Gregory E. Maurer

Professional, research, and teaching positions

Data Scientist and LTER Information Manager May 2019–present
Jornada Basin Long-term Ecological Research Program, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM

• Manage and publish research data collected by the Jornada Basin LTER program, in collaboration with scientists and data managers in the LTER network. Develop and manage a data science program that will generate new ecological research products, enhance existing investigations, and create applications for scientific outreach.

Part-time Instructor of Biology August 2018–December 2020
School of Math, Science, and Engineering, Central New Mexico Community College, Albuquerque, NM

• I taught laboratory Biology and Microbiology courses to first and second-year students, which included instructional material development, lecturing, designing and conducting assessments, grading, and student advising.

Postdoctoral Scientist September 2016–May 2019
Dept. of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, Univ. of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA

• Soil biogeochemistry research combining field measurements and ecosystem process modeling to create regional budgets of CO₂ and other soil trace gas fluxes under climate and land-cover change scenarios in the Mojave desert. Field instrumentation, modeling experiments (using DayCent), data QA and analysis, manuscript preparation.

Independent Contractor: March 2016–June 2016
Southwest Fire-Climate Partnership, U.S.F.S Rocky Mountain Research Station, Albuquerque, NM

• Literature review contributor in the Southwestern Fire-Climate Partnership.

Postdoctoral Scientist: August 2014–September 2016
Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM

• Carbon cycle and ecohydrology research in Southwestern U.S. ecosystems using data from the New Mexico Elevation Gradient cluster of 8 AmeriFlux eddy covariance towers. Data analysis, presentations, and manuscript preparation. Data manager and QA/QC lead for this AmeriFlux cluster.

Research Assistant: July 2012–June 2014
Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT

• Carbon concentration and stable isotope analysis of soil and soil respiration samples, data analysis, and writing for a DOE funded project on belowground carbon cycling in beetle-impacted sub-alpine forest ecosystems.

Dissertation research: August 2009–December 2013
Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT

• Method development, field work, laboratory analysis, data/statistical analysis, and research writing for my dissertation entitled “Ecosystem responses to seasonal snowpack variation in the western United States”. I supervised 3 undergraduate researchers during this time.

Teaching Assistant: August 2007–May 2012
Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT

• TA duties for a variety of ecology and evolution classes over the years. Led discussion sessions, graded assignments and exams, held office hours, and delivered guest lectures.

Research Assistant: December 2010–June 2011
Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT

• Method development, field collection, and laboratory analysis (major ions in snow) for a study of winter atmospheric deposition in the Salt Lake City area. Study occurred in collaboration with the Persistent Cold Air Pool study by the UU Dept. of Atmospheric Sciences (Winter 2010–11).

Course Instructor: May–July 2007 & 2008
Lifelong Learning, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT

• Developed the curriculum for and taught a six week summer plant identification course that included classroom and field-based learning.

Field Botanist: Summers 2007 & 2008
Cottonwood Canyons Foundation, Salt Lake City, UT

• Conducted surveys for threatened, endangered, and sensitive plant species in the central Wasatch Mountains. Coordinated efforts with and provided data to the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest and Utah Native Plant Society. (Summers only)

Field Botanist: Summers 2006 & 2007
Red Butte Garden and Arboretum, Salt Lake City, UT

• Lead collector for Red Butte Garden’s team in the Seeds of Success project (BLM/Millenium Seed Bank). Researched native plant species, located populations, then made large seed collections utilizing volunteer assistance. Coordinated efforts with regional botanists and land managers.

GIS Analyst: October 2006–May 2007
DIGIT Lab, Department of Geography, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT

• Conducted spatial data analysis, GIS application development, and provided technical support for University of Utah Geography Dept. projects and other public or private sector clients. Maintained the University of Utah Spatial Database.

Port Sampler: June 2004–September 2004
Marine Resources Program, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Salem, OR

• Ocean Recreational Boat Survey. Conducted boat counts and interviews with returning fishermen to determine fishing effort, target locations and species, catch and release rates. Inspected catches, collecting hatchery tags and biological data/samples from species of interest. Made weekly reports to Newport office.

Research Assistant: May 2001–October 2001
Environment and Natural Resources Institute, University of Alaska, Anchorage, AK

• Installed and maintained experimental spruce seedling populations and research equipment at remote timberline field sites. Collected data on root & mycorrhizal activity, nutrient cycling, tree growth, soil processes, and climate.

Research Assistant: May 1999–January 2001
Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK

• Ruess Plant Ecology laboratory. Field and lab support for a multi-year study of belowground carbon and nitrogen cycling in forest ecosystems in Alaska, N.Carolina, and Michigan. Treated study plots, collected samples, measured plant and soil physiological processes at remote field sites. Laboratory processing of samples for nutrient and stable isotope analyses.

Education

Ph.D., Biology, University of Utah, May 2014

Certificate in Applied Geographic Information Science, University of Utah, 2007

B.S., cum laude, Biological Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2001

Selected publications

For a comprehensive listing see http://greg.pronghorns.net/publications.html

Maurer, G.E., A.J. Hallmark, R.F. Brown, S.L. Collins, O.E. Sala. Sensitivity of primary production to precipitation across the United States. Ecology Letters. https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ele.13455

Oerter, E.J., J.V. Mills, G.E. Maurer, L.N. Lammers, R.G. Amundson. 2018. Greenhouse gas production and transport in desert soils of the southwestern USA. Global Biogeochemical Cycles. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GB006035

Rudgers, J.A., Y.A. Chung, G.E. Maurer, D.I. Moore, E.H. Muldavin, Collins, S.L. 2018. Climate sensitivity functions and net primary production: A framework for incorporating changes in climate mean and variability. Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.2136

Morillas, L., R.E. Pangle, G.E. Maurer, W.T. Pockman, N.G. McDowell, C-W Huang, D.J. Krofcheck, A.M. Fox, R.L. Sinsabaugh, T.A. Rahn, M.E. Litvak. 2017. Tree mortality decreases water availability and ecosystem resilience to drought in piñon-juniper woodlands in the southwestern U.S. JGR Biogeosciences. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017JG004095

Biederman, J.A., R.L. Scott, T. Bell, D.R. Bowling, S. Dore, J. Garatuza-Payan, T.E. Kolb, P. Krishnan, D.J. Krofcheck, M.E. Litvak, G.E. Maurer, T.P. Meyers, W.C. Oechel, S.A. Papuga, G.E. Ponce-Campos, J.C. Rodriguez, W.K. Smith, R. Vargas, C.J. Watts, E.A. Yepez, M.L. Goulden. 2017. CO₂ exchange and evapotranspiration across dryland ecosystems of southwestern North America. Global Change Biology. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13686

Maurer, G.E., A.M. Chan, N.A. Trahan, D.J.P. Moore, and D.R. Bowling. 2016. Carbon isotopic composition of forest soil respiration in the decade following bark beetle and stem girdling disturbances in the Rocky Mountains. Plant, Cell, & Environment, 39: 1513–1523. https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.12716

Biederman, J.A., R.L. Scott, M.L. Goulden, R. Vargas, M.E. Litvak, T.E. Kolb, E.A. Yepez, W. C. Oechel, P.D. Blanken, T.W. Bell, J. Garatuza-Payan, G.E. Maurer, S. Dore, S.P. Burns. 2016. Terrestrial carbon balance in a drier world: the effects of water availability in southwestern North America. Global Change Biology. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13222

Maurer, G.E., and D.R. Bowling. 2014. Dust effects on snowpack melt and related ecosystem processes are secondary to those of forest canopy structure and interannual snowpack variability, Ecohydrology, 8: 1005–1023. https://doi.org/10.1002/eco.1558

Hall, S.J., G.E. Maurer, S.W. Hoch, R. Taylor, D.R. Bowling. 2014. Impacts of anthropogenic emissions and cold air pools on urban to montane gradients of snowpack ion concentrations in the Wasatch Mountains, Utah. Atmospheric Environment, 98: 231–241. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2014.08.076

Maurer, G.E. and D.R. Bowling. 2014. Seasonal snowpack characteristics influence soil temperature and water content at multiple scales in interior western U.S. mountain ecosystems, Water Resources Research, 50: 5216–5234. https://doi.org/10.1002/2013WR014452

Ruess, R.W., R.L. Hendrick, A.J. Burton, K. S. Pregitzer, B. Sveinbjornsson, M.F. Allen, G.E. Maurer. 2003. Coupling fine root dynamics with ecosystem carbon cycling in black spruce forests of interior Alaska, Ecological Monographs, 74: 643-662. https://doi.org/10.1890/02-4032

Publications in progress and presentations

Please see listings at http://greg.pronghorns.net/publications.html

Internships and volunteer experience

The Nature Conservancy, Conservation GIS intern, Salt Lake City, UT, 2006

Alaska Bird Observatory, Nesting field study intern, Fairbanks, AK, 2001

Wasatch Community Gardens, Salt Lake City, UT, 2010–2014

Lowell-Bennion Community Service Center (Univ. of Utah), 2006–2007

Red Butte Garden and Arboretum, Salt Lake City, UT, 2005–2007

Swaner Nature Preserve, Kimball Junction, UT, 2005

Columbia River Estuary Study Taskforce, Astoria, OR, 2004

Computing skills

(Bold indicates proficiency)

Applications: MS Office, QGIS, ArcGIS, , PostgreSQL,

Programming: Python, R, MATLAB, JavaScript

Web: HTML & CSS, WordPress, website administration

Operating systems: Unix/Linux, Windows, Mac OSX

Other: git/GitHub, literate programming (jupyter notebooks, RMarkdown), basic sysadmin skills, basic server/cloud provisioning with ansible

Technical, field, and laboratory skills

Plant/soil/ecosystem CO₂ & H₂0 exchange measurements (Li-Cor 6200, 6400, 7000, 7200, 7500)

Eddy covariance instrumentation and data QA/QC

Soil hydrological and ecosystem process modeling with HYDRUS and DayCent

Analysis of gridded climate and carbon cycle modeling products (PRISM, MsTMIP)

Stable isotope and nutrient analysis of plants, soils, waters, and gases

CO₂ to graphite reduction for AMS analysis of ¹⁴C

Major ion analysis of water/snow samples

Datalogger and environmental sensor network design/maintenance (Esp. with Campbell dataloggers)

Weather station setup, maintenance, and quality assurance

Wireless radio and internet networks (Sierra Wireless modems, MaxStream and Digi Xbee radios)

Plant identification in Utah and neighboring states

Avalanche safety (Level 1)

Professional affiliations

Member, American Geophysical Union (AGU)

Member, Ecological Society of America (ESA)