The Lab D'Andrilli
Environmental Chemistry
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Who are we?
Juliana D'Andrilli, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Dept. of Biological Sciences
University of North Texas
Phone: (940) 369-5707
Email: juliana.d'andrilli@unt.edu
ORCID: 0000-0002-3352-2564
Juliana D’Andrilli researches carbon cycling from the perspective of dissolved organic matter (DOM) evolution biogeochemistry in marine, freshwater, terrestrial, and cryosphere ecosystems by investigating its quality and quantity. Juliana obtained a B.S. in Chemistry in 2003 from Mary Washington College (Virginia), worked as a chemist at Estee Lauder's Research & Development Park for a year (New York), and then obtained a Ph.D. in Chemistry in 2009 from Florida State University (Florida, USA). She completed two postdoctoral appointments at Montana State University (Montana, USA) and was an Assistant Research Professor there for 5 years before joining the faculty as an Assistant Professor at LUMCON in 2019. In January of 2024, she joined the faculty as an Associate Professor in the Dept. of Biological Sciences at the University of North Texas. Research interests in organic carbon cycling and chemical measurements stem from Juliana's curiosity in learning how Earth's ecosystems function. Current projects include: 1) river restoration from legacy mining, 2) disentangling challenges of analytical chemistry techniques to measure organic carbon quality, 3) effects of climate and land use change on organic carbon and aquatic health for snowpack-fed waters, 4) global carbon cycling trends from the last 30,000 years from organic carbon signals in polar ice cores, 5) metal-organic matter complexation and anthropogenic imprints from chemical and biological measurements, 6) Arctic river and ocean carbon cycling, and 7) improving confidence with communication using improvisation exercises and techniques. Juliana is typically found singing and dancing wherever she is, thoroughly enjoys music, art, theatre, outdoor activities, and is an avid gymnast. Carbon cycling field research and gymnastics go surprisingly well together.
Emily Coronado
Undergraduate Research Fellow
Ecology for Environmental Science
University of North Texas
Email: EmilyCoronado2@my.unt.edu
ORCID: 0009-0001-4418-2753
Emily Coronado is an undergraduate student at UNT working to get her Bachelor of Science degree in ecology for environmental science. She is currently an undergraduate research fellow at UNT working with Dr. D’Andrilli to evaluate the health of the Upper Clark Fork River in western Montana after major river restoration from legacy mining. Emily is learning how to analyze dissolved organic carbon (DOC) composition at the bulk level using absorbance and fluorescence spectroscopy. She hopes to build relationships with the fundamental building blocks of our world, namely the DOC pool, to further tackle environmental issues. Throughout her education, she hopes she can gain a deeper understanding of many different fields of science and the connections among them. In her free time, Emily enjoys reading all manner of books and spending time with her family, including her wonderful four-legged friends.
Aiden Acker
Undergraduate Research Student
Ecology for Environmental Science
University of North Texas
Email: AidenAcker@my.unt.edu
Aiden Acker is an undergraduate student working to obtain her B.S. in Ecology for Environmental Science at the University of North Texas. Aiden is passionate about exploring the ins and outs of the Earth, environmental studies, and organic chemistry. She is interested in studying natural sciences and understands the importance of our planet's aquatic ecosystems. Aiden includes a career focused on environmental chemistry in her five-year plan. She desires
to embrace efforts alongside a company or team that, likewise, strives to investigate the intricacies of ecological processes; climate change, and preservation efforts. Although Aiden is from Texas, she hopes to one day visit or study her favorite state (in theory,) Hawaii, known for its rich biodiversity and natural beauty. Aside from academics, Aiden enjoys activities like kayaking, nature walks, reading, and trying different cuisines with friends. In her free time, she likes to deep dive into pop culture including but not limited to music, art, and film.
Arya Mohanan
Ph.D. Graduate Student
Environmental Science
Dept. Biological Sciences and AERI
University of North Texas
Email: AryaMohanan@my.unt.edu
ORCID: 0009-0009-7670-6994
Arya Mohanan is a Ph.D. student in Environmental Science UNT, working with Dr. D'Andrilli. She began her doctoral journey in Fall 2024, following the completion of her M.S. in Environmental Science at UNT in June 2024. Originally from India, Arya holds a B.Sc. in Zoology from Sacred Heart College, Thevara, Kerala, where she was actively involved in research on avian diversity. During her Master’s work, Arya’s research focused on ecological diversity, with her thesis titled "Diversity Patterns of Chilean Tardigrades: Exploring Alpha and Beta Diversities at Multiple Spatial Scales." Her interest in understanding biodiversity led her to investigate tardigrade communities across Chile. Building on her previous expertise and eager for a new research direction, Arya transitioned to environmental chemistry for her Ph.D. Now, she is focused on measurements of water quality and dissolved organic
matter by optical properties and plans to couple findings with ecological data to better understand carbon cycling patterns in a metal-contaminated river undergoing restoration in western Montana. Outside the academic career, Arya is a trained Indian classical dancer, specialized in Bharathanatyam. She also enjoys cooking, traveling, and taking on adventurous activities like skydiving.
Ishani Mahawaththa
Ph.D. Graduate Student
Biology
Dept. Biological Sciences and AERI
University of North Texas
Email: IshaniMahawaththa@my.unt.edu
ORCID: 0009-0006-3725-6108
Ishani Mahawaththa is an international graduate student who came to the US all the way from Sri Lanka. She obtained a BS in Environmental Conservation and Management degree from the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka in 2022, and an MS in Environmental Science from UNT in 2024. Her undergraduate research project title was "An Assessment of Potential Land for Mangrove Restoration in the North-Western Province Sri Lanka to Climate Change Mitigation." Due to the influence of watching nature documentaries by David Attenborough, reading books by Desmond Morris, and Richard Dawkins, and learning behavioral ecology, she had an urge to learn more about ecology and biogeography. Her MS thesis title was "Diversity Patterns of Tardigrade Assemblages in Forested Landscapes in Chile." Soon after obtaining her MS degree, she joined Dr. D'Andrilli’s lab at UNT to follow her new brain wave about environmental chemistry. Specifically, her research focuses on the effects of climate change and anthropogenic activity on montane freshwater streams using dissolved organic matter markers from optical property measurements. Here are some fun facts about Ishani, she is a movie buff and loves dancing, mountains, and Shawn Mendes and Enrique Iglesia’s music. But a controversial fact about her is she does not like sushi.
Tessa Crouch
UNT Collaborator
LUMCON REU 2022 and 2023 Research Fellow
Email: tcrouch@ucsd.edu
Tessa Crouch recently graduated with her B.S degree from the University of California San Diego. Before she began her appointment at LUMCON, she held a research position at the Sea Otter Savvy in Monterey, California, working with sea otters and learning their behavior. At LUMCON, Tessa designed a 90-day biological degradation experiment to test the microbial responses and organic carbon character from various nutrient concentrations and temperatures using polar cryosphere, temperate freshwater, and marine carbon sources. She relished in learning about microbial growth and carbon degradation, and quickly mastered skills in analytical chemistry techniques and laboratory management. She had very ambitious goals, was intrigued by laboratory and field work challenges, and developed a strong connection to making a difference in this world through her research contributions. Tessa is keen to learn about biogeochemistry, biological oceanography, geophysical fluid dynamics, and atmospheric physics, which clearly made her a perfect researcher to join the LUMCON family and the Lab D'Andrilli. She is now collaborating with D'Andrilli's group at UNT. Outside of her academic career, she enjoys volunteering for beach cleanup, rehabilitating animals, painting, and all outdoor activities. Tessa impressed many at LUMCON with her artistic skills as she is already an accomplished graphics designer. See some of her work on the Current Projects tab.
Victoria Silverman, "The Rockstar"
Previous Undergraduate Scholar and Research Fellow
Email: victoria.silverman@whoi.edu
ORCID: 0000-0002-8833-8107
PREVIOUS GROUP MEMBERS
Victoria Silverman is a Research Assistant in the Marine Chemistry & Geochemistry department at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (Massachusetts, USA). She works in the Hines and Dunlea labs to support their research efforts in geochemistry and paleoceanography. In the D’Andrilli group, Victoria was a National Science Foundation REU Intern in 2021 at LUMCON and worked as a Research Fellow in summer and fall 2022 (through Montana State University and LUMCON). Her research in the D’Andrilli group examined optical properties of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and effects of metal contamination on microbial transformations of DOM in freshwater and marine environments. As an environmental researcher, Victoria is interested in using fundamental chemistry concepts and instrumentation to better understand the world we live in at the molecular level and address challenging environmental problems. Victoria values building relationships with the ecosystems she studies. She has conducted fieldwork in freshwater and marshlands near LUMCON, along the Upper Clark Fork River (Montana, USA), and on a research cruise across the Davis Strait (between West Greenland and Baffin Island, Canada), aboard the R/V Neil Armstrong.
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Shelby Buckley, Ph.D.
University of Colorado Boulder and University of North Texas
Email: Shelby.Buckley@colorado.edu
ORCID: 0000-0003-3325-2530
Shelby Buckley obtained her Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder (UC Boulder) in 2024. Her research focused on environmental photochemistry of organic matter in natural and engineered environments. Shelby was an undergraduate and master's student collaborator with Dr. Juliana D’Andrilli since 2019. She entered the UC Boulder Ph.D. program in 2021 under the supervision of Dr. Fernando Rosario-Ortiz (UC Boulder) and D'Andrilli (UNT) and quickly was whisked away to Denmark and the Arctic Ocean to begin her research on marine water and sea ice carbon cycling. From July-September, Shelby conducted her research aboard the R/V Kronprins Haakon (Norwegian icebreaker vessel) to the North Pole and collected organic matter extracts from Arctic Ocean seawater and sea ice for carbon characterization and its response to photodegradation. Outside of her academic career, she enjoys mountain biking, trail running, and backcountry skiing. And if possible, all activities enjoyed with fantastic coffee and pastries.
Jumanah Hamdi, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Research Fellow
LUMCON
Email: jhamdi@lumcon.edu
ORCID: 0000-0002-2060-8051
Jumanah Hamdi is originally from Damascus, Syria. Growing up as a female in the Syrian culture, her life was always planned out and education was never part of the plan. However, Jumanah refused to accept this predetermined fate and wanted to show others that it’s possible to create your own success. Jumanah knew that with hard work she could accomplish anything. Chemistry was always something she loved which is why she chose a career in a STEM field. After years of hard work, Jumanah earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of New Orleans (Louisiana, USA), with a focus in organic chemistry and catalysis. Her research objectives were to develop and apply new heterogeneous “environmentally friendly” catalytic systems, which is where she found her true calling in the field of green chemistry. Her passion for green chemistry and saving the environment led her to a postdoctoral position at LUMCON as an environmental scientist. She was the recipient of a US National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellow award through the Office of Polar Programs and was excited to join the polar research community. Her project aimed to evaluate the impact of diverse Arctic carbon sources on marine carbon cycling processes in Fram Strait and the resulting release of carbon dioxide. This work presents a unique opportunity to spearhead a carbon chemistry initiative in combination with diverse Arctic science collaborators in efforts to combine safer, healthier carbon characterization practices. Along with research, Jumanah also enjoys teaching, mentoring, and building relationships with undergraduates to share her passion for chemistry. As a community, we all need to come together and use all areas of expertise to help save our planet because one field and one person can’t do it all.