Saru Saraswati

Saru Saraswati is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography and Geospatial Sciences at the University of South Dakota. Her research focuses on wetland biogeochemistry, particularly carbon dynamics in peatlands and prairie potholes. She completed a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Waterloo, Canada (2023), following her Ph.D. in Physical Geography from the same institution (2019).

Her work examines greenhouse gas emissions, soil organic carbon stability, and the impacts of anthropogenic disturbances like road construction and climate change on wetland ecosystems. Key areas include peatland restoration, nutrient enrichment effects, and the role of permafrost thaw in carbon release.

Recent research highlights include studying how infrastructure (e.g., access roads) alters carbon dynamics and vegetation productivity in boreal peatlands, as well as developing methods like isothermal microcalorimetry to assess soil organic matter degradation. She is affiliated with professional organizations such as the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and the Canadian Geophysical Union (CGU).