Our Team

Brice Grunert
Assistant Professor

I am an Assistant Professor in the BGES department at Cleveland State University. Our research focuses on optical characterization of dissolved organic matter and phytoplankton with applications to satellite remote sensing. With remote sensing, we can view ecological and biogeochemical processes over broad spatial and temporal scales unavailable from in situ measurements. While my research is very data intensive, I have significant experience in the field and lab. I work across aquatic systems, but much of my research focuses on terrestrial-aquatic interactions and carbon cycling in the Great Lakes and coastal ocean. 

At CSU, I teach remote sensing and GIS courses. In the classroom, I focus on teaching concepts that allow students to handle, explore and analyze geospatial datasets. The overarching goal of the courses I teach is to better understand connections between Earth system processes through space and time.

In my personal time, I enjoy hiking, birding and camping with my family, horticulture, open water swimming, nordic skiing and trail running. My daughter and I enjoy running together and playing chess. I love teaching my boys about plants and birds, and they teach me all about dinosaurs. When Erika and I have four hands free, we enjoy cooking together and planning our next adventure with the kids.​

Audrey Ciochetto
Research Associate

To characterize optical variability in the ecosystems we focus on, Brice’s team collects a lot of data both in the field and the lab. As a Research Associate working remotely, it’s my job to enable the research projects in the lab by making sure data is organized and accessible by both our team and our collaborators. I am responsible for creating and maintaining our lab’s database that holds all our data. I also have extensive experience both in the lab and field and help out with methods and troubleshooting. My own research with Brice’s lab has focused on how to separate the total absorption signal into its parts – phytoplankton, colored dissolved organic matter and sediment/non-living particles. This will be important for interpreting satellite signals that can only give us total absorption.

​In my personal time, I spend a lot of time with my young child: worm hunting in the rain, finding hermit crabs on the beach and looking for frogs and turtles on our hikes around the pond. Teaching him to appreciate nature and the importance of all our ecosystems is a joy. I love playing and designing board games, reading, playing the piano and hunting for sea shells on the beach. 

Kendra Herweck
​Lab Technician

Originally from Cincinnati, I joined the Carbon & Optics Lab in April 2024 after graduating with an MS in Oceanography from Oregon State University. With a background in physics and an interest in interdisciplinary science, my research focused on the coupling of atmospheric processes and ocean biophysical response along the U.S. west coast using satellite and model datasets. As a research technician in the CH2O lab, I support students with coding challenges and lead lab/field activities.

In my free time, you can find me searching for the best local chai latte, thrifting a fun shirt, fixating on my craft-of-the-week, or going for a hike. I also enjoy spending time with my family and pets by relaxing at home and playing games. 

Graduate Students

Anshula Dhiman
PhD

I came to Cleveland State to begin my PhD journey in January 2023 from my hometown of New Delhi, India. I hold an MS and MPhil degree from Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi, India, where I researched nutrient distribution and cycling in the surface sediments in the Coringa Mangrove forest and assessed emerging contaminants of concern in the Ganga River Basin in India. My current research focuses on improving our understanding of phosphorus cycling and internal loading in Lake Erie, and leveraging satellite tools to advance our ability to estimate this cycling from remote sensing datasets. I've had the opportunity to broaden my knowledge through Lake Erie fieldworks and optics workshops and classes, including being part of the Ocean Optics Class of 2023 at Bowdoin College.
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Outside of my academic pursuits, I love to do trekking and have explored several peaks in the Himalayan range. I also like experimenting with new cuisines when time permits and indulge in painting during my spare time.

Wahid Khan
PhD

I am originally from Bangladesh, a small yet highly populated country in southeast Asia.  I wonder how we take nature’s contribution to our life for granted and overlook our responsibility for the environment.  This question inspired me to shape my academic journey. So far, I have studied Environmental Science from Khulna University, Bangladesh and Ecosystem Services at Technical University of Dresden, Germany.  
Before starting my PhD, I got the opportunity to work on various research projects, particularly in the coastal areas of Bangladesh. Those experiences helped me to understand how dynamic the interaction between land and ocean can be and how challenging it is to quantify those natural processes! Now, I am exploring the potential use of high-resolution satellite images and big data analysis techniques to assess and predict the complex nature of the environment. I strongly believe that my previous experience at iDiv (German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research) and The Senckenberg Museum for Natural History Görlitz, will particularly be helpful in my endeavor.
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I am a big fan of soccer, and my favorite team is Real Madrid. I love coffee! I enjoy wildlife and landscape photography, and dream of owning an 800mm lens someday and exploring  the wilds with my family!!  
 

Stephanie Ratliff
MS

I received my BS in environmental science from CSU after working as a interventional radiologic technologist for several years prior to moving to Cleveland. During that time, I worked as an undergraduate research assistant with Brice, and am now focused on completing an MS at CSU. I support fieldwork on Lake Erie in the lab and am the lab's de facto YSI EXO2 sonde expert. My research focuses on characterizing urban watershed biogeochemistry and microbial variability in relation to tree canopy cover and quality, under the perspective of urban tree and water equity in the greater Cleveland area.

In my spare time, I like to read, hike, and spend time with my friends, family, and dogs. Since moving to Cleveland, I've made it a goal to explore every mile of trail in the Cleveland Metroparks and am well on my way to achieving that goal!

Trevor Holm
MS

I am a research assistant pursuing my Master's degree in Environmental Science, with a particular interest in how algal blooms in Lake Erie can better be predicted, tracked, and prevented.

In 2018, I graduated from Miami University with a Bachelor's degree in Biology and followed with five years of professional chemical formulation. Through the years of chemistry, I remained connected to my passion for Earth's natural systems by hiking, camping, kayaking, volunteering at estuarine research reserves, and cataloguing critters on iNaturalist. This led to my re-immersion in academia at Cleveland State University in the spring of 2023.

Emily Hyland
MS

In 2024 I received my BS in Environmental Science from CSU. During my BS, I worked with Dr. Grunert on my honors research thesis that focused on understanding the sensitivity of remote sensing reflectance – the signal observed from satellite sensors – to changes in dissolved organic matter composition in aquatic systems. Currently I am a Ohio Space Grant Consortium fellowship recipient at CSU pursuing a Master’s degree in Environmental Science. My research focus has shifted to using imaging spectroscopy to assess shifts in phytoplankton community composition. I am using airborne and satellite imagery from PACE paired with an open-source bio-optics Python package to compare hyperspectral optical properties to classic water quality indices for an improved perspetive of inland and coastal water quality.

​When I am not in the field or lab I enjoy hanging out with my family, solving puzzles, and reading books.

Undergraduate

Alyssa Wiemels

Alumni

Jackson Parmentier
MS - May 2023

Sophia Volak
Research Technician

Paige Dillen
​Undergraduate Research Assistant

Sarah Tyler
Undergraduate Research Assistant

Maddy Lemieux
Undegraduate Research Assistant