T H E   T E A M

Principle Investigator
Dr. Melisa A. Diaz
Dr. Melisa Diaz earned her PhD from the School of Earth Sciences (SES) and Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center at The Ohio State University in 2020 as a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. She then received a prestigious award for the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Postdoctoral Scholar program. Dr. Diaz is back at Ohio State with a named professorship as a Provost's Early Career Scholar Assistant Professor in SES and Byrd Polar. 

Dr. Diaz is a geochemist, specializing in surficial processes in Antarctica, Greenland, urban systems, and for Ocean Worlds. Her research is mainly aqueous geochemistry focused (both water and sediment) and integrates field campaigns and measurements, lab studies, and modeling. She is an active member of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS). As an Afro-Latina, she is dedicated to creating and fostering supportive academic systems for marginalized scientists.

Outside of work, Dr. Diaz is an avid juggler, enjoys playing recreational soccer, and curates a social media account for her two cats. 

Current advisees

Dr. Rafael Souza dos Reis - Postdoctoral Researcher
Rafael earned a PhD from the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul in 2022. He is an ice core scientist and is currently working on research to understand brine channel formation and sea ice geochemical cycling in ice cores.
Denise Mondragon - PhD Student
Denise earned a BSc from the University of California Irvine and MA from the University of Colorado Boulder. Her dissertation is focused on understanding sediment weathering in icy systems.
Dr. David (DJ) Yousavich - Postdoctoral Research
DJ earned a PhD from the University of California Los Angeles in 2024. He is interested in marine biogeochemistry and is currently working on research to understand changing salt and nutrient conditions in a methane rich lake as analog for icy Ocean Worlds.
Dendup Tshering - PhD Student
Dendup is a lecturer at Royal University of Bhutan, Sherubtse College. His dissertation topic is still under development. 

Group Members

Nolan Magner - Undergraduate
Maya Hill - Undergraduate

Former Group Members

Sofia Vakhutinsky - Researcher
Rajan Patel - Undergraduate