Katie Hoffman

IGC FELLOW    |   Global Change Center

Ph.D. Student  •  Biological Sciences

Advisor : Dr. Cayelan Carey

Research Interests: Freshwater ecology, phytoplankton, science communication

kkhoffman@vt.edu  

Katie is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Biological Sciences, advised by Dr. Cayelan Carey. She is broadly interested in freshwater ecology, with a focus on communicating science and increasing research engagement.

Katie graduated from St. Olaf College in January 2021 with a B.A. in Biology and Environmental Studies. During her time at St. Olaf, her interest in freshwater ecology drove her to join the Holgerson Lab. In the Holgerson Lab, she worked on projects exploring ponds across a residential gradient, investigating the impacts of non-native species on macroinvertebrate pond communities in the Chehalis River Basin, and a literature review to functionally define small lentic ecosystems (ponds!). After graduation, Katie joined the Finlay Lab at the University of Minnesota as a research technician. At the University of Minnesota, she sampled stormwater ponds and lakes, and was part of numerous projects, including investigating the contribution of gross solids (solids larger than 75um) to stormwater and a stormwater pond literature review.   

At Virginia Tech, Katie is studying and modeling cyanobacterial blooms in reservoirs and lakes across the United States, with reservoirs in Virginia and Arizona, and a lake in New Hampshire. She is excited to use data to forecast physical, chemical, and biological variables within lakes and reservoirs. She is especially interested in furthering phytoplankton forecast development and communicating forecasts with water managers and end users to aid in decision making. Within the IGC, Katie is excited to improve her research and communication skills and collaborate with the greater IGC community.