Courtney Currier

Dr. Courtney Currier is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Ecosystem and Carbon Science research group at the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge. Her work centers on global dryland ecosystems, focusing on climate change impacts on carbon cycling, nutrient dynamics, and vegetation responses.

Her research spans biogeochemistry, dryland ecology, and climate extremes, with emphasis on precipitation manipulation experiments, soil organic carbon vulnerability, and plant phenology controls. Key projects include long-term studies at the Jornada Basin LTER and investigations into woody encroachment and grazing effects on ecosystem services. She integrates field data with modeling to address sustainability challenges in arid regions.

Publications reveal a cohesive trajectory: early work on salmon nutrient subsidies and freshwater ecology evolved into dryland-focused climate research, with recent interdisciplinary expansion into art-science collaborations for environmental communication. Her 15 most recent articles (2018-2024) consistently address carbon-nitrogen cycling under precipitation extremes, dryland biogeochemistry, and ecosystem service resilience, demonstrating methodological rigor in experimental design and data synthesis.

As part of the Ecosystem and Carbon Science group, Dr. Currier contributes to the department's mission of understanding global change through field campaigns, laboratory analyses, and cross-institutional partnerships focused on sustainable land management.