Valerie Brady

Valerie Brady
Senior Research Program Manager
she/her
[email protected]
Lab website
Education
  • Postdoc Aquatic and Landscape Ecology U.S. EPA-MED  
  • Ph.D. Zoology/Aquatic Ecology, Michigan State University  
  • M.S. Zoology/Aquatic Ecology, Michigan State University
  • B.S. Biology/Environmental Science, Taylor University 

Biography

Valerie's specialty is aquatic invertebrate ecology with a particular interest in using the invertebrate community for assessment and monitoring of aquatic ecosystems. She has thirty years of experience in understanding Great Lakes coastal wetland condition, including research on zebra mussels, and twenty years of experience working in Minnesota and Wisconsin streams. 

Current research interests include: the use of aquatic invertebrates as indicators for monitoring and assessment of stream and wetland ecosystems; investigating major determinants of invertebrate community structure in streams and wetlands; investigating the use of aquatic invertebrates as diagnostic indicators of particular causes of ecosystem impairment in streams and wetlands; investigating impacts of aquatic invasive species on food webs and ecosystems; recovery of natural invertebrate community structure and function in restored and created wetlands; using stable isotopes as aids in the above investigations; and public policy issues related to stream and wetland health, protection and water quality.

Research

Select Publications

Angell, N., Campbell, T., Brady, V., Bajcz, A., Kinsley, A., Doll, A., Dumke, J., Keller, R., & Phelps, N. (2024). Quantifying the effectiveness of three aquatic invasive species prevention methods. Management of Biological Invasions, 15(3), 371–396. https://doi.org/10.3391/mbi.2024.15.3.04
 
Bethke, B. J., Rantala, H. M., Ahrenstorff, T. D., Kelly, H. A. W., Kovalenko, K. E., Maki, R. P., Hirsch, J. K., Dumke, J. D., Brady, V. J., LeDuc, J. F., & Hansen, G. J. A. (2023). Walleye and yellow perch resource use in large lakes invaded by spiny water fleas and zebra mussels. Aquatic Ecology. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10452-023-10030-0
 
Branstrator, D. K., Dumke, J. D., Brady, V. J., & Wellard Kelly, H. A. (2021). Lines snag spines! A field test of recreational angling gear ensnarement of Bythotrephes. Lake and Reservoir Management, 37(4), 391–405. https://doi.org/10.1080/10402381.2021.1941447
 
Wellard Kelly, H. A., Kovalenko, K. E., Ahrenstorff, T. D., Bethke, B. J., Brady, V. J., Dumke, J. D., Hansen, G. J. A., & Rantala, H. M. (2021). Trophic complexity of small fish in nearshore food webs. Hydrobiologia, 848(10), 2505–2521. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-021-04570-5