Sasha C Reed, Ph.D.
Dr. Sasha Reed is an ecologist focused on understanding how our planet's ecosystems work and what factors determine the services they provide. The study sites and methods Sasha uses are diverse, and with each of her projects she strives to provide scientific information that helps our nation address challenges, solve problems, and maximize opportunities.
Sasha seeks to provide useful information for land managers, policy-makers, and the general public. Sasha uses both basic and applied scientific approaches to improve our understanding of the fundamental controls over ecosystems, to determine how these systems respond to change, and to explore solutions for addressing relevant problems. Sasha works closely with a range of collaborators - including federal agency partners (BLM, NPS, DOE, DoD, BIA, USFS, USFWS) - in designing research studies, conducting information and technology transfer, and performing outreach activities. Some of her primary research interests include understanding how drought and increasing temperatures affect ecosystems, exploring a diversity of energy options for meeting national demand, assessing the consequences of exotic plant invasion and ways to combat them, and establishing novel management options for increased effectiveness and efficiency in restoration and reclamation. Sasha attempts to conduct research that is innovative, collaborative, and useful.
Professional Experience
Research Ecologist, USGS, Southwest Biological Science Center, Moab, UT: May 2008 - present
Research Ecologist, USGS-SCEP Program, Moab, UT: 2005 - 2007 summers only
Fellow, NSF Graduate Research Fellowship: Awarded April 2003; deferred until September 2005-May 2008
Fellow, National Science Foundation IGERT Fellowship, Carbon Climate and Society Initiative (CCSI): August 2003-August 2005.
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. in Biogeochemistry, 2002-2008: University of Colorado at Boulder, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and Institute of Arctic & Alpine Research (INSTAAR).
B.A. in Organic Chemistry, 1993-1997: Colgate University, Department of Chemistry, Hamilton, NY. Graduated magna cum laude.
Honors and Awards
Elected Member-At-Large, Ecological Society of America (ESA). August 2020-August 2022.
Ecological Society of America (ESA) Early Career Fellow. March 2016.
Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). October 2011.
Star Award, Department of the Interior. October 2010, May 2000.
Graduate Student Research and Creative Works Award, University of Colorado at Boulder. May 2008.
USGS Student Career Experience Program (SCEP) Fellowship. June-August of 2006 & 2007.
Student Policy Award, Ecological Society of America (ESA). September 2006.
AAAS Program for Excellence in Science. August 2006.
Lawrence Award. April 1996.
Phi Ea Sigma University Honor Society Awarded Membership. April 1994-May 1997.
Phi Eta Sigma Aid Committee Selected Board Member. September 1995-May 1997.
Barry Goldwater Award Nominee. November 1994.
Science and Products
Water from air: An overlooked source of moisture in arid and semiarid regions
Climate change and physical disturbance cause similar community shifts in biological soil crusts
Incorporating phosphorus cycling into global modeling efforts: a worthwhile, tractable endeavor
Urgent need for warming experiments in tropical forests
C3 and C4 plant responses to increased temperatures and altered monsoonal precipitation in a cool desert on the Colorado Plateau, USA
Large divergence of satellite and Earth system model estimates of global terrestrial CO2 fertilization
Ecological consequences of the expansion of N2-fixing plants in cold biomes
Spatially robust estimates of biological nitrogen (N) fixation imply substantial human alteration of the tropical N cycle
Agricultural conversion without external water and nutrient inputs reduces terrestrial vegetation productivity
Litter quality versus soil microbial community controls over decomposition: a quantitative analysis
Nitrogen cycling responses to mountain pine beetle disturbance in a high elevation whitebark pine ecosystem
Convergent responses of nitrogen and phosphorus resorption to nitrogen inputs in a semiarid grassland
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
Water from air: An overlooked source of moisture in arid and semiarid regions
Climate change and physical disturbance cause similar community shifts in biological soil crusts
Incorporating phosphorus cycling into global modeling efforts: a worthwhile, tractable endeavor
Urgent need for warming experiments in tropical forests
C3 and C4 plant responses to increased temperatures and altered monsoonal precipitation in a cool desert on the Colorado Plateau, USA
Large divergence of satellite and Earth system model estimates of global terrestrial CO2 fertilization
Ecological consequences of the expansion of N2-fixing plants in cold biomes
Spatially robust estimates of biological nitrogen (N) fixation imply substantial human alteration of the tropical N cycle
Agricultural conversion without external water and nutrient inputs reduces terrestrial vegetation productivity
Litter quality versus soil microbial community controls over decomposition: a quantitative analysis
Nitrogen cycling responses to mountain pine beetle disturbance in a high elevation whitebark pine ecosystem
Convergent responses of nitrogen and phosphorus resorption to nitrogen inputs in a semiarid grassland
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.