Daniela Cusack, Ph.D.
Daniela Cusack is an ecosystem ecologist and biogeochemist with a career objective of discovering pathways for carbon storage in terrestrial ecosystems to mitigate climate change.
Daniela’s research program explores mechanisms and net changes in terrestrial carbon cycling with global changes, including responses to atmospheric drying, warming, nitrogen pollution, and shifting land use. Her approach integrates methods across scales, from soil microbial and mineral processes to vegetation and landscape dynamics. She has integrated this work into broader collaborations with remote sensing and ecosystem model scientists to predict forest-climate feedbacks at larger scales.
Her current research projects include: 1) The Panama Rainforest Changes with Experimental Drying (PARCHED) project at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; 2) Alpine Tundra Responses to Climate Change at the Niwot Ridge Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) site.
Daniela is also devoted to numerous engagement activities, including media interviews, science outreach videos, and public speaking on the importance of maintaining and managing terrestrial ecosystems for carbon storage.
Daniela holds positions as an Associate Professor at Colorado State University in Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, and a Research Associate at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), and at the Institute for Alpine and Arctic Research (INSTAAR).