Graduate Student PBGSA Treasurer (2024-2025) Email: logan.novak@uga.edu Lab: Chung Lab | Miller Plant Sciences Research Research Areas: Ecology & Global Change Fungal Biology Research Interests: My research examines the role of plant-soil feedbacks in range expansion of creosote bush (Larrea tridentata) in semi-arid grasslands in the Chihuahuan desert. Using a combination of field experiments, fungal culturing, amplicon sequencing, greenhouse experiments, and isotope tracing, my research aims to uncover the relationship between plants and fungal endophytes in New Mexico native species. Grants: 2022 Doctoral Student Fellowship Recipient, UGA 2023 Sevilleta LTER Summer Fellowship Recipient, Sevilleta LTER 2023 Palfrey Award Recipient, UGA Plant Biology Department Selected Publications Selected Publications: Novak, L., Mueller, G.M., and L. Egerton-Warburton. (2025). Soil legacy effects and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi throughout Linaria vulgaris’ range. Invasive Plant Science and Management: 1-33. https://doi.org/10.1017/inp.2025.4 Novak, L., Scholl, J.P., Kiefer, G., and A. Iler. (2022). Prescribed burning has limited effects on the population dynamics of rare plants. Conservation Science and Practice 4: e12792. https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.12792 Education Education: Admission to the University of Georgia Graduate School through the Integrated Plant Sciences Doctoral Program, Fall 2022. M.S. Plant Biology and Conservation at Northwestern University, 2022 B.A. Biology at Lewis and Clark College, 2017 Other Information Of note: PBGSA Treasurer 2024-2025 PBGSA Teaching and Outreach Chair 2023-2024
