Interested in Joining the lab?
PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS
Hiring is complete for fall 2025. I will likely be accepting 1 or 2 graduate students to begin in spring/summer 2026. Please read over my website to learn more about research in the lab, and send me an email with a CV or resume, research interests, and a writing sample, if you think you'd be a good fit!
Hiring is complete for fall 2025. I will likely be accepting 1 or 2 graduate students to begin in spring/summer 2026. Please read over my website to learn more about research in the lab, and send me an email with a CV or resume, research interests, and a writing sample, if you think you'd be a good fit!
Trekking near Bariloche, Patagonia
Kerry Byrne (PI)
When Kerry isn't teaching and helping students with research projects, she enjoys being outdoors with her husband, daughters, and border collie, Zea mays. She loves backpacking, trail running, and cooking tasty new dishes in her spare time. Two recent adventures were cycling a portion of the Danube River trail with her family in 2025, and backpacking the Walker's Haute Route in France and Switzerland in 2016.
Current Graduate Students
Jesse Laine joined the lab in July 2024. He graduated with a B.S in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from UC Santa Cruz, and was previously working as an Entomology Technician for the Los Angeles Natural History Museum. His grad work is looking at long-term success of restored coastal grasslands and insect biodiversity. When not looking for bugs he likes to play guitar, make films, brew beer, and use every dish in the kitchen while cooking.
Lee Minicuci joined the lab in June 2024. He is interested in community ecology and restoration ecology. His past experience includes fuel characterization and fire ecology in the New Jersey Pine Barrens as well as the monitoring and research of rare plants and plant communities in New Jersey. His graduate research involves examining the response of grassland plant species to lethal drought conditions and utilizing that knowledge to better inform and equip land managers and grassland restoration practitioners. In his spare time Lee enjoys mountain biking, hiking, and photographing birds and plants.
Angela Soto joined the lab in June 2025. She is interested in native plant conservation, restoration, and geospatial science. Her past experiences include restoration in the tallgrass prairies of Minnesota, plant ecology research in central Florida, and native plant monitoring and seed collection in the Willamette Valley. Her research will involve monitoring populations of the endangered Applegate’s Milkvetch (Astragalus applegatei) in Oregon and understanding the treatments and soil conditions that contribute to a healthy population, which can inform future conservation efforts. In her free time, Angela enjoys nature photography, baking, volunteering, and birdwatching.
Graduate Student Alumni
Francisco Chavez, M.S. '24
Francisco successfully defended his thesis "Drought's lingering shadow: monitoring the recovery of Sagebrush Steppe plant communities after four years of experimental drought" in fall 2024. He is currently on the job market!
Jules Bartley, M.S. '23
Jules successfully defended their thesis "Physical characteristics and fine roots within duff mounds of old-growth sugar and Jeffrey pine in a fire-excluded Sierran mixed-conifer forest" in summer 2023 and currently works for the Forest Service FIA Program in Washington.
Sean Stewart, M.S. '23
Sean successfully defended his thesis "Insights into the conservation of the rare perennial herb, Astragalus applegatei" in spring 2023. His research was published in Restoration Ecology in 2025. He currently works for Applied River Science in Arcata, CA as a Riparian Revegetation Design and Implementation Technician.
Allison Nunes, M.S. '21
Allison successfully defended her thesis "Seed bank composition within two sagebrush steppe communities: a comparison of drought and microsite effects" in summer 2021. Her research was published in Journal of Arid Environments in 2022. She currently works as an Ecologist at HT Harvey and Associates.
Francisco successfully defended his thesis "Drought's lingering shadow: monitoring the recovery of Sagebrush Steppe plant communities after four years of experimental drought" in fall 2024. He is currently on the job market!
Jules Bartley, M.S. '23
Jules successfully defended their thesis "Physical characteristics and fine roots within duff mounds of old-growth sugar and Jeffrey pine in a fire-excluded Sierran mixed-conifer forest" in summer 2023 and currently works for the Forest Service FIA Program in Washington.
Sean Stewart, M.S. '23
Sean successfully defended his thesis "Insights into the conservation of the rare perennial herb, Astragalus applegatei" in spring 2023. His research was published in Restoration Ecology in 2025. He currently works for Applied River Science in Arcata, CA as a Riparian Revegetation Design and Implementation Technician.
Allison Nunes, M.S. '21
Allison successfully defended her thesis "Seed bank composition within two sagebrush steppe communities: a comparison of drought and microsite effects" in summer 2021. Her research was published in Journal of Arid Environments in 2022. She currently works as an Ecologist at HT Harvey and Associates.
Undergraduate Researchers
Current
- Jenna Camenson - paid internship with the BLM Arcata office for recent graduates (May 2025 - present)
- Sebastian Castillo - paid ethnobotany internship with the BLM Arcata office (June 2025 - present)
- Taylor Culp - Mark B. Rhea research scholar and paid research assistant, ecosystem services across a restoration chronosequence in California coastal prairie. Taylor is working with Jesse on both field and lab work (March 2025 - present)
- Cadence Duckett - effects of management treatments on a Federally Endangered plant species (June 2025 - present)
- Blaine Folrath - Mark B. Rhea research scholar, assisted Lee with quantifying native grassland species drought responses - especially root responses (Sept 2024 - May 2025)
- Dino Santia - HSI ARI NextGen student research scholar, herbicide impacts on soil seed bank (Jan 2024 - April 2025)
- Skylar Johnson - paid ethnobotany internship with the BLM Arcata office (May 2023 - Jan 2025)
- Elena Bewick and Brandon Clarkson - ecological restoration capstone project, soil Nitrogen responses to yellow bush lupine removal: a comparative study at Lanphere dunes (Aug - Dec 2024)
- Owen Bardsley - paid internship with BLM Arcata office (May 2023 - Sept 2024)
- Jacob Scott and Kylie Stear (Boise State University students) - sheep targeted grazing impacts on soil seed bank (Aug 2023 - May 2024)
- Dellaina Morse and Scott Estepa - ecological restoration capstone project, herbicide impacts on soil seed bank (2022 - 2023)
- Kloe Walter and Scott Estepa - paid internships with the BLM Arcata office (2022 - 2023)
- AJ Murphy (Mark B. Rhea research scholar) and Owen Bardsley - drought recovery of sagebrush (2022)
- Theron Taylor and Kayla Thompson - ecological restoration capstone project, fine root biomass in mineral soil beneath duff mounds in old growth pines (2022)
- Cristina Winters - fine root biomass in duff mounds and mineral soil of old growth pines (2021 - 2022)
- Jade Dodley and Shannon Rocha - ecological restoration capstone project, fine root biomass in duff mounts of old growth pines (2022)
- Sarah Aguiar - phenology of California poppies (2021)
- Sam Kelly and Cessair McKinney - ecological restoration capstone project, estimating sagebrush seeds using a photography app (2020 - 2021) read their open access publication in Ecological Restoration!
- Ethan Reibsome and Beth Rouse - drought impacts on sagebrush (2019)
- Sean Stewart and Erik Ramos - ecological restoration capstone project, seed bank germination study along a restoration gradient at Lanphere Dunes (2019 - 2020)
- Corina Godoy and Jonathan Vellanoweth - ecological restoration capstone project, germination trials of Astragalus applegatei (2018 - 2019)
- Roxana Mostafavi and Stephanie Bowler - drought impacts on sagebrush (2017 - 2018)
- Nathan Connell and Allison Young (OIT students) - germination trials of Astragalus applegatei (2016 -2017)
- Chloe Dean (nee Smith), Aaron Miller, and Morgaine Riggins (OIT students) - population monitoring of Astragalus applegatei (2016)
- Taylor Mays (OIT student) - population monitoring of Limnanthes floccosa ssp. bellingeriana (2016)
- Rizka Ongge (OIT student) - pollination study of Astragalus applegatei (2014 - 2015)