Current Lab Members
Mayra Hernandez, PhD Student in Ecology
Mayra received her BS in Biology in 2022 from CSU Dominguez Hills, where she also worked as a Research Technician in the Valliere Lab. Her research interests include drivers of vegetation change in California and applications for ecological restoration. She previously collaborated on several studies exploring the impact of nitrogen deposition on nonnative plant invasion and efforts to harness soil microbial communities for restoration in the Mojave desert. She also conducted a study on the effects of fire frequency on vegetation-type conversion in chaparral. Mayra received the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship in 2023.
Olivia Parra, PhD Student in Ecology
Olivia received her B.A. in Integrative Biology from UC Berkeley in 2021. There she was involved in nitrogen cycling and stable isotope research of coastal California coniferous forests. Over the last two years, she has worked as a restoration technician in the Santa Monica Mountains, partnering with the National Parks Service to cultivate native plants, treat nonnative plant infestations, lead data collection campaigns, and work with various partners to introduce youth of historically marginalized backgrounds to the many facets of restoration. She concurrently worked as a research assistant in the Valliere Lab at CSU Dominguez Hills, contributing to a study on plant-soil feedbacks in the Mojave Desert. Her interests lie in restoration, infestations by nonnative plants, and how microbial communities contribute to the story of plant composition in California habitats. She aims to investigate how weed management strategies may impact these plant-microbe relationships.
Former Students
Kekoa Nelson, BS Biology
Kekoa graduated with a BS in Biology from CSU Dominguez Hills in 2023. In the Valliere Lab at CSUDH, she conducted a study exploring if plant functional traits can explain thermal tolerance thresholds of native plant species in an urban nature preserve. Kekoa is currently an intern at the California Botanic Garden.
Carlos Zuniga, BS Biology
Carlos is currently a student at CSU Dominguez Hills, where he previously worked on a project exploring the impact of climate change and air pollution on native conifers in southern California mountains. In addition to his work in the Valliere Lab, he participated in a summer REU at the Harvard Forest exploring edge effects above and below ground in temperate forest ecosystems.
Matthew Wells, MS Biology
Matthew received his MS in Biology in 2023 at CSU Dominguez Hills. His research explored using timed mowing to restore invaded grasslands, with the goal of reducing fuel loads and promoting native species recovery. He received a B.S. in Environmental Science and Resource Management from CSU Channel Islands. He currently works with the National Park Service in the Santa Monica Mountains where he leads restoration and invasive plant control.
Marco Castaneda Martinez, BS Biology
Marco graduated from CSUDH in 2023 with a degree in Ecology and Environmental Biology. In the Valliere Lab at CSUDH he worked on multiple research projects and was the lab expert on taking plant gas exchange measurements. His previous research included studying the genetic basis of aspen demography along climate gradients in Colorado and exploring the drivers that impact tree responses to drought. He is 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
Marialuisa graduated in 2022 with a BS in Ecology and Environmental Biology. Her research interests are marine biology, animal physiology and plant ecology. Her goal is to become a research scientist to help make a positive change for women in STEM. She assisted 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.
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.