Sediment Biogeochemistry Lab
at Kent State University
Dr. Allyson Tessin
Allie is an assistant professor at Kent State University. She completed her bachelors degrees at the University of Pittsburgh and her M.S. and Ph.D. at the University of Michigan. Allie studies the seafloor and the impact that it has on modern biogeochemical cycling and how it acts as an archive of past oceanographic and climate change.
Follow her on Twitter @allyson_tessin
CV
National Geographic Profile
Current Group Members
Tatiana Fernandez Perez
Tatiana (she/her) is a PhD student at Kent State University. She completed her bachelors’ degrees from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. Her research interests broadly include geochemistry and paleoclimate. In her free time, she is into art, reading and videogames.
Tati's research focuses on nutrient drivers of organic carbon-rich marine sediment deposition. She recently sailed on IODP Exp 398. Click here to find out more about the expedition!
You can find her on twitter @tatzfernandez
Rachael Gray
Rachael is a Ph.D. student In Applied Geology. She holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in geology from the Ohio State University and has previously worked as a shipboard research technician and science teacher. Rachael’s research is focused on the geochemistry of the Arctic Ocean; she is also interested in science education.
In summer 2023, Rachael sailed on IODP Exp 400. Click here to find out more!
Thilini Wijewardhana
Thilini is a PhD student in the Department of Earth Sciences at Kent State University. She is interested in iron cycling in the Gulf of Alaska and the unique biogeochemical processes in Arctic regions. Her Undergraduate research was in Paleoclimatology at the University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka, where she had hands-on experience with biomarkers, lacustrine and marine sediment cores, foraminifera, stalagmites, and coral core samples. Thilini loves traveling to places rich with natural beauty and capturing memories through photos.
Dr. Chelsea Smith
Chelsea received a B.S. (2014) and a M.S. (2016) in Biological Sciences from the University of Akron, as well as a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Kent State University (2023). Her research interests have encompassed investigating the interplay of evolutionary forces and their impact on the evolutionary rates of bacterial populations, as well as exploring biological and geochemical controls on phosphorus availability in Arctic and temperate soils. Currently, she is a postdoctoral researcher in the Tessin lab, where her work focuses on evaluating carbon stabilization through metal interactions in Arctic lake and marine sediments.
Hailey Connor
Hailey graduated from The University of Akron in 2023. She is currently pursuing her master's degree in marine geochemistry focusing on marine silicate weathering since January 2024.
Hailey enjoys hiking and travel.
Lab Alumni
Clare Helmer
Clare completed her masters degree in the Department of Geology at Kent State University in 2023. She completed her bachelors degree at Baldwin Wallace University. She is passionate about Lake Erie, oceanography, geology, and invertebrates and discovering how they are all interconnected. She has done undergraduate research on soils, geomorphology, biodiversity studies, and invertebrates. She loves gardening, hiking, hanging out with friends, collecting insects, and playing with her dogs.
Clare is currently a Consulting Associate at ERM