Sylvia Lee

I first discovered diatoms as an undergraduate student at Loyola University Chicago where I participated in a research project on the effects of dam operations on diatom communities of the Colorado River under the mentorship of Dr. Emma Rosi. It was my first experience in an aquatic ecology lab and where I learned you can be paid to learn about nature! For my Ph.D. research, I worked with Dr. Evelyn Gaiser on examining how diatoms respond to changes in hydrology associated with Everglades restoration efforts and along the way, I described 3 new diatom taxa. During my post-doc at the Cary Institute in Millbrook, NY, I conducted mesocosm experiments on the effects of multiple contaminants (nutrients, drugs, road salt) on algal and bacterial biofilm communities in urban streams of Baltimore.

From 2015-2023, I co-instructed the Ecology and Systematics of Diatoms course at Iowa Lakeside Laboratory.

Currently, I work at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Water (and formerly at the Office of Research and Development). My research provides scientific support related to biological assessments, nutrient criteria, and evidence-based decisions. I am also working to improve diatom taxonomic consistency and data quality in large monitoring programs and served as Chair of the Diatom Taxonomic Certification Committee from 2018-2024. I also work with Alaska Native communities on improving solid waste management at rural, unlined landfills experiencing permafrost thaw.

I love to knit, learn about and grow native plants, and spoil my two Devon Rex cats, Lynx and Lemon.