Lia Crocker

Lia was drawn to Tucson from Pittsburgh after learning of Biosphere 2. She was inspired by greenhouses’ ability to create an artificial climate that could lead to habitable ecosystems on hostile land such as Antarctica or other planets. After a visit to Biosphere 2 and the University of Arizona, Lia knew that this was where she could pursue these goals by studying controlled environment agriculture as a Biosystems Engineering student and working at Biosphere 2. Lia started as an intern with the Biosphere 2 ocean team in 2019, continued being involved with B2O research for her senior capstone project and worked as a part time employee in 2020. After graduating with a BS in Biosystems Engineering in 2020, Lia completed an accelerated master’s program where her thesis research was associated with the WALD campaign analyzing volatile organic compounds of B2 rainforest leaf litter. In January 2022, Lia joined the Biosphere 2 ocean team full-time as a research specialist. She is passionate about the Biosphere and the extraordinary research opportunities that this one-of-a-kind facility offers especially regarding climate change and ecosystem remediation.