Alison Schulenburg

PhD student (2025-present)

Assistant Research Scientist (2023-2025), MS student (2020-2023)

Alison Schulenburg is a PhD student in the Agroecology Lab at the University of Maryland. She completed her MS in AgroEcoLab in May 2023. She continued to work as an Assistant Research Scientist from 2023 to 2025.

Her PhD will focus on management strategies for landowners affected by sea level rise and saltwater intrusion including alternative crops, native grass plantings, and decision support tools.

Her MS focused on the impact of saltwater intrusion in coastal ecosystems by studying nutrient dynamics (i.e., sodium and phosphorus) in affected soils, and crop, remediation, and restoration plantings. She earned her B.S. in Genetics and Genomics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she researched potato physiology with Dr. Paul Bethke. Her interest in agriculture and environmental science developed as she interned with Wisconsin Environment, studying microplastics in Madison waterways for the Wildlife Over Waste campaign. In her future work at UMD, she will continue exploring saltwater intrusion, concentrating on nitrogen dynamics in coastal farmland, and restoration efforts.