He’s at LSU to Study Wetland Soils. It’s a WIN-WIN.
September 24, 2026
Jonathan Brye joined the Wetland Aquatic Biogeochemistry Laboratoy with Oceanography & Coastal Sciences Professor John White.
Recently, for the first time, Jonathan Brye went out to wetlands of Barataria Bay with his lab-mates.
Their to-do list was long: “We wanted to test our large pump to see if we could simulate thin layer placement of sediment for when we eventually implement a field study to measure the impact on erosion,” he said.
They also collected: 2 deep soil cores for a faculty member who is evaluating soil properties with nuclear magnetic resonance, a gallon of wetland soil for an undergraduate looking to evaluate glyphosate contamination, and nearly 80 water samples for a student trying to see how remote sensing can predict total suspended sediment.
It was mélange of wetland science for Brye, the newest member of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences Professor John White’s Wetland and Aquatic Biogeochemistry Laboratory.
Brye traveled to Barataria Bay to sample with his lab.
He came to LSU from the University of Arkansas as a WIN-WIN Fellow – the first of five students to receive an EPSCOR fellowship from the National Science Foundation. The fellowship is intended to bring top national talent to Louisiana to work on pressing issues involving energy or the coast.
Brye came to LSU to study wetland soils, an extension of an interest in soil that he’s had his entire life. “My dad was a soil physicist… As a kid, we would go on research trips to the middle of nowhere, Arkansas, to take soil samples for a project that he was working on. Then I started participating in land judging in high school through FFA.”
He holds degrees in soil science and environmental science, but the wetlands he’ll be studying with White will be new territory for him. “So my background is in agriculture, more than anything else… This is really a newer realm and environment of research [for me].”
Brye is excited to get started. “I think this program, the Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences, is very impressive. All of the faculty I’ve spoken with, they’re open to talking with anyone, very open to collaboration.”
LSU CC&E has four more EPSCoR WIN-WIN Fellowships available. Learn more about the program on our Join Our Programs page.