Prihodko, Lara

Lara Prihodko is an Assistant Research Professor at the Geospatial Sciences Center of Excellence where she specializes in modeling biosphere-atmosphere interactions with particular emphasis on regional to continental scale carbon dynamics, biogeochemistry and land surface characterization. Past research has included characterizing the sensitivity and uncertainty of land surface models due to their parameterization with data assimilation techniques and model parameterization of drought tolerance in the seasonally dry Amazõnian rainforest to improve coupled carbon-climate simulations. Most recently her work has focused on coupled human and natural systems in continental Africa. Current projects include:

• Development of a model of vegetation, disturbance (fire and herbivory) and carbon cycle dynamics for continental Africa to assess the role of Africa in the global carbon cycle
• Measuring and modeling the dispersion and deposition of nitrogen and phosphorous released during savanna fires in Africa and the role it may play in regional biogeochemistry and fertility
• Understanding the sustainability and resilience of coupled human-ecological-hydrological systems in semi-arid West Africa in the face of global change
• Analyzing current and future constraints on pastoral livelihoods in Mali, West Africa, including resource based points of conflict.

Dr. Prihodko received her BA in Archaeology from Boston University in 1990, MA in Geography from the University of Maryland in 1992 and PhD in Ecology from Colorado State University in 2004.