Publications

Peer-Reviewed Articles

• Gonzalez-Nayeck, A. C., Grim, S. L., Waldbauer, J., Dick, G. J., & Pearson, A. (2023). Isotopic signatures of carbon transfer in a Proterozoic analogue microbial mat. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 89(5), e01870-22. https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.01870-22
• Gonzalez-Nayeck, A. C., Mohr, W., Tang, T., Sattin, S., Parenteau, M. N., Jahnke, L. L., & Pearson, A. (2022). Absence of canonical trophic levels in a microbial mat. Geobiology, 20(5), 726–740. https://doi.org/10.1111/gbi.12511

Preprints

• Hurley, S., Wing, B., Holm, H., Gonzalez-Nayeck, A. C., Acosta, B., Jasper, C., Huntzinger, C., Hill, N., Habib, M., & Cameron, J. (2026). Light- and CO₂-dependent carbon isotope fractionation in the β-cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002. EarthArXiv (preprint). https://doi.org/10.31223/X5N51D

Dissertation

• Gonzalez-Nayeck, A. (2023). Carbon isotopic signatures of microbial trophic levels: insights from microbial mats [Doctoral dissertation, Harvard University]. Dissertation record in Harvard DASH

Reports

• Gonzalez-Nayeck, A., Rahman, J.*, Kaur, P.*, Flores, A., & Zarnoch, C. B. (2026). Microbial ecology and oyster recruitment: chemical and taxonomic properties of microbial mats and effects on reef ball success. Hudson River Park Trust’s CUNY Research Alliance Scholars Report. Baruch College, City University of New York. Read the report (PDF, Hudson River Park)

Selected Presentations

Invited Seminars

• Where does all the photosynthetic sugar go? Exploring the consequences of sugar exudation on the carbon isotopic composition of microbial biomass. GeoColloquium, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO. April 2025.
• Where does all the photosynthetic sugar go? Carbon isotopes as indicators of carbon allocation in natural environments. Biology and Paleoenvironment Divisional Seminar, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, NY. September 2024.
• Tracers in the cell: stable carbon isotopes as indicators of photosynthetic carbon allocation. Geoscience Lunchtime Seminar Series, Smith College, Northampton, MA. October 2022.

Conference Presentations

• Using 3000-level courses to introduce students to graduate studies: Astrobiology as a case study. 4th Annual Baruch College Conference on Climate Research, Teaching, and Collaboration, Baruch College, New York, NY. April 2026.
• The carbon isotopic consequences of carbon allocation in photosynthetic organisms. Geobiology Gordon Research Seminar, Ventura, CA. January 2026.
• Gonzalez-Nayeck, A., Hurley, S., & Mueller, E. (2025). Assessing the use of natural abundance carbon isotopes towards quantifying cyanobacterial carbohydrate exudation. Goldschmidt 2025, Prague, Czech Republic. July 2025. https://doi.org/10.7185/gold2025.31947
• Refining carbon isotope proxies for paleo pCO₂: advances and challenges in climate reconstruction. 3rd Annual Baruch College Conference on Climate Research, Teaching, and Collaboration, Baruch College, New York, NY. March 2025.
• Gonzalez-Nayeck, A., Grim, S., Waldbauer, J., Dick, G., & Pearson, A. Natural abundance carbon isotopic signatures of microbial carbon transfer in a Proterozoic analogue mat. Northeast Geobiology Symposium, Cambridge, MA. April 2022.
• Gonzalez-Nayeck, A., Mohr, W., Tang, T., Sattin, S., Parenteau, M. N., Jahnke, L., & Pearson, A. Trophic relationships in modern microbial mats determined using protein stable isotope fingerprinting. Astrobiology Science Conference (AbSciCon 2019), Bellevue, WA. June 2019.

Student-Led Posters

2026

• Zahid, M.*, Saidniyozova, D.*, & Gonzalez-Nayeck, A. (2026). Effect of polysaccharide production on ε_p in cyanobacteria. CUNY Undergraduate Research Celebration, John Jay College, New York, NY. May 2026.
• Chen, X. L.*, Gonzalez-Nayeck, A., Leland, C., Palat Rao, M., Cook, E., Rodriguez Caton, M., & Solomon, A. (2026). Dendroarchaeological analysis of timbers from an early 1900s Harlem, NYC building suggests a U.S. Gulf Coast origin. Research and Creative Inquiry Expo, Baruch College, New York, NY. May 2026.
• Chavez, V.*, Moazzam, M.*, Ambeliotis, N., & Gonzalez-Nayeck, A. (2026). Investigating the role of nutrient limitation on Prochlorococcus carbon exports in the Sargasso Sea. Research and Creative Inquiry Expo, Baruch College, New York, NY. May 2026.
• Rahman, J.*, Kaur, P.*, Flores, A., Hayes, S., Roble, C., Zarnoch, C. B., & Gonzalez-Nayeck, A. (2026). The effect of the chemical and microbiological structure of biofilms on oyster spat growth in the Hudson River. Research and Creative Inquiry Expo, Baruch College, New York, NY. May 2026.
• Saidniyozova, D.*, Zahid, M.*, Chavez, V.*, Hurley, S., & Gonzalez-Nayeck, A. (2026). Effect of polysaccharide production on ε_p in cyanobacteria. Research and Creative Inquiry Expo, Baruch College, New York, NY. May 2026.
• Rahman, J.*, Kaur, P.*, Flores, A., Hayes, S., Roble, C., Zarnoch, C. B., & Gonzalez-Nayeck, A. (2026). The effect of the chemical and microbiological structure of biofilms on oyster spat growth in the Hudson River (talk). Combined Mid-Atlantic and NorthEast (MANE) Geobiology Symposium, Edelman Fossil Park, Rowan University, NJ. February 2026.
• Chavez, V.*, Moazzam, M.*, Ambeliotis, N., & Gonzalez-Nayeck, A. (2026). Investigating the role of nutrient limitation on Prochlorococcus carbon exports in the Sargasso Sea. Combined Mid-Atlantic and NorthEast (MANE) Geobiology Symposium, Edelman Fossil Park, Rowan University, NJ. February 2026.
• Chen, X. L.*, Gonzalez-Nayeck, A., Leland, C., Palat Rao, M., Cook, E., Rodriguez Caton, M., & Solomon, A. (2026). Dendroarchaeological analysis of timbers from an early 1900s Harlem, NYC building suggests a U.S. Gulf Coast origin. Combined Mid-Atlantic and NorthEast (MANE) Geobiology Symposium, Edelman Fossil Park, Rowan University, NJ. February 2026.
• Pan, A.*, Cermak, A., Gonzalez-Nayeck, A., & Hurley, S. J. (2026). Investigating potential changes in alkenones’ chemical properties with depth. Combined Mid-Atlantic and NorthEast (MANE) Geobiology Symposium, Edelman Fossil Park, Rowan University, NJ. February 2026.
• Saidniyozova, D.*, Zahid, M.*, Chavez, V.*, Hurley, S., & Gonzalez-Nayeck, A. (2026). Effect of polysaccharide production on ε_p in cyanobacteria. Combined Mid-Atlantic and NorthEast (MANE) Geobiology Symposium, Edelman Fossil Park, Rowan University, NJ. February 2026.

2025

• Cooper, L.*, Gonzalez-Nayeck, A., Hurley, S., Acosta, B., Mergelkamp, P., & Holm, H. (2025). Potential mass balance implications of sugar excretion on a proxy for past CO₂. Goldschmidt 2025, Prague, Czech Republic. July 2025. https://doi.org/10.7185/gold2025.26289
• Nesterov, M.*, Zahid, M.*, & Gonzalez-Nayeck, A. (2025). Developing methods for quantification of planktic exopolysaccharides in the marine carbon cycle. Research and Creative Inquiry Expo, Baruch College, New York, NY. May 2025.
• Rahman, J.*, Cooper, L.*, Acosta, B., Mergelkamp, P., Ellis, A., Hurley, S., & Gonzalez-Nayeck, A. (2025). Implications of cyanobacterial sugar excretion on biomass δ¹³C. Northeast Geobiology Symposium, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada. April 2025.
• Nesterov, M.*, Zahid, M.*, & Gonzalez-Nayeck, A. (2025). Developing methods for quantification of planktic exopolysaccharides in the marine carbon cycle. Northeast Geobiology Symposium, McGill University, Montréal, QC, Canada. April 2025.

2024

• Evangelista, I.*, Loperna, L.*, Lopez, M.*, Giebel, B., & Gonzalez-Nayeck, A. (2024). Exploring the capacity for photosynthetic plastic biodegradation: isotopic insights from soil incubations. Research and Creative Inquiry Expo, Baruch College, New York, NY. May 2024.
• Evangelista, I.*, Loperna, L.*, Lopez, M.*, Giebel, B., & Gonzalez-Nayeck, A. (2024). Exploring the capacity for photosynthetic plastic biodegradation: isotopic insights from soil incubations. Northeast Geobiology Symposium, Yale University, New Haven, CT. April 2024.
• Bellido, M.*, Cooper, L.*, Acosta, B., Hurley, S., & Gonzalez-Nayeck, A. (2024). Investigating potential sugar-related uncertainties in a proxy for ancient CO₂. Northeast Geobiology Symposium, Yale University, New Haven, CT. April 2024.