About
I am a third-year PhD student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where I study coastal and estuarine ecology with a focus on the invasive macroalga Gracilaria vermiculophylla. My research explores how environmental change such as species invasions, nutrient loading, and rising temperatures shape coastal ecosystems.
I'm passionate about ecosystem health and sustainability, water quality, science communication, and fostering collaborative, community-engaged research. My work integrates field surveys, lab experiments, and molecular techniques to better understand how estuarine systems respond to ecological stressors.
In addition to research, I’m committed to climate action and environmental justice, and I enjoy working on projects that bridge science, policy, and outreach.
Publications
Nelson, L. M., & McCoy, S. J. (2026). A comprehensive review of Gracilaria vermiculophylla invasion along the east coast of the United States — Current knowledge and future directions. Journal of Phycology, 00, 1–24. https://doi/10.1111/jpy.70164
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Conference Presentations:
“Ecological Impacts and Interactions of the Invasive Species Gracilaria vermiculophylla on Estuarine Ecosystems along the North Carolina Coast”, 51st annual Benthic Ecology Meeting (BEM), Poster Session, Charleston, South Carolina, 2024
“Distribution and Ecological Controls of the Non-native Species Gracilaria vermiculophylla in North Carolina Estuaries”, 78th annual Phycological Society of America (PSA) Meeting, Poster Session, Seattle, Washington, 2024
“Trophic Interactions and Ecological Consequences of the Invasive Macroalga Gracilaria vermiculophylla in North Carolina Estuaries”, 79th annual Phycological Society of America (PSA) Meeting, Oral Presentation, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2025
Paerl, H. W., Plaas, H. E., Nelson, L. M., Korbobo, A. S., Cheshire, J. H., Yue, L., & Preece, E. P. (2024). Dual nitrogen and phosphorus reductions are needed for long-term mitigation of eutrophication and harmful cyanobacterial blooms in the hydrologically-variable San Francisco Bay Delta, CA. Science of The Total Environment, 957, 177499.
Paerl, H. W., Chaffin, J. D., Cheshire, J. H., Plaas, H. E., Barnard, M. A., Goerlitz, L. B., Braddy, J. S., Sabo, A., Nelson, L. M., & Yue, L. (2024). Dual phosphorus and nitrogen nutrient reduction will be more effective than a phosphorus-only reduction in mitigating diatom and cyanobacterial blooms in Lake Erie, USA–Canada. Limnology and Oceanography.
Preece, E. P., Cooke, J., Plaas, H., Sabo, A., Nelson, L., & Paerl, H. W. (2024). Managing a cyanobacteria harmful algae bloom “hotspot” in the Sacramento – San Joaquin Delta, California. Journal of Environmental Management, 351, 119606.
Plaas, H. E., Yan, J., Christensen, C., Chang, S., Cortez, C., Fern, S., Nelson, L., Sabo, A., Armstrong, N. C., Turpin, B. J., Zhang, Y., Paerl, H. W., & Surratt, J. D. (2023). Secondary Organic Aerosol Formation from Cyanobacterial-Derived Volatile Organic Compounds. ACS Earth and Space Chemistry, 7(9), 1798–1813.
Caddell, S., Chen, Y., Daly, J., Evans, J., Herschfield, C., Hynes, J., Lim, P., McLean, M., McMorris, B., Nelson, L., et al. (2021).
Ecological functions and ecosystem services of overwash ponds on North Core Banks, NC. Fall 2021 Capstone Report, UNC Institute of Marine Sciences, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.