Lab Members
Dr. Taylor Maavara
Taylor Maavara is an aquatic biogeochemist and the principal investigator of the Maavara Lab. She combines global-scale computational modeling with fieldwork in remote watersheds, and writes about science and wild places. Read more…
Assistant Scientist (she/her)CV | Email | Instagram | Google Scholar
Kulangana Theivendrarajah
Kulangana Theivendrarajah is a PhD student in the School of Geography at the University of Leeds. Her research focuses on greenhouse gas dynamics in river ecosystems, with particular interests in dissolved organic carbon, carbon dioxide, and methane cycling, concentration-discharge relationships, and stream metabolism. She uses field measurements, high-frequency sensor data, and statistical analysis to investigate how environmental conditions influence carbon cycling and greenhouse gas dynamics in rivers. Kulangana graduated with a BSc from the University of Kelaniya and completed her MPhil at the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.
PhD candidate (she/her)
Lab and field technician (she/her)Annie Motter
Annie is a field and lab technician in the Maavara Lab. She is currently assisting with multiple projects at Cary involving the health and ecosystem of local watersheds with a focus on Wappinger Creek and the Hudson River. In the Maavara Lab, her work focuses predominantly on greenhouse gas cycling in streams and rivers.
Annie holds a BS in Environmental Biology from State University of New York for Environmental Science and Biology. While her previous background is in wildlife rehabilitation, shelter medicine, and farm animal medicine, she is excited to return to the field of environmental science and ecology.
Research project assistant (he/him)Lucien Niles
Lucien Niles is a research assistant in the Maavara Lab, aiding in data collection, analysis, equipment maintenance, and project management. His current research combines microbial, hydrologic, and biogeochemical methods to explore how, when, and where nitrous oxide is produced and consumed in rivers. Lucien got his start as an environmental scientist through his participation as a student researcher in the TIDES and MH-YES programs. He is also a young aspiring environmental engineer, and is attending Clarkson University beginning in the 2026 fall semester.