Marina Marquis | PhD Student, Environmental Sciences, UMass Boston
Marina is interested in the ways that humans impact ecological communities across varying spatial, temporal, and biological scales. She is particularly interested in sustainable solutions to human-wildlife conflicts that balance the needs of people and the environment. Marina’s master’s research used a mixture of field techniques and large data analysis to explore these topics. She hopes to now expand upon this background to examine how humans impact frogs across multiple levels of biological organization in tropical urban systems. In her free time, Marina can be found attending various free events in the area, hanging out in cafes or libraries, or reading a good book.
Jeremy Green | MS Student, Environmental Sciences, UMass Boston
Jeremy is interested in the complex social-ecological dynamics that impact environmental stewardship and conservation in urban areas like greater Boston. Jeremy hopes to build on his previous work with local nonprofits by studying best practices for equitable and effective collaboration between diverse organizations with overlapping missions. In his free time, you can find Jeremy enjoying Boston’s amazing outdoor spaces, cheffing it up in the kitchen, jamming out on his drumset, or getting way too invested in whatever sport happens to be in season. Jeremy is co-advised by Dr. Laura Castro-Diaz.
Zakary Purcell | Undergraduate Student, Environmental Studies and Sustainability, UMass Boston
Zakary is researching the intersection of biocultural diversity and conservation in urban ecosystems. He co-developed a framework and method to analyze materialized biocultural diversity (i.e. tangible expressions of biodiversity and human-nature relationships) in the built environment, which he applied during summer 2026 across seven communities in Costa Rica’s rapidly changing Pacific Coast. Outside of the lab, Zakary enjoys reading, cooking, and hiking New England trails.
