Herbert Marine Biogeochemistry Lab

Lisa C. Herbert, PhD

Assistant Professor

I am a marine biogeochemist studying trace metal cycling between the sediment and the ocean. My research focuses on polar regions where trace metals are important micronutrients for marine ecosystems, and where climate change is rapidly altering biogeochemical systems.

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Aliya Ohayon

Pursuing M.S. in Aquatic Environmental Science

My name is Aliya Ohayon, and I am a 2nd year graduate student working on my masters in Aquatic Environmental Science with a thesis. My project in the Herbert Lab is looking at trace metal, TOC and nitrogen cycling in the Amundsen Sea as well as a comparison to the benthic fauna. This is my 6th year at Florida State University as it is where I also completed my undergraduate studies, graduating with a B.S. in Biology and minors in Psychology, Chemistry, and Anthropology. When I am not on campus working on my degree, I can often be found trapped beneath my 7lb black cat (her name is Tallulah, but she goes by Lu, and she is named after a gorge in GA), or I can be found trapped under my 7lb black and white cat (her name is Eddie. There is no real reason for that one). They are objectively the cutest animals on the planet, and you can’t convince me otherwise!

Elena Brion

Laboratory Manager

I graduated from Eckerd College with a B.S. in Marine Science and am currently working as the lab’s manager. In addition to my managing duties, I am also working on a project investigating how Chilean Margine Sediments were influenced by the Patagonian Ice Sheet. In particular, trying to reconstruct glacial iron inputs and disentangling them from non-glacially derived iron signals and diagenetic processes. 
 In my free time I enjoy throwing on the potter’s wheel and regularly do Pilates. I also enjoy spending time in nature, either hiking or biking. I am also an enthusiastic diver and beach goer! 

Mackenzie Hopkins

Pursuing M.S. in Aquatic Environmental Science

I’m a first-year graduate student in the Aquatic Environmental Science Master’s program doing a thesis under Dr. Herbert. I recently completed my undergrad at FSU, receiving a degree in Environmental Science and Policy. My research entails analyzing sediments collected from the Amundsen sea off the coast of Antarctica and identifying a possible site of hydrothermal activity. In my free time, I teach spin classes at the Leach, and I am a proud AMC stubs member. I also love to travel and visit the beach. One of my favorite spots to visit when I’m home is Lido Key Beach. 

Ariana Lovings

Pursuing M.S. in Geology

My name is Ariana Lovings. I began my master’s degree in geology under Dr. Herbert in Fall 2024 after earning a bachelor’s degree in Earth and Environmental Science with a concentration in Geology from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee. For my master’s project, I am investigating off-axis hydrothermal sites that show geochemical evidence of modern seawater flow beneath the sediment-basement interface. My research focuses on analyzing pore waters from ocean sediments collected at an off-axis hydrothermal flow site in the South Pacific during IODP Expedition 383. My current studies are in oceanography, but I’m a geologist at heart and love collecting rocks from the field and from local shops. My favorite piece is an Ethiopian opal, prized for its vivid, iridescent play of color—a result of light diffraction within its unique internal structure of silica spheres!