Anya Hopple joined the Hurricane Island Center for Science and Leadership in August 2023 as the Science and Research Director.
She earned a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Oregon in the Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and she has more than a decade of experience as a science instructor and an ecosystem ecologist. During that time, she has led numerous field studies in terrestrial and aquatic environments that stretch from boreal to tropical regions.
Hopple is a biogeochemist, broadly interested in the flow of carbon and nutrients through ecosystems, as well as their responses to ongoing environmental change. Her previous research has focused on the controls of anaerobic decomposition and greenhouse gas dynamics in a variety of wetlands and identifying microbial community structure-ecosystem function relationships across ecosystem types. Prior to joining Hurricane, she was a Research Scientist jointly appointed by the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, studying the effects of extreme storm events on upland forest ecology and biogeochemistry along the Chesapeake Bay. Her work has involved collaborations with domestic and international scientists, federal and state scientists, non-governmental organizations, and community members.
At Hurricane Island, she hopes to utilize her skills in research, education, and communication to engage people in natural science by developing thought-provoking educational and research programs that promote ecosystem stability and resilience through community awareness, understanding, and action.