FACULTY AND STAFF

Dan Childers
Faculty, Ph.D.

Dan Childers is a Professor in the School of Sustainability and member of the Executive Committee of the Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research Program (CAP LTER) at Arizona State University.  His research focuses on systems ecology (primarily in wetland, aquatic, and urban ecosystems) and sustainability science.  His ecosystems ecology research has recently expanded to include urban wetlands and “ciénega” systems of arid southwestern streams—and in many different freshwater and estuarine systems around the world.   Prior to his arrival and starting the WEEL lab at ASU in August 2008, Dan spent nearly 15 years at Florida International University in Miami where he was Director of the Florida Coastal Everglades Long-Term Ecological Research (FCE LTER) Program. Dan has published more than 80 peer-reviewed articles, won grants that have totaled over $15 million, and advised more than two dozen Ph.D. and M.S. students.

To learn more about Dr. Dan Childers, please visit his School of Sustainability faculty website and read his CV: Dan Childers CV

Chris Sanchez
Lab Manager, M.S.

I am a Research Specialist in the Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability at Arizona State University who has been working with WEEL since 2011, initially as an NSF-funded undergraduate student researcher and now as the lab's research manager. My own research has focused on understanding Urban Ecological Infrastructure (UEI) as a space for collaboration and convergence between urban research and urban design, planning, and management.

Before assuming my current position at ASU, I worked for 3 years as an interpretive program leader and coordinator for the Miami-Dade County Parks, Recreation and Opens Spaces department while earning a double-B.A. from the University of Miami. I studied wetland ecology for many years in the Florida Everglades at the Florida Coastal Everglades (FCE) LTER site, where my work was focused on reconstructing historic hydrology patterns and understanding carbon dynamics in coastal mangrove forests.

GRADUATE STUDENTS

Nicholas Weller
Ph.D. Candidate

I am interested in policy, science, and democracy, particularly around sustainability and environmental issues. More specifically, I study ways the general public contributes to science and policy and what decision makers do with such input. With a group of practitioners and researchers from the Institute for the Future of Innovation in Society, I examine large-scale public forums exploring what people think cities should do to respond to hazards like droughts or floods.
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As an undergraduate research assistant in WEEL, I studied plant mediated nitrogen uptake at Tres Rios and urban stormwater dynamics. More recently, I worked with the School of Sustainability's Sustainability Science for Sustainable Schools program to develop and implement sustainability curriculum and programming for local K-12 schools. 

Eric Vahid
Ph.D. Student

Eric Vahid is a Ph.D. student in the School of Sustainability at Arizona State University. His focus is on Urban Ecology/Ecosystems and Sustainability Science. His current research focuses on nutrient cycling in urban environments. He received his Master's Degree in Sustainable Solutions through the School of Sustainability at ASU. He completed his B.S. in Earth System Science at the University of California, Irvine, where he worked in a wetland ecology lab focusing on underground water flow and soil analysis, specifically phytolith analysis. 

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

Sawyer Treese
B.S.

Sawyer is an undergrad at the School of Sustainability researching water quality in the WEEL lab for his honors thesis.  His interests include urban ecology, sustainable solutions, civic engagement, and equity.  In his free time, Sawyer enjoys riding his bike, helping maintain Escalante Community Garden, and volunteering for local sustainability initiatives.  Sawyer’s vision is simple: a future of sustainable and equitable communities!

Austin Crane
B.S.

I am a junior at ASU, majoring in sustainability and minoring in biology.  My interests include wetland ecology and ecosystems in general.  I joined WEEL in 2017, and I am currently researching the nutrient budgets of Tres Rios.  After college, I hope to go to graduate school and continue researching ecology.

Brad Niska
B.S.

I am a junior at Arizona State University working towards a BS in Sustainability with an emphasis on sustainable ecosystems. My involvement with the WEEL project began through the SURE program via the School of Sustainability, and I am currently working to create allometric biomass models based on data collected at the Tres Rios Constructed Treatment Wetland.

Jessica Bristow
B.A.

Currently I am an undergraduate student at ASU's School of Sustainability studying policy and governance pertaining to natural environments, natural resources, and social and economical issues. Besides my studies, I have found a love for ecology research. Researching nutrient levels of root cores from Tres Rios has been an amazing experience so far and I hope I can continue research through WEEL.

VISITING SCHOLARS

The WEEL is not currently hosting any visiting international scholars. Please see the Past WEEL Members page for more information on our past visiting scholars and collaborations.