Susan Daniel

Susan Daniel is a research scientist at the Great Lakes Center (GLC), located in Buffalo, New York, where she studies benthic macroinvertebrates. She graduated with her bachelor’s degree from Heidelberg University in 2013 with a major of Environmental Science-Water Resource track and minors in Biology and Chemistry. During her undergraduate years she worked as a research assistant at the National Center for Water Quality Research for three years and as a teaching assistant/laboratory prep for the biology department. She also conducted Scuba-based research in Western Lake Erie in 2010 that focused on common invasive species. Her work started at the Great Lakes Center immediately after graduation in May.

Susan’s research is focused on benthic ecology, taxonomy, and monitoring benthic invertebrates in the Great Lakes. She collects samples from the EPA’s R/V Lake Guardian and counts and identifies benthic organisms as outlined by the EPA’s Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) Long-term Biological Monitoring Program. Susan also participates in the GLNPO-funded project DNA Barcode Reference Library: Benthic Mollusca, Annelida, and minor phyla. Within this project, the GLC is striving to increase the genetic references available for benthic macroinvertebrates found in the Great Lakes, allowing widespread use of eDNA for early detection of invasive species.

In addition to her grant goals for the EPA, Susan participates in community outreach within the Great Lakes community, including work with the International Association for Great Lakes Research (IAGLR), Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant’s Scientists to Students outreach program, and several local environmental organizations.