The LEAF Lab team, Fall 2023
Left to right: Philip Baracato, Catie Castagnet, Badri Ghimire, Nathan Gill. Holden Hobbs, Shin Naing, George Gyan, Maria Anastacio, Collin Norvell
Dr. Nathan S Gill
Assistant Professor of Natural Resources Management
I am a physical geographer and a landscape ecologist. I study the relationships between fire, plants, and people. My research interests are primarily centered on what a future with more fire means for ecosystem functioning and land management
B.S.: Geographic Information Systems (Brigham Young University '13),
M.A.: Geography (Clark University '16)
PhD: Geography (Clark University '18)
I love learning new things about fire and teaching those things to students and others. The best parts about my job are that it keeps me engaged in lifelong learning, surrounds me with wonderful people and requires that I work outdoors in amazing places.
George Gyan
Ph.D. Student
I am a geomatic engineer and an environmental science researcher. I enjoy utilizing geographic concepts, techniques, and tools including Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to examine challenges related to fire-outbreaks, and natural resource management. I am excited to continue my studies to gain deeper knowledge and skills in fire ecology, conservation science, and natural resources management. I am privileged to be part of the Landscape Ecology and Fire (LEAF) lab and the Bridge Adventure program in the Department of Natural Resources Management at Texas Tech University as I pursue my doctoral studies.
My research interests include the following.
1. Fire Behavior Modeling and fire effects
2. Natural resources management
3. Aquatic ecosystem management
MS: Economics of Environment and Natural Resource Management (Sumy State University, Ukraine)
BS: Geomatics Engineering (Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi-Ghana)
Badri Ghimire
Ph.D. Student
I am honored to be a recipient of the National Needs Fellowship and to join the LEAF Lab at Texas Tech University for a PhD. During my doctoral program, I plan to explore plant-fire interaction and use the Remote Sensing (RS) technique to examine post-fire changes in plant communities. Additionally, I am interested in applying Quantitative Wood Anatomy (QWA) to examine the impact of fires on wood anatomical structures. My area of interest are:
1. Effects of fire on plant communities
2. Variability of wood anatomical structures in relation to fire
3. Plant-herbivore interactions
4. Natural resources management
MS in Biological Sciences, California State University, Chico, California.
MSc in Environmental Science, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal.
BSc in Environmental Science, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal.
Maria Anastacio
MS Candidate
My name is Maria Anastacio, I received a bachelor’s of science degree in Natural Resources Management with a concentration in conservation science at Texas Tech University in 2021.
I am now pursuing an M.S in Wildlife, Aquatic, and Wildlife Science and Management focusing on Fire Ecology and Science Communication. I am interested in the human and fire relationship and creating communities that learn to live alongside fire. I am also passionate about environmental education. I am excited to be a part of the LEAF lab and work alongside outstanding academics.
Catie Castagnet
MS Student
I am a National Needs Fellow recipient in the LEAF Lab at Texas Tech University pursing a Thesis M.S. degree in Wildlife, Aquatic, and Wildlands Science and Management through the Department of Natural Resources Management. In 2020 I received my B.S. degree at Colorado State University in Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology with a concentration in wildlife. Since graduating, I have worked hands on with several wildlife species including gray wolves and river otters, restored big game and cutthroat trout habitat, conducted mesocarnivore surveys, deployed fisher and marten bait stations, and worked as a CWD technician.
I am currently developing my research project with a focus on Mexican gray wolves, wildfire disturbance, and acoustic recorders. Additionally, my areas of interest include:
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Impacts of disturbance on biodiversity
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Predator-prey interactions
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Effects of fire on habitat selection
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Population monitoring using game cameras and acoustic recorders
Holden Hobbs
TRUE Scholar (Undergraduate)
Shin Naing
TRUE Scholar (Undergraduate)
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I'm a junior undergraduate pursuing two majors: Agricultural and Applied Economics, and General Business.
I was born in Mawlamyine, Burma but I grew up in Singapore, a little red dot in Southeast Asia. Growing up, I learnt how Singapore relied heavily on foreign supplies for food and other products, since we barely had any local agricultural production. I became interested in the countless impacts that the agriculture industry had on relations between developing and developed countries and how it affected the natural environment around us.
My academic pursuits have brought me here from across the world, and I am thrilled to join the LEAF lab to further my passion for research.
Philip Baracato
Undergraduate Technician
