Graduate Students
Chenyang Su
Chenyang is a graduate student in the Ecology, Evolution, Environment and Society program studying agroecology. She is interested in the population dynamics of “unplanned organisms” (weeds, pests and other insects, diseases) in and around agriculture and these organisms’ roles in the landscape. In the Upper Valley, Chenyang enjoys going to farmer’s markets and farm stands in the warmer months and sometimes wonders where the food is from and where it is going.
Kristen Jovanelly
Kristen is also a graduate student in the Ecology, Evolution, Environment and Society program studying agroecology. She is interested in the nature, pattern and speed of social ecological agricultural transitions. She studies the effects of agricultural legacies on above and belowground interactions of plant communities and farmer interest in agroecological transition. In the Upper Valley, she likes bouncing around on trails, lizarding (sun basking) on rocks in the White River and telling you about her dog.
Krystal Bagnaschi
Krystal is a PhD student in the Ecology, Evolution, Environment and Society program studying agroforestry through the lenses of forest and political ecology. Their research aims to explore the edges of forested food production, socially, ecologically, and temporally, and how these edges can work for or against an inclusive and sustainable food shed. When she isn’t in the classroom or her office, Al enjoys carving spoons, foraging for mushrooms and edible plants, and watching movies while they wait for their film photography to be processed.
Postdoctoral researchers
Athmanathan Senthilnathan
Athma Senthilnathan is a postdoctoral scholar in the Ong lab. He is a theoretical ecologist broadly working in the areas of plant community ecology and eco-evolutionary dynamics. His current research examines how historical soil and environmental conditions, along with past land management practices, can lead to irreversible changes in plant communities. Prior to arriving at the Ong lab, Athma developed a niche theory for plant-soil feedback with Rafael D’Andrea. His work explains the synergistic effect of plant-soil feedback and plant competition on trait and spatial patterns in plant communities. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee under the mentorship of Dr. Sergey Gavrilets, focusing on the ecological impacts of heritable intraspecific variation in coevolutionary systems.
Undergraduate Students
Garrett Althausen, ’25
Garrett is an ENVS major interested in soil science, agriculture and natural resource management. In his free time, he enjoys rock climbing, skiing, and reading. His favorite movie of all time is Kung Fu Panda.
Meredith Thomas, ’25
Meredith is passionate about local social and ecological systems and hopes to study food justice and global food networks. She intends to major in environmental studies and psychology, and she is excited to see how the two disciplines intersect and support one another. Her favorite snack is Vegan Rob’s cheddar chickpea puffs.
Emily Pridemore ’25
Emily is an ENVS major interested in climate litigation and studying ecology. In her free time, she enjoys hiking as much as possible and skiing during the winter. Her favorite thing about Dartmouth is having her dog, Kawhi, on campus with her.
Carly Walther-Porino, ’25
Carly is from Sun Valley, Idaho and grew up in Bend, Oregon. She is an environmental studies major and is interested in developing climate change solutions through mitigation and adaptation strategies. Her life has been centered around the outdoors, and she wants to keep it that way!
Oliver Kirsch, ’26
Oliver is from Saint Paul, Minnesota, and plans on majoring in bio. He enjoys playing ultimate frisbee, watching soccer, listening to music (especially reggaetón) and going to the gym. His favorite food is a well-made chicken sandwich.
William Summitt ’26
William is from New York City and likes studying Geography, ENVS, and History. He enjoys rock climbing, espresso, luxury pastries, graphic novels, and all kinds of music! His favorite movie is A Silent Voice (2016), which he can talk endlessly about.
Rosa Lopez ’26
Rosa is from rural Georgia and enjoys studying ENVS and anthropology. Rosa has a keen interest in Indigenous agroecology and food equity. In her free time Rosa is an artist, cartoon enthusiast, and gardener. At the moment, Rosa’s favorite cartoon is Steven Universe.
Stella Larson ’26
Stella is from Brooklyn, NY and intends on studying ENVS and music. She enjoys long walks, classical piano, and all time spent in the presence of trees!
May Alam ’26
May is from New York City and has the best street car recommendations. She is committed to ensuring that the work she does will lend itself to the pursuit of uplifting others in holistic models of care, health, and wellbeing. In her free time she likes to travel and explore big cities while listening to Taylor Swift.
Staff
Tiger Lilly, Master of Sass
Interests include agroecological production of catnip and cheesecake.
Follow her on instagram @tigergoodstripe
Past Members
Gisselle Mejía, PROF Postdoctoral Fellow
Ian Farm, ’24
Julianne Borger, Lab Manager and Research Assistant
Lucy Rathgeb ’22
London Crenshaw ’22
Brandon Zhou, ’22
Ella Marden ’21
Alana Danieu
Ella Dobson
Edel Galgon
We are just getting started and looking for new members.
We take an interdisciplinary approach to our research— bridging the fields of ecology, political science and environmental studies by combining theoretical, experimental, and observational approaches in our work.
We believe that science should be broadly accessible and always endeavor to engage with the public and increase representation of underrepresented minorities.
Current interests in the Ong Lab include urban agriculture, biological control, critical transition theory, socio-ecological modeling, biocomplexity and spatio-temporal synchrony, but we are always open to new projects!
Contact Theresa W. Ong if you are interested in joining the lab!