Galla Professor of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame
Dr. Jennifer Tank is the Ludmilla F., Stephen J., and Robert T. Galla Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Notre Dame. She is also the Director of the Notre Dame Environmental Change Initiative. Dr. Tank holds a B.S. In Zoology from Michigan State University, and an M.S. and Ph.D. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Ecology.
Dr. Tank studies the cycling of nutrients in stream and rivers systems with a focus on the restoration of ecosystem function in impacted systems. It is her goal to translate this research to inform effective management of streams and rivers. Dr. Tank also leads a multidisciplinary group of researchers examining the effect of watershed-scale conservation using cover crops to improve water quality. She and her research team are also assessing strategies to improve the health and nutrient removal efficiency of streams draining cropland in the agricultural Midwest by restoring floodplain connectivity. Dr. Tank has served as an advisor to several government agencies focused on environmental issues, including the science advisory board for the North American Carbon Program (NACP), National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).