Dr. Michala Phillips is an ecologist studying how biotic interactions, disturbance and global change mediate community assembly of plants and soil microbes to affect emergent ecosystem functions.
Michala is passionate about using basic science to create knowledge that can be used to support sustainable restoration and management needs of ecosystems. She integrates community, ecosystem, plant and microbial ecology in her research by using statistical modeling to combine data from a diversity of approaches (field, greenhouse, sensor networks, soil chemistry and molecular biology techniques). Her aim is to build a better understanding of community assembly and ecosystem processes following disturbances to inform restoration and adaptive land management efforts. Towards this goal, Michala works closely with a broad range of collaborators, including federal agency partners, to create research questions, develop projects, and communicate the knowledge gained from research. Some of her primary research interests are understanding how fire, atmospheric nitrogen deposition, and climate change catalyze state changes, such as invasion by exotic plants, with the ultimate goal of developing innovative management solutions.
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. Plant Biology, Plant Ecology emphasis - University of California, Riverside. Dissertation: “Invasion in the Chaparral: Uncovering Soil Microbial and Plant Physiological Mechanisms,” 2019.
M.S. Environmental Science, American University, College of Arts and Sciences, Washington, D.C., 2013.
B.A. in Environmental Studies, American University, College of Arts and Sciences, Washington, D.C., 2012.
Honors and Awards
Fellowships
NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology - 2021
USDA-NIFA Postdoctoral Fellowship - 2021
Science and Products
Post Fire Restoration in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park
Diverse data to improve Southwest fire forecasts: Joining novel remote sensing, post-fire dynamics, and intra-annual precipitation patterns
Developing Planting Designs for Forest Restoration
Determining Successful Management and Restoration Strategies for Pinyon-Juniper Communities in the Face of Changing Climate and Wildfire
Science and Products
- Science
Post Fire Restoration in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park
We are studying post-fire forest regeneration in montane habitats within Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. By testing out different restoration strategies, as well as links between grass cover and fire, we hope to increase restored forest fire resistance and resilience.Diverse data to improve Southwest fire forecasts: Joining novel remote sensing, post-fire dynamics, and intra-annual precipitation patterns
Fire has increased dramatically across the western U.S. and these increases are expected to continue. With this reality, it is critical that we improve our ability to forecast the timing, extent, and intensity of fire to provide resource managers and policy makers the information needed for effective decisions. For example, an advanced, spatially-explicit prediction of the upcoming fire season wouDeveloping Planting Designs for Forest Restoration
We are testing different planting mixtures and densities to refine restoration efforts in the Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge.Determining Successful Management and Restoration Strategies for Pinyon-Juniper Communities in the Face of Changing Climate and Wildfire
Pinyon-juniper woodlands are important ecosystems in the western U.S. that provide numerous critical environmental, economic, and cultural benefits. For example, pinyon pines are a significant cultural resource for multiple Native American Tribes and provide necessary habitat for plants and wildlife (including at risk species, such as the pinyon-jay). Despite their importance, stress put on pinyon - Data
- Publications