Laura Beecraft, Ph.D.

Laura Beecraft is an Assistant Research Scientist in the Coastal Water Health lab of Dr. Michael Wetz. Her research interests are in phytoplankton ecology, including the effects of climate change and anthropogenic impacts on community composition and ecosystem function. She leads the expansion of a harmful algal bloom (HAB) monitoring program in Texas estuaries and a project examining water quality conditions and nutrient pollution sensitivity in Lavaca Bay.

Laura completed her Ph.D. in aquatic ecology at the University of Waterloo, with a focus on freshwater phytoplankton and light sensitivity. Following her Ph.D., she conducted research in wetland ecology, focusing on the effects of herbicides on freshwater periphyton communities. She aims to expand the skills and tools she can use to understand phytoplankton and aquatic ecosystems, and ways to share that information with researchers and stakeholders.