Division of Environmental Science
Graduate Program in Environmental Science (GPES)

Jenny Frank

Jenny Frank completed three degrees at SUNY ESF.  Jenny cites the holistic perspective to sustainable and renewable energy as her initial reason for choosing to study here. Following completion of her undergraduate degree, Jenny was able to easily secure jobs in industry, including a position at a solar energy company and an anaerobic digester manufacturer.  She returned to SUNY ESF to pursue graduate work in the Sustainable Energy program because she felt there was so much more to learn. While completing her graduate degrees, Jenny’s focus was on the technoeconomic analysis of renewable energy pathways to quantity viability.  Below are links to publications highlighting this work.

• Quantifying the comparative value of carbon abatement scenarios over different investment timing scenarios 
• The financial trade-off between the production of biochar and biofuel via pyrolysis under uncertainty 
• Integrated Stochastic Life Cycle Assessment and Techno-Economic Analysis for Shrub Willow Production in the Northeastern United States 
• Economic feasibility of forest biomass feedstock supply chains: clean and dirty chips for bioenergy applications

“SUNY ESF has provided me with the skills, knowledge, and support to help me obtain a career in academia. I am currently an Assistant Professor of Renewable Energy at SUNY Morrisville in the Environmental and Renewable Resources Division. My work is very rewarding as I enjoy teaching classes and helping students succeed.”

Joanna Isadora Lumbsden-Pinto

Joanna Lumbsden-Pinto is a GPES doctoral student focusing on ecological restoration, monitoring, and environmental education. For her PhD, she investigates how pine barrens ecosystems respond to changes in climate and fire regime. Joanna collaborates closely with colleagues at the Brookhaven National Laboratory and the Central Pine Barrens Commission on Long Island, where she led undergraduate research teams from across the United States funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. Her dissertation work provided key contributions to a recent paper on quantifying canopy structures in pine barrens "Characterizing canopy openness in open forests: Spherical densiometer and canopy photography are equivalent but less sensitive than direct measurements of solar radiation". In another collaborative effort, Joanna was a member of a student-faculty team from ESF and Syracuse University and co-authored a review paper on the effects of biotic interactions on plant mortality under increasing drought stress "Friend or foe? The role of biotic agents in drought-induced plant mortality". Joanna has received awards from the Sussman Foundation, New York Flora Association, Ecological Society of America, Society of American Foresters, and ESF Alumni Association. Joanna's Major Professor at ESF is Dr. Martin Dovciak.

Atif Ali

Following completion of his undergraduate degree in 2019 in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Engineering and Technology in Lahore, Pakistan, Atif chose to continue his studies at ESF due to his interest in sustainable energy systems and renewable energy.

While completing his degree, Atif’s focus was on distributed solar photovoltaic systems, life cycle assessment and their role in meeting New York State climate goals.  Below are links to learn more about this research.

• Fact Sheet: The Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Electricity Production in New York State from Distributed Solar Photovoltaic Systems

“I am currently pursuing a PhD degree in Circular Economy and Sustainability at Virginia Tech. The Sustainable Energy master’s program at ESF provided me with skills, tools, and knowledge to prepare me for Doctoral research. My ESF journey was a life-changing experience and played a key role in my career path.”

Andres Urcuqui 

Andres Urcuqui finished his PhD in GPES Human Dimensions of the Environment in May 2021, also completing certificates in Environmental Leadership at ESF and Advanced Study in Conflict and Collaboration at the Maxwell School and University Teaching at the Graduate School at Syracuse University. His dissertation research on Payment for Hydrological Services program in Veracruz, Mexico was supported by a grant from NSF Coupled Natural and Human Systems program. The first publication from his dissertation, "Uncovering Stakeholder Participation in Payment for Hydrological Services (PHS) Decision Making in Mexico and Colombia", appeared in a special issue of Sustainability on Local to Global Scale Environmental Issues. He is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Maine, working on a USDA funded project, "Developing Adaptive Forest Management Practices to Mitigate Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health," to understand interactions between ticks, tick borne disease, forest management and human behavior using citizen science data. Andres' Major Professor at ESF was Dr. Theresa Selfa.

Biofuels

Environmental Data Science

Environmental and Natural Resources Policy

Restoration Science

Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)

Water Resources