People
Leadership and Staff
Matthew Huber
David E. Ross Director of Institute for a Sustainable Future
huberm@purdue.edu
Matt’s research focuses on past, present and future climate, the mechanisms that govern climate, and the different forms that climates can take on Earth and other planets. Most of his work so far has concentrated on the issue of how ‘stuff’ (e.g. passive tracers, water vapor, heat) goes from the tropics toward the Poles, and specifically with an emphasis on how these processes operated during the past greenhouse climate of the Eocene. Huber received his PhD in Earth Sciences from the University of California Santa Cruz and was an assistant professor at the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen before joining Purdue in 2002.
Lynne Dahmen
Senior Managing Director
ldahmen@purdue.edu
Lynne Dahmen has worked with research faculty at Purdue University since 2008. At the Institute for a Sustainable future, part of the Discovery Park District within the Office of Research, she works with the faculty director to develop and implement strategic initiatives and maintain internal and external partnerships. She works with affiliated faculty to develop interdisciplinary research teams and projects and with staff to develop and implement strategic communication strategies, support events and assist faculty. Lynne was previously the managing director for Purdue’s Center for the Environment. She also helped launch the College of Engineering’s Center for Brain-inspired Computing. She worked as a proposal development specialist for Purdue’s Office of Research for 10 years and taught courses in the School of Languages and Cultures. She has expertise in supporting team science and brings experience in faculty coordination, project management, training and communication.
Kelli Dawson
Lead Administrative Assistant
dawson91@purdue.edu
Kelli joined the Institute for a Sustainable Future as the Lead Administrative Assistant in June of 2022. She has her B.S. in Liberal Studies from Purdue University Global and a Masters in Educational Psychology from Purdue University Global. She is a member of the Alpha Beta Kappa Honor Society, Golden Key, and the Autism Speaks Organization.
Cindy Fate
Senior Administrative Assistant
cynthia@purdue.edu
Cindy has been with the University for 35 years and in Discovery Park since 2005. She’s worked with the Environment, Climate, Energy, and the State Utility Forecast Group as a Sr. Administrative Assistant. She has her B.S. in Organizational Leadership and Supervision from Purdue University.
Carly Frank
Graduate Student Engagement Coordinator
frank40@purdue.edu
Carly joined the Institute for a Sustainable Future in January of 2024. She is a second-year PhD student in the Ecological Science and Engineering program and Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences. Her research focuses on the intersection between coproduction, heat stress in West Africa, and the resulting socio-economic impacts and equitable distribution of these impacts. She has her B.S. in Natural Resources and Environmental Science from Purdue University and a M.Sc. in Quaternary and Climate Studied from the University of Maine.
Kayla Gurganus
Graduate Research Assistant
kgurganu@purdue.edu
Kayla Gurganus is a PhD candidate in Political Science and Ecological Sciences and Engineering. Her research focuses on equity considerations in city-level climate action plans in the United States, with attention to participatory and inclusive planning processes. Kayla joined the Institute for a Sustainable Future in January of 2024 to advance research on university sustainability efforts.
Tyler Hoskins
Research Assistant Professor
tdhoskin@purdue.edu
Tyler Hoskins is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources and studies how anthropogenic stressors, especially environmental contaminants, influence aquatic species, communities, and ecosystems. Recently, most of his work has focused on bioaccumulation and effects of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in wildlife. Ty works part-time to support the research and outreach efforts of the PFAS Strategic Research Team (https://research.purdue.edu/isf/research/pfas.php).
Karan Hustedt-Warren
Senior Operations Manager
khustedt@purdue.edu
Karan joined the Institute for a Sustainable Future in February of 2023. Prior to joining the ISF, Karan was the operations manager for the Department of Political Science at Purdue. Before that, she worked as a clinical coordinator and service provider for a state funded social service agency. She holds a master's degree in sociology from Purdue and extensive experience in planning, organization, and management.
Cori Lollis
Communication Intern - Institute for a Sustainable Future
tlollis@purdue.edu
Cori joined as a Communications Intern at the Institute for a Sustainable Future in the summer of 2023. She is a sophomore majoring in marketing and minoring in communications. In the future, she would like to pursue a career in social media marketing.
Miriam Stevens
ISF Graduate Fellow
steve276@purdue.edu
Miriam Stevens is a fourth-year PhD student in Environmental and Ecological Engineering focusing on circular economy development and supply chain analysis of critical materials. Her research involves using computational platforms to map supply chains of critical materials, such as cobalt, embedded in various products. Miriam's work contributes to automating the process of supply chain mapping and understanding the interdependence between different regions and industries.
Wagner Tamagno
ISF Graduate Fellow
wtamagno@purdue.edu
Wagner Tamagno Sr. is a first-year PhD student in Toxicology specializing in neurotoxicity. His research focuses on defining molecular mechanisms contributing to altered neurological synaptic plasticity resulting from developmental exposure to the heavy metal lead. His project involves modeling a genetic risk factor in Alzheimer's disease to assess the gene-environment interaction and determine the molecular and cellular features that accelerate Alzheimer's disease onset and progression due to lead neurotoxicity.