Melissa Chipman

Melissa Chipman is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Syracuse University, affiliated with the Native American and Indigenous Studies program. Her research focuses on Arctic paleoecology, particularly using lake sediment cores to reconstruct historical climate and environmental changes. She investigates disturbances like wildfires and thermoerosion in tundra and boreal ecosystems, combining fossil insect analysis, geochemistry, and remote sensing.

Education: Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2017); M.S. Geology (UIUC, 2007); B.A./B.S. Geography and Environmental Geosciences (Concord University, 2004).

Research interests include climate change impacts on Arctic systems, paleofire dynamics, and permafrost thaw processes. Recent work emphasizes long-term perspectives on fire regimes and disturbance regimes in the New Arctic. Her lab employs interdisciplinary methods such as XRF scanning, stable isotopes, and chironomid analysis.

Key grants include NSF-funded projects on boreal fire feedbacks and disturbance regimes, as well as studies on lake nutrient dynamics in New York. She has presented at major conferences like the American Geophysical Union meetings and collaborates internationally on Arctic research initiatives.

Awarded the 2022 Laura J. Meredith Teaching Award, Chipman teaches courses like Climate Change Past and Present and The Holocene: Climate and Environmental Change. Active in service roles, she serves on environmental safety committees, reviews for multiple journals, and participates in outreach programs like Science in the Outdoors.