Becky Bixby

Dr. Becky Bixby is a Research Professor at the University of New Mexico (UNM), where she serves as Director of the UNM Water Resources Program. She earned her PhD in Natural Resources from the University of Michigan (2001), a Master of Science from the University of Cincinnati, and a BA in Biology from Albion College. Her research focuses on freshwater aquatic ecology, particularly the role of primary producers like diatoms in river and lake ecosystems and their utility as bioindicators of environmental change.

Dr. Bixby has taught graduate and undergraduate courses including Limnology (University of New Mexico) and Introductory Ecology (University of Georgia). Her lab group investigates topics such as

• aridland river foodwebs and light limitation effects;
• biodiversity 'hotspots' for diatom endemism in the Great Lakes and Central Asia;
• and neotropical stream diatom dynamics in response to solute, light, and pH gradients.

Her publications span diatom taxonomy, ecosystem responses to anthropogenic disturbance, and stream biogeochemistry. Collaborations with institutions like the Museum of Southwestern Biology and fieldwork in Costa Rica, Madagascar, and New Mexico underscore her interdisciplinary approach. Dr. Bixby's work also emphasizes environmental monitoring and conservation strategies using algal community data.