In spring of 2026, Mary chose to step out of the professional arena for personal pursuits.
Dr. Lofton was a postdoctoral research associate in the Dept. of Biological Sciences in the Center for Ecosystem Forecasting at Virginia Tech, co- supervised by Drs. Cayelan Carey and R. Quinn Thomas. She remained on the team, as with the new title of Research Assistant in 2024. She used ecological modeling and forecasting to understand and predict the future of our freshwater resources and develop ecological forecasting educational materials for undergraduate students.
Her work as a postdoc focused on near-term forecasting of phytoplankton community structure in drinking water reservoirs and ecological education, with an emphasis on developing educational materials related to ecological forecasting.
Dr. Lofton received her Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from Virginia Tech in 2021, and her dissertation research focused on phytoplankton ecology in lakes and reservoirs. She is an active member of the Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON) and the Ecological Forecasting Initiative (EFI). She received a B.S. in Biology from the College of William and Mary in Virginia in 2010 and taught high school Biology and Environmental Science for five years prior to attending graduate school.
Last updated November of 2025.
