A lab tradition: jumping into Lake Mendota to celebrate.

People

Associate Professor Christy Remucal (née Christina Renée Keenan) leads the Aquatic Chemistry group at the University of Wisconsin, Madison and is the Director of the Water Science and Engineering Laboratory. She is a faculty member in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, the Environmental Chemistry & Technology Program, and the Limnology & Marine Science Program. She holds an MS (2004) and a PhD (2009) in Civil & Environmental Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, and a BS (2003) in Environmental Engineering Science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Before joining the UW faculty, Christy completed a post-doc in the Institute for Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. A complete CV is available here.


Postdoctoral Researchers

Summer Sherman received her B.S. in both Chemistry and Math Applied Science from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) in 2017 and her Ph.D. in Chemistry in May of 2022 under the advisement of Etienne Garand from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. During her Ph.D., she used Cryogenic Ion Vibration Spectroscopy (CIVS) to determine how side chains, along with microsolvation, can influence amino acid and small peptide conformation in the gas-phase. She is currently investigating PFAS partitioning at the air-water interface under field conditions of Wisconsin waters. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, camping, exploring with her Golden Retriever, and all sorts of crafting.

 


PhD Students

Reid Milstead received a B.A. in chemistry from Willamette University in 2018. He is currently a doctoral student in the Environmental Chemistry and Technology program at UW-Madison and is advised by Christy Remucal. His current research focuses on the characterization of dissolved organic matter in ground water as well as the quantification and identification of disinfection byproducts. In his free time Reid likes to read, jog, and watch bad movies.

 

Jenna Swenson received a B.S. in both Chemistry and Biochemistry in 2020 from the University of Minnesota Duluth and is an NSF Graduate Research Fellow. She is now a doctoral student in the Environmental Chemistry and Technology program co-advised by Christy Remucal and Matt Ginder-Vogel. Jenna is currently studying the chemical interactions between dissolved organic matter, organic contaminants, and manganese oxides in aquatic systems. In her free time Jenna enjoys reading and spending time outside hiking and enjoying nature.

 

Lauryn Angell received her H.B.S. in Geological Chemistry from the University of Utah in 2018 and is a doctoral student in the Environmental Chemistry and Technology Program. Advised by Christy Remucal, Lauryn is investigating the transformation, transport, and hyporheic exchange of lampricides TFM and niclosamide in Lake Michigan tributaries. Her undergraduate research involved isotopic analysis of trace actinides and heavy elements for environmental forensic applications. Lauryn loves cooking, yoga, snowboarding, and is an amateur rock climber.

 

Sam Bieber received his B.S. in chemistry from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs in 2021. He conducted undergraduate research involving drug detection in human plasma and quantification of brominated flame retardants. He is currently a doctoral student in the Department of Chemistry in the analytical path. His current research is quantifying PFAS in the Great Lakes and the corresponding partitioning mechanisms to examine how biological life is affected by these toxins. He is currently advised by Christy Remucal and co-advised by Tim Bertram. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, kayaking, exploring nature, and oil painting.

 

Kaitlyn Gruber received her B.A. in Chemistry and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology from Gustavus Adolphus College in 2021. She is a doctoral student and NSF Graduate Research Fellow in Chemistry, advised by Dr. Christy Remucal and Dr. Tim Bertram. Kaitlyn conducted undergraduate research studying the photolysis of the herbicide 3,6-dichloro-2-methoxybenzoic acid (dicamba). Her graduate studies focus on contamination of PFAS in the Great Lakes region. Kaitlyn enjoys crocheting, biking, and spending time outside.

 

Edward Kostelnik received his B.S. in Chemistry and Biology from Valparaiso University in 2021. He is a current doctoral student in Environmental Chemistry and Technology program at UW-Madison and is advised by Dr. Christy Remucal. At the University of Wisconsin-Madison his research focuses on characterizing dissolved organic matter and the role of photochemically produced reactive intermediates in its photodegradation. His past research related to synthetic microfiber analysis and quantification in surface water and benthic algae within the Great Lakes. In his free time, he enjoys identifying birds, mammals, and plants on hikes, going fishing, and spending as much time outdoors as possible.

 


MS Students

Sydney Van Frost received her B.S. in Civil Engineering from UW-Madison in 2021. As an undergraduate she conducted research investigating the degradation of the herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid through microbial and photochemical processes. She is now a master’s student and will expand upon her undergraduate research under the advisement of Christy Remucal and Trina McMahon. In her free time, Sydney enjoys running, cooking, and anything outdoorsy (especially traveling to national parks).

 

Undergraduate Researchers

Josie Jauquet is studying Civil & Environmental Engineering and Chemistry at UW-Madison.

 

Group Alumni