Wright Lab
Interested in joining the Wright Lab as an undergraduate researcher or to pursue a Master's degree? If you are a current CSULA undergraduate student you should contact Dr. Wright directly to discuss possibilities!
If you are interested in starting your graduate studies at CSULA (and you did your undergraduate work at another institution) please keep a few things in mind: (1) we currently have funding in the lab to support the purchase of research equipment, but not to support graduate student salary, (2) there are teaching assistant opportunities at CSULA that can help supplement your income while working on a Master's degree at CSULA but they will not be sufficient to fully support you financially, (3) you should read about fellowship opportunities during your Master's that can help support you financially. In particular, please read this and this and this.
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If you have considered all of these options and you'd like to discuss opportunities for joining the lab, please contact Dr. Wright (awrigh20@calstatela.edu)!
Alexandra (Sasha) Wright (PI)
I am an Assistant Professor of Plant Ecology at Cal State LA. My research examines how positive interactions between plants can help explain species coexistence, biodiversity-ecosystem function, and ecological responses to climate change. I am particularly interested in atmospheric drying, urban heat islands, and increasing human diversity in Ecology.
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Please read below to find out about past undergraduate and graduate student projects in my lab and opportunities for how you can get involved.
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You can read my full CV here.
Current Graduate Students
Crystal Ramirez (Master's Student)
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Crystal established a three sisters polyculture experiment at CSULA. She is assessing plant yield in response to planting scheme as well as correlated changes in microclimate temperature, humidity, and VPD. She is also a recipient of the NSF GRFP.
Daria Smith (Master's Student)
Daria completed her undergraduate degree at CSULA in Spring 2023. For her Master's thesis she is examining how diversity and biomass mitigate temperature stress in urban heat islands. She will also be looking at how competition and facilitation shift in response to these changes.
Isabela Pedro (Master's Student)
Isabela is examining how diversity mitigates the negative effects of atmospheric drying. She works within our campus Bio3D experiment.
Current Undergraduate Students
Henri Searles
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Henri is joining the lab in Fall 2023
Monica Hernandez - Monica is also joining the lab in Fall 2023.
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Lab Manager
Danny Guzman - Danny finished his Master's in the lab in December 2022. He examined how nitrogen and carbon pools in the soil shifted in response to atmospheric and soil drought conditions. He has now joined as a full time technician and lab manager. He is responsible for designing and managing our next generation Bio3D experiment, designing the new humidity delivery system, and helping guide new graduate students.
Lab Alumni
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Steph Varghese (Completed B.S. 2023) - Steph is working on a PhD at the University of Minnesota with Dr. Forest Isbell. She is also an NSF GRFP fellow.
Austin Huynh (Completed M.S. 2023) - Austin is pursuing a career in data science.
Sam Watson (Completed M.S. 2021) - Sam is working on a PhD at Northern Arizona University (NAU).
Regina Mae Francia (Completed M.S. 2021) - Regina is working on a PhD with Holly Jones at Northern Illinois University
John English (completed M.S. 2020) - John completed his M.S. degree in Spring 2020 and is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Toronto with Dr. Scott MacIvor.
Beatriz Aguirre (completed M.S. 2020) - Beatriz was awarded the NSF GRFP in 2020 and will be pursuing her PhD at Cornell starting in Fall 2020.
Melissa Calvillo - Melissa joined the lab in Fall 2018. She worked on a project to explore the role of nitrogen deposition in urban environments on facilitation due to interactions with legumes.
​Karol Abdou - Karol joined the lab in Spring 2019. She helped with every project in the lab. She was a jack-of-all trades.
Lorena Reynaga (completed B.S. 2019) - Lorena is pursing an M.S. degree in Epidemiology
Bryan Miranda (completed B.S. 2019) - Brian is pursuing a career in natural resource management. He currently works for CA Climate Action Corps/AmeriCorps program.
Shawntavia Johnson (completed B.S. 2019) - Shawntavia is pursuing her teaching credentials.
Myles Kilpatrick - Myles explored how different levels of biodiversity and plant species composition can affect near-leaf vapor pressure deficit and drive differences in comparison with weather station data.
Sasha Tyomkin (completed B.S. 2018) - Sasha is now in the PharmD program at Marshall B. Ketchum University.
Brian Hsieh (completed B.S. 2018) - Brian is now working on his Masters credentials in educations at CSULA.
Courtney Whitehurst (completed B.S. 2022)
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