Caroline Nielsen, PhD

Professor, Biology and Environmental Science

The focus of Caroline Nielsen, PhD, research is Nitrogen. Although it is an important plant nutrient that can help to determine the productivity of entire ecosystems, an excess of nitrogen can be a dangerous environmental pollutant.

Nielsen's research examines how much nitrogen remains in various forms in land-based ecosystems, and how much is lost to the atmosphere and downstream bodies of water. She's particularly interested in how different urban and suburban land uses affect these nitrogen transformation processes.

Nielsen is also concerned with the health of local watersheds, including Crabby Creek, a tributary of Valley Creek that runs through Tredyffrin Township. She is a participant in the Collaborative Research-Watershed Citizenship Learning Community project, which is funded by the National Science Foundation.

The community collaboration allows students, faculty, and community members, to do real-world research that contributes directly to conservation efforts.

Nielsen earned a PhD in Geological and Environmental Sciences in 2006 from Stanford University, and a BS in Environmental Studies in 1998 from Brown University.