-field practicality because I am passionate about translating science into solutions for real-world communities to contribute to healthier crop fields and more sustainable food systems.
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Staff
Melanie Rodriguez Fuentes
they/she
Life Science Research Professional
Department of Biology
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Valeria Galindo-Eguiarte
she/her
Lab assistant
Department of Biology
I am interested in evaluating excess nutrients from agricultural and urban sources that move through the environment and impact soil health, groundwater systems, and coastal ecosystems. My work tracks these nutrient pathways and evaluates their ecological consequences in agricultural systems across California’s Central Coast.
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Affiliated Lab Members
Suzanne Cardenas
she/hers
BioRETs Inspire Teacher Fellow
Abraham Lincoln High School
As a high school biology teacher, I’m passionate about growing my own research skills to bring more authentic, inquiry-based science experiences into my classroom. I’m excited to explore Agroecology and guide students in hands-on investigations that build their confidence, help them see science as relevant to everyday environmental issues within communities and see themselves as capable contributors to their scientific community.
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Casey Nolan
she/they
BioRETs Inspire Teacher Fellow
Hillsdale High School
I am a high school biology teacher interested in expanding my research experience to integrate more authentic science experiences in the classroom. I am excited to have the opportunity to explore the field of agroecology, with a focus on soil microbes and their interaction with one another and plants.
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