About Me

Uma Nagendra is a curious creature. Her natural habitat is uptown New Orleans, but her entire range includes Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Puerto Rico, Alaska, and, (since 2011) Athens GA. She subsists on quinoa, eggplant, and rum. Typical behaviors include playing the spoons, painting on people, making up songs about her roommates, and pursuing a PhD in Plant Biology. She is naturally drawn to boiled seafood and live music. Most recently there have been sightings of her crawling over downed trees in North Georgia, hanging from a trapeze in Athens, and dancing like a fool.

Research: Uma’s research focuses on the impacts of wind disturbances on plant-soil interactions. She is using a combination of greenhouse and field experiments to investigate how tornadoes can change not only *what* plants grow in an area, but also *how* they interact with each other-- through the soil.  Uma hopes this research will contribute to our knowledge of plant-soil feedbacks by adding a field-based non-equilibrium view. As strong disturbances become more frequent, it becomes more important for us to examine how ecological processes respond to abrupt environmental changes.

Uma has been interested in the science of natural disasters since Hurricane Katrina hit her hometown of New Orleans. Since then, she has worked in disturbed environments in South Carolina, Puerto Rico, and Alaska. She is also invested in improving science outreach and communication.  She enjoys finding creative ways to demonstrate complicated ecological concepts—preferably if it involves running around outside or drawing pictures.