Contact

Get in Touch

Email: ana.gonzaleznayeck@baruch.cuny.edu

Office: 17 Lexington Avenue, Room 506B

Lab: Baruch Microbial Biogeochemistry Lab, 17 Lexington Avenue, Room 607A

Mailing Address:
Natural Sciences Department
Baruch College, CUNY
One Bernard Baruch Way
New York, NY 10010

Prospective Collaborators

Broadly, my research focuses on the products of photosynthesis and how those products affect natural environments, in both ancient and modern ecosystems. Our undergraduate researchers use biogeochemical tools to follow carbon through microbial communities grown in the lab and sampled from the field.

Some of my research interests:

• Carbon allocation in photosynthetic microbes, and the carbon isotopic signatures it leaves behind
• Sugar release by cyanobacteria and phytoplankton, and what it means for carbon export in the ocean
• Carbon isotope proxies for past atmospheric CO₂
• Microbial mats as windows into Earth’s earliest ecosystems
• Microbial communities in restored estuarine habitats

I would especially love to connect with:

• Isotope geochemists working on carbon isotope fractionation or isotope proxies
• Bioinformaticians interested in the microbial communities of mats and biofilms
• Sedimentary geochemists interested in the Proterozoic or in mat-based systems

If you are interested in collaborating, please email me. I’d be happy to set up a time to talk.

Prospective Students

Thank you for your interest in the Baruch Microbial Biogeochemistry Lab. I am currently taking only 2–4 independent study students for Spring 2027. You can express interest in future semesters or a senior thesis using the interest form on the Join the Lab page.

If you are a CUNY undergraduate interested in climate research, you may want to explore the CUNY Research Scholars Program – Climate Scholars, a university-wide program that combines research, internships, and weekly sessions on climate topics.

Letters of Recommendation

Below are guidelines for requesting a letter of recommendation for graduate and professional programs. A strong letter is specific, so the more you tell me, the better I can write it.

Please ask at least two weeks before your first deadline. Once I have agreed to write for you, send me the following in a single email:

1. A list of your programs. For each one, give the school, the degree and program name, the letter due date, and how the letter is submitted (a link emailed to me by the school, a central application service, or something else). If you are applying to more than two programs, please send this list as a spreadsheet.
2. Your resume or CV.
3. Your statement of purpose or personal statement. A draft is fine.
4. Your unofficial transcript.
5. How we know each other. List the courses you took with me and the semesters, or your project and dates in the lab. Remind me of the work you are proudest of, such as a project, paper, poster, or presentation.
6. What you would like the letter to highlight. Tell me why you are applying to these programs, what you hope to do afterward, and two or three strengths or experiences you would like me to speak to.
7. Anything else the program asks for, such as a required form or specific questions the letter should answer.
8. Reminder emails (required). Email me a reminder one week before each deadline and again two days before it. To make sure you don’t forget, you can use your email’s “schedule send” feature to set up both reminders as soon as I agree to write your letter.

When you enter my name in an application, please use my Baruch email address. And please let me know how it turns out!