About Me

I am a scientist with interests in field ecology, programming, education, and technical communication. My research explores the temporal structure and spatial heterogeneity that influence microbial community dynamics and stability in archaeological soils.

I hold a Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of Wyoming. In addition to my diverse scientific research experience, I have a decorated background in journalism, scientific writing, and community outreach. I also work professionally as a model represented by Wilhelmina Denver.

I work as a reserach scientist and instructor at Colorado State University. In my free time, I enjoy writing, backpacking, cooking, fly fishing, reading, and playing tennis. (Portrait by Braylen Bleak Photography)
Curriculum Vitae

Click the button above to view my relevant experience.

Experience

COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY
Fort Collins, Colorado
Research Scientist I and Instructor, December 2022-Present | Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology

About CSU MIP Research

FLATHEAD LAKE BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH STATION
Yellow Bay, Montana
Adjunct Instructor, Alpine Ecology BIOE 416, July 2022-Present | University of Montana Summer Session Field Course Instructor

About FLBS Summer Session

UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING MICROBIAL ECOLOGY COLLABORATIVE
Laramie, Wyoming
Graduate Researcher, July 2017-November 2022 | Experimentation, Education, and Outreach

About the Microbial Ecology Collaborative

MONTANA INSTITUTE ON ECOSYSTEMS
Missoula, Montana
Undergraduate Researcher, May 2016-May 2017 | Independent Microbiology Research in Glacier National Park

About Montana IoE

THE ECOLOGY OF BIRD LOSS PROJECT
Mangilao, Guam | Garapan, Saipan | Songsong, Rota
Undergraduate Researcher, June 2015-August 2015 | Independent Plant Ecology Research

About The Ecology of Bird Loss Project

MONTANA TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY STUDENT NEWSPAPER THE TECHNOCRAT
Butte, Montana
Editor-in-Chief, January 2014 – May 2017 | Journalism, Copy Editing, Staff Management

About The Technocrat (Now called Oredigger Media)

MONTANA TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Butte, Montana
Undergraduate Research Assistant, July 2014 – May 2015 | Botany and Plant Ecology research, Apple Lab

About the Apple Lab

THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Glacier National Park, Montana
Undergraduate Research Assistant, August 2014 | Cold Genomes Project

About the Hotaling Lab

THE LIVINGSTON ENTERPRISE
Livingston, Montana
General Assignments Reporter, June 2013 – August 2013 | Investigative Journalism, Community Beat, Copy Editing

A Sample of My Work

Selected Publications

Ricketts, M., Mackie, M., Surovell, T., and Ward, N., 2022. The influence of past and present environmental conditions on extant bacteria in buried soils at the La Prele mammoth site. Under review at ISME Communications.

Ricketts, M., Mackie, M., Kornfeld, M., Surovell, T., Kelly, R., Shuman, B., and Ward, N., 2022. Variable microbial taxa importance in buried sediments at three archaeology sites in Wyoming. In prep.

Ricketts, M., 2022. Go Down in History: Variable Microbial Responses to Past and Present Environmental Conditions in Archaeological Soils. Ph.D. Dissertation Submitted to the University of Wyoming Program in Ecology.

Ricketts, M., Mackie, M., Kornfeld, M., Surovell, T., Kelly, R., and Ward, N., 2021. Structure of Fungal and Bacterial Communities in Archaeological Soils Could Inform Regional Biomarker Analysis and Paleoclimate Reconstruction. American Geophysical Union Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA.

Ricketts, M., Ward, N., Mackie, M. and Surovell, T., 2021. Evaluating potential time signatures within extant microbial communities in stratified soils at the La Prele Mammoth site. SAA Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA.

Ricketts, M., Ward, N., Mackie, M., and Surovell, T., 2020. Microbial community structure within stratified soils at the La Prele Mammoth site. Society for American Archaeology Conference, Austin, TX

Lai, M., Ricketts, M., Ward, N.L., and Robinson, T., 2022. Sources of spurious correlations in microbiome data. Under review at Nature Methods.

Apple, M. E., Ricketts, M. K., Martin, A. C., & Moritz, D. J. (2022). Distance from Retreating Snowfields Influences Alpine Plant Functional Traits at Glacier National Park, Montana. In Mountain Landscapes in Transition (pp. 331-348). Springer, Cham.

Apple, M.E., Ricketts, M., and Martin, A., 2019. Plant and microbial functional types at the snowfields and periglacial patterned ground of Glacier National Park. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 29(7): 1127-1141.

Ward, N., and Ricketts, M., 2019. Genetic analysis of microbial community structure in soils from the Hell Gap Witness Block. Society For American Archaeology Conference, Albuquerque, NM

Apple, M.E. and Ricketts, M., 2019. What drives the variation of plant functional traits on periglacial patterned ground and along elevational gradients? International Mountain Conference, Innsbruck, Austria