Group Members

Jason Hill

Assistant Professor
hill0408@umn.edu

Research Interests:  My research focuses on the technological, environmental, economic and social aspects of sustainable bioenergy production from current and next-generation feedstocks.
Education: AB Biology (Harvard University), PhD Plant Biological Sciences (University of Minnesota)

Belinda Befort

Graduate Student

Research interests: Sustainable agriculture, ecosystem services, social and cultural drivers of land use change, life-cycle assessment, complex system dynamics and emergent behaviors.
Education: BSc in Biology and Mathematics with minor in Computer Science/Bioinformatics (McGill University)

Bonnie Keeler

Graduate Student
bonnie.keeler@gmail.com

Research Interests:  My research is on the assessment and valuation of ecosystem services, with a special focus on water quality.  Additional research interests include economic and environmental consequences of bioenergy production, reactive nitrogen pollution, and GIS-based decision tools for conservation and spatial planning.
Education: BS in Biology (Colorado College), MS in Ecology (University of Minnesota)

Brian Krohn

Graduate Student
kroh0051@umn.edu

Research Interests:  My primary research interests focus on the life cycle impacts of alternative energy systems on the environment and developing sustainable pathways for novel bioenergy feedstocks.
Education:  BS Chemistry (Augsburg College), MS Environmental Change and Management (Oxford University), MS History of Science, Technology and Medicine (Oxford University), Research Fellow (University of Minnesota)

Chris Tessum

Graduate Student
tess0050@umn.edu

Department of Civil Engineering,
Julian Marshall’s group

Research Interests: My research interests include the connections between air pollution, energy conversion systems, transportation, and public health.
Education:  BME in Mechanical Engineering (University of Minnesota), PhD candidate Civil Engineering (University of Minnesota)

Christine Forland

Graduate Student
forl0007@umn.edu

Research Interests:  My research interests include bioenergy feedstocks, life cycle assessment (LCA), biodiversity, public health, and sustainability.
Education:  BS in Bioproducts Marketing and Management (University of Minnesota)

Dongyan Mu

Research Associate
dmu@umn.edu

Research interest: My research areas are on life cycle assessment (LCA), resilience of industrial systems and design for sustainability.
Education: BS in Environmental Engineering (Tianjin University), MS in Environmental Engineering (Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology), PhD in Environmental Engineering (Purdue University)

Emily Tissier

Research Associate
etissier@umn.edu

Research interest: My research uses multivariate methods to understand different ways plants respond to environmental and man-made stressors, and how these responses may affect biofuel production.
Education:

Jeff Bielicki

Visiting Research Scientist
jbielick@umn.edu
www.jeff.bielicki.com

Research Interests: My research is on the interactions between engineered and natural systems; transitioning energy systems; sustainability science.
Education: BS (Valparaiso University), MBA (University of Chicago), MPA (Harvard University), PhD (Harvard University), Weinberg Fellowship (Oak Ridge National Laboratory)

Melissa Miller

Graduate Student
mjmiller1985@gmail.com

Research Interests: My research is looking at the FDA policy decision that required food companies to label trans fats and the potential environmental implications of that decision.
Education: BS Food Science (University of Minnesota)

Ryan Noe