About Me
I am originally from southeastern Pennsylvania. I grew up exploring the forests around Brandywine Creek, a small tributary of the Delaware River Estuary. I studied environmental sciences and geology at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA, where my interest in wetlands was solidified. I went on to complete my master's and doctoral degrees at Oregon State University in Corvallis, OR with Rob Wheatcroft investigating the drivers of Oregon salt marsh growth. I worked with Shreeram Inamdar studying geomorphology and sediment biogeochemistry of rivers impacted by Colonial Era milldams as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Delaware. Subsequently, as an ORISE postdoctoral researcher at the Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center in Amherst, MA, I studied Northeast salt marsh resilience and developed guidelines for restoration of ditches. I am now an assistant professor of geological oceanography at the Graduate School of Oceanography at the University of Rhode Island.
My foremost professional interests include advancing societally-relevant science relating to coastal change; broadening participation of under-represented groups in STEM; bridging communication gaps between scientists and the public; and improving upon teaching techniques with the goal of inspiring critical inquiry amongst students.
When I am not in the field, lab, office, or classroom, I enjoy many outdoor activities that get me closer to sedimentary rocks and mud. I'm also an avid reader (especially anything fantasy), and I enjoy painting, sewing, and cooking.
Positions
Assistant Professor, Geological Oceanography, Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island (August 2024 - Present)
ORISE Postdoctoral Researcher, Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center & Woods Hole Coastal and Marine Science Center (October 2022 - August 2024)
Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Delaware (May 2021 - October 2022)
Education
Ph.D., Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR (June 2021)
Graduate Certificate in College & University Teaching, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR (September 2019)
M.S., Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR (June 2017)
B.A., Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, PA (May 2014)
Selected Publications
Peck, E.K., S. Inamdar, J. Kan, M. Peipoch, A.J. Gold, D.J. Merritts, & Rahman, M. (2024). Back from the past? Assessment of nitrogen removal ability of buried historic wetland soils before and after a 1‐year incubation on a restored floodplain. Restoration Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.14070
Ensign, S.H., J.N. Halls, & E.K. Peck. (2023). Watershed sediment cannot offset sea level rise in most US tidal wetlands. Science. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adj0513
Peck, E.K., S. Inamdar, M. Peipoch, & A. Gold. (2023). Influence of relict milldams on riparian sediment biogeochemistry. Journal of Soils and Sediments. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-023-03507-w
Peck, E.K., T.P. Guilderson, M.H. Walczak, & R.A. Wheatcroft. (2022). Recovery rate of a salt marsh from the 1700 CE Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake, Netarts Bay, Oregon. Geophysical Research Letters. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022GL099115
Peck, E.K., S. Inamdar, M. Sherman, J. Hripto, M. Peipoch, A. Gold, & K. Addy. (2022). Nitrogen sinks or sources? Denitrification and nitrogen removal potential in riparian legacy sediment terraces affected by milldams. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022JG007004
Peck, E.K. & R.A. Wheatcroft. (2022). Spatiotemporal variation in Oregon salt marsh expansion and contraction. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2022.107908
Buser-Young, J.Z., E.K. Peck, P. Chase, L. Lapham, & F. Colwell. (2022). Biogeochemical dynamics of a changing high-latitude wetland. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences. https://doi.org/10.1029/2021JG006584
Ewton, E., S. Klasek, E.K. Peck, & F. Colwell. (2021). Microbial community characteristics largely unaffected by X-ray computed tomography of sediment cores. Environmental Science & Technology Letters. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2021.584676
Peck, E.K., R.A. Wheatcroft, & L.S. Brophy. (2020). Controls on sediment accretion and blue carbon burial in salt marshes: Insights from the Oregon coast, USA. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JG005464
