The University of Nevada, Reno’s College of Agriculture, Biotechnology & Natural Resources is pleased to welcome Joanna Blaszczak to their faculty, where she will be joining the Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Science.

As an ecosystem ecologist, Blaszczak studies how nutrients and contaminants move through watersheds in human-dominated landscapes, and researches the most effective ways of building urban development in watersheds to minimize impacts on water quality.

As a Fulbright Scholar, Blaszczak studied at the Norwegian Institute for Water Research. She also received the National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant for her research on the effects of chemical exposure in urban stream ecosystems.

“I’m so excited to have the opportunity to build a vibrant, creative and motivated lab for my students,” Blaszczak said. “The department and the University foster collaboration and provide such a great space to continue my research, as well as work with amazing faculty and staff.”

In addition to teaching environmental toxicology and as part of the College’s Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station, Blaszczak plans to tailor her research to study freshwater ecosystems and watersheds across Nevada, where these ecosystems are understudied due to most of them being intermittent bodies of water.

“The Department is excited and very fortunate to welcome Dr. Blaszczak as its newest faculty member,” said Peter Weisburg, chair of the College’s Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Science. “Her work brings together many of the diverse disciplines within our department, spanning from chemistry to hydrology to ecology, and will provide important insights for sustaining healthy freshwater ecosystems."