Faist Lab

Welcome to the Faist Lab!

We have moved to the University of Montana and will soon be moving the contents of this website over to a new platform. Our research will remain similar so please do check back for potential opportunities and updates on our research!

We examine many aspects of rangeland and restoration ecology. Through greenhouse, lab, and field experiments we employ a variety of techniques with the primary focus to overcome abiotic and biotic constraints to ecological restoration success. Please visit the different pages on this website to learn more about what we do and potential opportunities to join the lab.

Flowering claret cup closeup
Greenhouse seed bank study
Vernal pool vegetation monitoring


Lab News

The big news is: This Fall 2022 semester the lab has moved up to the University of Montana in the W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation. We look forward to continuing to conduct our work primarily in rangeland restoration ecology. This website will soon be updated to a new platform.

8-25-21 While a bit delayed, a huge congrats to Savannah and Tyler for successfully defending their MS work over the summer!! Always so fantastic to see all that hard work come together and help us inform science and management. Also, great work to Amberly and Jacob for getting a big field project implemented this summer and all the help from David, Mickie, Maddie, Gary, and so many others in making that happen!

Lab Logo

2-15-21 Well what a year it has been! We were fortunate to be able to get outside and conduct field work locally, Savannah and Tyler -very- quickly were able to relocate their experiments and continue collecting data, Ryan collected many, many, seed bank samples, we built new collaborations, welcomed a new Postdoctoral Scholar Jacob Lucero to the lab and new PhD student Molly Reichenborn (co-advised by Dr. Erik Lehnhoff), were fortunate to have Amberly Barry join us as a Master's student, and Logan Klump move over to our lab as a Master's student... and so much more! Tyler even designed a lab logo with our lab motto "Science is happening!". Thanks Faist Lab!!!!

4-16-20 Huge congrats to Rachel and Ellie for defending their Master's work this Spring 2020 semester! Fantastic to see such resiliency and determination in finishing strong. Also, excellent work in your creativity and adaptability in conducting everything over Zoom! A virtual cheers to you both!

2-25-20 The Faist lab had a successful 2020 Society for Range Management conference in Denver! Rachel, Ellie and Trenda all presented posters on their research. The picture here is of Trenda with her poster on timing and duration of germination from the seed bank.

Trenda at her SRM poster

7-20-19 We are excited to welcome Kirsten Romig who while continuing her important work with the USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range will also be starting her PhD with the Faist lab this Fall semester. Happy to have you join us Kirsten!

7-12-19 Restoration Ecology technician position has been extended to now close August 1st. Come join our lab and be a core part of the research team!

7-6-19 The Faist Lab welcomes Tyler Turk and Savannah Meadors who will both be starting their Master's work this fall! Thrilled to have them both join us and looking forward to learning about what their research uncovers!

6-13-19 Interested in rangeland restoration ecology? You are in luck! A full-time one-year restoration ecology technician position is now open in the lab! Please go to Open Positions in "Prospective students" tab for more information on the position and how to apply.

6-11-19 Exciting new PhD positions are available to start in January of 2019! Please check the "Prospective Students" tab for more information.