About me!

My name is Catherine (Katya) and I am currently a postgraduate associate at the Yale School of the Environment (YSE). I am a member of the Burke/Lauenroth lab at YSE and graduated in 2026 with a Master of Environmental Sciences. I am excited to continue my work with the lab as a postgraduate associate while I look ahead at pursing a PhD.

My research at YSE focuses on net primary production, water balance, and woody plant encroachment in dryland ecosystems. In 2023, I graduated from Dartmouth College with a BA in Biology with a concentration in Ecology. At Dartmouth, I was a member of the Cottingham Laboratory, and my honors thesis focused on the effects of cyanobacteria on net ecosystem production in aquatic ecosystems. Though I have since followed my interests to terrestrial ecosystems, I am largely interested in understanding how interactions among climate, soils, and vegetation regulate ecosystem processes, biogeochemical cycling, and plant community dynamics across ecosystems.

In my future graduate work and beyond, I hope to advance our understanding of these interactions and improve our ability to both understand and predict ecosystem responses to environmental change. In my scientific practice, I strive to produce research that is wide-reaching and inclusive. I am also passionate about increasing access to ecological education for students of all ages, as I believe early connections with the natural world are imperative for nurturing future stewards of our planet.