Vanessa Lougheed

Vanessa Lougheed is a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), affiliated with the College of Science, Center for Environmental Resource Management (CERM), and Cyber-Share. Her research focuses on aquatic ecosystem ecology, nutrient cycling, biodiversity, and remote sensing in extreme wetland environments of the Arctic and Chihuahuan Desert.

Recent publications highlight her work on carbon flux dynamics in Arctic lagoons, remote sensing applications for polar ecosystems, and nutrient impacts in desert wetlands. Themes include climate change effects, ecosystem responses to hydrological and biogeochemical stressors, and spatiotemporal modeling.

• NSF Grant $5 Million to Study Dryland Earth Surface Dynamics
• NSF Polar Grant (ROAM2) for Arctic Research Diversity
• ProQuest/Pivot Funding Opportunities

She emphasizes experiential learning and mentoring, particularly through programs like the UTEP STEMGrow initiative and the Society of Wetland Scientists Multicultural Mentoring Program. Her lab, the Aquatic Ecology Lab, integrates Arctic and desert wetland studies, leveraging fieldwork and advanced technologies for environmental monitoring.