Saga from the Marshlands

Alison Hoyt, a graduate student at MIT, immerses herself in examining carbon circulation within the peat swamp forests of Borneo.

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2025 September 13 . 5:46 AM

1 min read

Saga from the Marshlands

Alison Hoyt, a graduate student in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at MIT, is conducting unique research in the peat swamp forests of Southeast Asia. Her fieldwork is far from typical, involving weeklong camp outs without internet or phone access, boat rides in flooded forests, and hikes through flooded forest landscapes.

Hoyt's research focuses on the hydrology and carbon cycling of these intriguing ecosystems. She collaborates with Professor Susan Natali at MIT, and her work is also part of a collaboration between MIT and Singaporean researchers through the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology.

Professor Charles Harvey supervises Hoyt's research, which takes place in forests where the ground surface is completely flooded. This presents practical challenges, but Hoyt finds the experience exciting and intense. At times, her fieldwork requires using a boat as a kitchen and eating dinner while standing in water.

Despite the challenges, Hoyt relishes the opportunity to study the carbon cycling and hydrology of these peat swamp forests. Her research could provide valuable insights into the role these ecosystems play in global carbon cycles and climate change.

Hoyt's research is conducted in the lab of Professor Charles Harvey and involves both fieldwork and lab analysis. The flooded conditions of these forests make for an intense and unforgettable research experience, one that Hoyt finds both challenging and rewarding.