Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA

Kristina is a dryland ecologist with a particular interest in biological soil crusts, ecosystem ecology, and the ways global change reshapes arid and semi ecosystems. Her research explores how drylands function under increasing environmental stress, with work spanning biocrust and plant ecology, soil processes, and ecological thresholds.

Kristina first came to Gobabeb in 2025 as part of a team setting up a CrustNet site within the lichen fields of the Gravel Plains. There, she worked with Dartmouth students and faculty and colleagues at the USGS Southwest Biological Science Center to survey biocrust communities, measure biocrust functions, and ask questions about the relationships between biocrust and vascular plants.

Kristina is an Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she leads a research program focused on dryland ecosystems and global change. Alongside her research, she is deeply committed to mentorship, public engagement with science, and knowledge-equity between Indigenous knowledge systems and Western science. She is also the founder of Science Moab, a nonprofit connecting communities with place-based science. Her google scholar page can be found here.

@GobabebRSH