Margaret Williamson

Margaret Williamson is a Doctoral Researcher at the University of Helsinki's Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, based at Tvärminne Zoological Station. Her work focuses on carbon cycling in Phragmites australis across coastal archipelago reed belts, integrating fieldwork, laboratory analysis, and advanced ecological data processing via ArcGIS and GPS technologies.

Education:

• Ph.D. candidate in Natural Sciences – Littoral Ecology (University of Helsinki, 2023-Present)
• Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Design Practices (Philadelphia University, 2014-2015)
• M.S. in Forest Resources – Hillslope Hydrology (University of Georgia, 2009-2011)
• B.S. in Natural Resources Ecology and Management – Conservation Biology (Louisiana State University, 2004-2008)

Research Interests: Specializing in coastal ecosystems, her research spans biogeochemistry, hydrology, and climate change mitigation through plant-based carbon sequestration. She investigates wetland dynamics, particularly in Phragmites australis and Spartina species, combining field data with GIS modeling.

Publications: Her work includes recent studies on coastal reed ecosystems (2024-2025), earlier research on Spartina alterniflora biogeochemistry (2014), and foundational hydrology studies (2010-2012). Collectively, her publications reveal a trajectory of advancing wetland carbon cycle understanding through multi-species and multi-scale hydrological analyses.

Funding & Awards:

• Nottbeck Foundation Grant (2023-2028) for carbon cycling research
• LSU Academic Scholarship during undergraduate studies

Professional Activities: Active in academic engagement, she presented at the EGU General Assembly (2024), delivered invited talks on Baltic Sea reed ecosystems (2024), and participated in fisheries impact workshops (2023). Her current project, WANS palkat, explores coastal carbon dynamics through multidisciplinary collaboration.