EES PhD Candidate Mahir Tajwar Receives First Place Award at the 2026 Tennessee Water Resources Symposium!
Mahir Tajwar, a Ph.D. candidate in Environmental Earth Sciences at Vanderbilt University, was awarded First Place in the Doctoral Division Poster Competition at the 2026 Tennessee Water Resources Symposium.
Mahir presented his research titled “Coupled Carbonate Equilibrium and Metabolic Fractionation Drive δ¹³C-DIC Variability in Freshwater Ecosystems,” which focuses on understanding diel and seasonal biogeochemical dynamics in freshwater lake systems. His work integrates stable isotope geochemistry, carbonate equilibrium processes, and ecosystem metabolism modeling to better understand carbon cycling in aquatic environments. Mahir was the only representative from Vanderbilt in the competition, which included over 30 student posters from universities across Tennessee.