Amy Marcarelli

Amy Marcarelli is a Professor of Biological Sciences at Michigan Technological University, where she also serves as Director of the Ecosystem Science Center and the Aquatic Analysis (AQUA) Shared Facility. Her academic journey began with a BA from Colgate University followed by a PhD from Utah State University. She has established herself as a leading ecosystem ecologist with a focus on freshwater systems.

Dr. Marcarelli's research program integrates across aquatic habitats including streams, rivers, wetlands, lake littoral zones, and nearshore regions of the Great Lakes. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Ecology, Limnology, and professional development seminars for graduate students. Her research spans four major areas: spatial and temporal patterns of nitrogen fixation and denitrification in aquatic habitats, stream-watershed-lake interactions in the Great Lakes, consequences of restoration for stream and lake ecosystem processes, and ecosystem perspectives on community interactions and resource subsidies.

Her most recent publications reveal an expanding focus on global nitrogen cycling, with numerous 2024-2025 publications examining nitrogen fixation across inland and coastal waters. Her work demonstrates how small, poorly quantified fluxes or perturbations impact ecosystem processes across multiple spatial and temporal scales. She has been instrumental in establishing the NSF-funded Aquatic Nitrogen Fixation Research Coordination Network (ANF-RCN) to synthesize understanding of nitrogen fixation across aquatic habitats.

• NSF CAREER award recipient
• Director of Ecosystem Science Center
• Director of Aquatic Analysis (AQUA) Shared Facility
• Principal Investigator for multiple NSF and Great Lakes Restoration Initiative projects

Dr. Marcarelli has mentored numerous graduate students who have gone on to successful careers in academia, government agencies, and research institutions. Her lab has produced significant research on tributary-stream-lake interactions, invasive species management, and nutrient cycling in freshwater ecosystems. She has been actively involved in establishing long-term monitoring sites, including a USGS gauge on the Pilgrim River near Michigan Tech, which is essential for ongoing research and community planning amid increasing climate variability.