Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Contact
Address: 311 Reynolds St, Apt B
Blacksburg, VA, 24060
Research interests
spatiotemporal modeling of ecological and environmental phenomena, modeling extremes, Gaussian pro-
cess and surrogate modeling, kernel methods, statistical computing, statistical/machine learning, statis-
tical applications in ecology, climate, and the environment
Education
Ph.D., Complex Systems and Data Science Aug 2017 - May 2022
University of Vermont
Advisors: Drs. Brian Beckage, Patrick J. Clemins, and Dave Higdon
Dissertation: High-resolution downscaling and bias-correction of temperature and precipitation: advances
in statistical methods
Credit hours: 97
MS, Statistics Aug 2015 - May 2017
Utah State University
Advisor: Dr. Richard Cutler
Thesis: A comparison of five statistical and machine learning methods for predicting stream temperature
across stream networks
Credit hours: 98
MS, Ecology Jan 2012 - Aug 2015
Utah State University
Advisor: Dr. Kari Veblen
Thesis: Grass shrub spatial associations over precipitation and grazing gradients in the Great Basin, USA
Credit hours: 61
BS, Ecology (Magna Cum Laude) Aug 2005 - May 2010
University of Idaho
Advisor: Dr. Penny Morgan
Undergraduate thesis: Burn Severity and Vegetation Response after the 2005 School Fire
Credit hours: 132
High school Aug 2001 - May 2005
Mountain View High School
Valedictorian and commencement speaker
Professional positions
Postdoctoral associate
Employer: Virginia Tech
Mentors: Drs. Robert Gramacy (rbg@vt.edu), Dave Higdon
(dhigdon@vt.edu), Quinn Thomas, and Cayelan Carey
Dates of Employment: 08/01/2022 -present
Pay rate: $50,000 per year; 40 hours per week
Description:
I am currently working on developing a Gaussian process surrogate modeling approach for forecasting
lake temperatures. The goal of this research is to leverage techniques from the Gaussian process surrogate
modeling literature to 1) build a surrogate for a numerical lake temperature model, (General Lake Model,
GLM) and 2) use the surrogate to generate robust predictions of lake temperatures up to 30 days into
the future with appropriate uncertainty quantification
Duties: conducting research, collaborating and planning research projects with diverse, interdisciplinary
scientists, preparing and submitting manuscripts to peer-reviewed journals, implementing complex Bayesian
models in R using primarily custom code, communicating research with diverse audiences, adhering to
data and reproducibility standards, using version-control tools (Git), planning seminars and training
events.
Accomplishments:
Development of a novel statistical method for forecasting lake temperature profiles; coauthored a book
chapter: “Multivariate and functional output emulation” in The Handbook of Statistical Methods for
Computer Model Emulation
Publications
[1] Dave Higdon and Maike F Holthuijzen. Multivariate and funtional output emulation. In D Bingham,
M Haran, and B Sanso, editors, The Handbook of Statistical Methods for Computer Modeling. 2023.
In review.
[2] Maike Holthuijzen, Brian Beckage, Patrick J Clemins, Dave Higdon, and Jonathan M Winter. Robust
bias-correction of precipitation extremes using a novel hybrid empirical quantile-mapping method:
Advantages of a linear correction for extremes. Theoretical and Applied Climatology, 149(1-2):863–
882, 2022. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00704-022-04035-2.
[3] Maike F Holthuijzen. Grass-shrub spatial associations over precipitation and grazing gradients in the
Great Basin, USA. Utah State University, 2015. https://www.proquest.com/docview/1719322771?
pq-origsite=gscholar&fromopenview=true.
[4] Maike F Holthuijzen, Brian Beckage, Patrick J Clemins, Dave Higdon, and Jonathan M Winter.
Constructing high-resolution, bias-corrected climate products: a comparison of methods. Journal of
Applied Meteorology and Climatology, 60(4):455–475, 2021. https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/
journals/apme/60/4/JAMC-D-20-0252.1.xml.
[5] Maike F Holthuijzen, Dave Higdon, Patrick J Clemins, and Brian B Beckage. Novel application of a
process convolution approach for calibrating output from numerical models. Environmetrics (accepted
for publication), 10(12):102, 2023. http://doi.org/10.1002/env.2822.
[6] Maike F Holthuijzen and Kari E Veblen. Grass-shrub associations over a precipitation gradient and
their implications for restoration in the great basin, usa. PLoS One, 10(12):e0143170, 2015. https:
//journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0143170.
[7] Maike F Holthuijzen and Kari E Veblen. Grazing effects on precipitation-
driven associations between sagebrush and perennial grasses. West-
ern North American Naturalist, 76(3):313–325, 2016. https://bioone.org/
journals/western-north-american-naturalist/volume-76/issue-3/064.076.0308/
Grazing-Effects-on-Precipitation-Driven-Associations-between-Sagebrush-and-Perennial/
10.3398/064.076.0308.short.
Professional presentations
• Holthuijzen, Maike F. Constructing high-resolution, bias-corrected climate products: a comparison
of methods. 2020. Joint Statistical Meetings (virtual).
• Holthuijzen, Maike F.; Denu, D.; Gopchandani, S. Feature selection using genetic algorithms. 2018.
UVM Computer Science Fair, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT.
• Holthuijzen, Maike. F., and Veblen, Kari E. 2014. Grass-shrub spatial pattern response to a
moisture gradient in Great Basin sagebrush communities. Ecological Society of America Annual
Meeting 2014, Sacramento, CA.
• Holthuijzen, Maike. F., and Veblen, Kari E. 2013. Grass-shrub spatial associations over a precip-
itation gradient in the Great Basin, USA: insights into ecological restoration. Restoring the West
Annual Conference 2013, Utah State University, Logan, UT. (poster)
• Holthuijzen, Maike. F. 2012. Burn severity and vegetation response after the 2005 School Fire.
Northwest Science Association Annual Meeting 2012, Boise, ID. (poster)
• Moy, Marshell. M.; Holthuijzen, Maike F.; Morgan, P.; Lentile, L.B.; Lewis, S. A.; Robichaud, P.;
and Robichaud, R.; 2009. Impacts of pre-fire site conditions, burn severity and post-fire treatments
on plant regeneration following the 2005 School Fire. 4th International Fire Ecology Congress, 1
December 2009. Savannah, Georgia. (poster)
Professional membership
• American Statistical Association (2014-present)
• Ecological Society of America (2006-2017)
Teaching experience and mentorship
• Graduate/head TA, Department of Computer Science, University of Vermont (Aug 2021-May 2022)
– Analysis and design of algorithms (theory)
– Intro to python programming
– Duties: help students with programming questions during lab, teach classes occasionally, grade
quizzes and final projects, hold office hours
• Undergraduate senior research mentor, University of Vermont (2020)
– Mentee: Connor Zwonik
– Thesis: Investigating changes in future extreme precipitation over a region in the Northeastern
United States
– Duties: served as technical advisor on statistical analyses required for the project and gave
advice on thesis writing.
• Basin resilience to extreme events internship mentor, University of Vermont (May 2019-August 2019;
May 2021-August 2021)
– Mentee: Nate Fogg (2021); Efficient approximation of covariance matrices for big data
– Mentees: Connor Zwonik and Ann Marie Matheny; Bias-correction of climate model data over
a region in the Northeastern United States
– Duties: served as technical advisor on statistical analyses and background required for the
project and gave advice on poster construction.
• TA and recitation leader, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Utah State University (Aug
2016-May 2017)
– Introduction to statistics
– Duties: teach basic concepts in statistics, grade quizzes and tests, hold office hours
• Statistics/math tutor, Academic Success Center, Utah State University (Aug 2014-Dec 2015)
– introductory statistics, mathematical statistics, Calculus I-III
– Duties: help students with homework questions in statistics and mathematics.
• Private statistics tutor (Aug 2015 - May 2017)
Skills
• Gaussian process modeling
• Spatiotemporal modeling
• Time series, signal processing methods
• Theoretical knowledge of and ability to implement statistical learning techniques (Random Forests,
gradient boosting machines, support vector machines), multivariate data analysis, deep learning
techniques (CNN, RNN, LSTM, GRU) (basic theory and implementation in Python)
• Programming: R (11 years), Python (4 years), MatLab (2 years), C++ (1 year), Git (8 years),
Linux systems (6 years), SQL (working knowledge)
Other work experience
Statistical consultant
Employer: Utah State University
Supervisor: Martha Archuleta, martha.archuleta@usu.edu
Dates of Employment: 05/01/2016 - 12/01/2016
Pay rate: $14 per hour, ∼ 8-10 hours per week
Duties:
Consulting with clients to determine appropriate statistical analyses for given datasets. Work involved
analyzing survey data for two separate surveys for the USU dietetics extension in Salt Lake City, UT.
Work involved traditional survey analysis techniques (chi-square goodness-of-fit tests), exploratory anal-
ysis, graphical representations of the data, interpretation of results and reporting results. Analyses and
plots were made using SAS and R; results for project objectives were compiled in comprehensive reports.
Botany/Ecology Intern
Employer: Bureau of Land Management/ Chicago Botanical Garden Conservation and Land Manage-
ment Internship
Supervisor: Roger Farschon
Dates of Employment: 05/30/2010 - 10/15/2010
Pay rate: $1,100 biweekly stipend, 40 hours per week
Duties:
Work included conducting rare plant surveys in northwest Nevada, identifying plant specimens to species
level with taxonomic keys, training crew members in basic plant identification methods, assisting with
Seeds of Success monitoring and seed collections, conducting rangeland health assessments using line-
point-transect methods, range utilization mapping, and range compliance monitoring. Other duties
included assisting with environmental monitoring during Burning Man, creating management reports,
generating maps with ArcGIS 9.3 Software, and downloading GPS data. The internship included a 7-day
CLM training workshop covering the following topics: Seeds of Success field procedures and background,
statistical analysis for ecological data, botany of the West, basic GPS training, and field safety.
Accomplishments:
Learned to identify over 200 native and rare Nevada plants. Successfully navigated through the Black
Rock Desert High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area with only a compass, GPS
coordinates, and maps; became CPR/First Aid certified (until June 2012). Produced maps for field work
and final reports using ArcGis 9.3 software. Gained knowledge of range issues/ management and endan-
gered plant management in northern CA and northwest Nevada and received training in riparian and
aspen monitoring.
Intern
Employer: Conservation Seeding and Restoration, Inc.
Supervisor: Dylan Levy-Boyd
Dates of Employment: 05/20/2009 - 07/15/2009
Pay rate: $1,100 biweekly stipend, 40+ hours per week
Duties:
Monitoring sagebrush-steppe and Great Basin vegetation near oil wells in southeast Wyoming in restored
areas and reference sites using line-transect sampling methods; identifying vegetation to species or genus
level; identifying plant community types; and making basic management recommendations. Work re-
quired extensive navigating with a compass and recording data with a Trimble GPS unit.
Accomplishments:
Increased knowledge of sagebrush flora and ecosystems and restoration methods associated with desert
ecosystems (seeding and transplanting sagebrush). Learned to drive a 4WD vehicle on primitive roads in
inclement weather and navigate using a compass and map.
Forestry Technician
Employer: U.S. Forest Service
Supervisor: Todd Demasters, Engine Captain, Idaho City Ranger District
Dates of Employment: 05/14/2007 - 11/24/2007
Pay rate: $14 per hour, 40-60 hours per week
Duties:
Perform FFT1 and FFT2 duties. Specific duties with Idaho City Hot Shots included line construction
with hand tools, wet and dry mopping, hiking with heavy packs over rugged and dangerous terrain for
extended periods and working long hours in hazardous situations and inclement weather. Specific duties
with Engine 31 included line construction with hand tools, bucking and limbing trees with chainsaws,
conducting forest health treatments (thinning), constructing hose lays, maintenance and correct use of
engine and pump accessories, maintenance and storage of fire hoses and accessories, hiking with heavy
packs (40+lbs), working up to 16 hours in adverse weather, and camping for up to 2 weeks at a time.
Other duties included executing a prescribed burn, carrying out fire prevention activities, and leading a
Youth Conservation Crew for 2 weeks at a fire camp.
Accomplishments:
Obtained knowledge in basic maintenance and operation of chainsaws, hose accessories, and water pumps
and received re-certification for Apprentice Sawyer. Supervised and led the Idaho City YCC crew and
helped the YCC crew develop and build team strength in less-than-ideal circumstances. Conducted a
prescribed burn of 30 acres with other Engine 3-1 members.
Crew Member
Employer: Northwest Youth Corps
Supervisor: Larry Dompierre, Recruitment Officer
Dates of Employment: 06/04/2004 – 07/18/2004 (Backcountry Leadership Program) and 06/10/2003
– 07/16/2003
Pay rate: $7 per hour, 40 hours per week
Duties:
Performed trail improvement, reroutes, and construction using hand tools (Pulaski, hoe, ax, rock bars).
Construction duties involved building a 100 foot retaining wall (dry), waterbars, check dams, turnpikes,
drainage ditches, trenches, and stream diversions, and using a crosscut saw to cut downed logs across
trails in a wilderness area. Other duties included aiding in bridge construction (digging trenches, hauling
equipment, and basic carpentry), creating slash piles, and hiking with tools and a pack for up to 15 miles
a day. Position also included servicing tools, education/leadership activities, and completing camp chores.
Accomplishments:
Obtained skills in trail maintenance and construction, gained leadership abilities, worked and lived in the
backcountry in strict adherence to No Trace guidelines (i.e. building latrines, hiking out waste, hiking in
supplies, etc.), earned Americorps Service Award (2004) and successfully completed 2 solos (solitary days
with no social contact for personal growth/development). Helped build, clear, or maintain 60 miles of
trail.
Non-collegiate racing
2023
• Appalachian Journey 110 mi gravel ride, 5th place overall, mixed team division (April 2023)
• White Lake Half Iron
• VA Blue Ridge 70.3, 18th place overall women’s division (June 2023)
• Rev3 Williamsburg Olympic distance triathlon, 1st place women’s division (July 2023)
2022
• Appalachian Mountaineer 85 mi gravel ride, Bless Your Heart award (Nov 2022)
• Tour de Dirt 74 mi gravel ride (Oct 2022)
• Kinetic cup Olympic distance triathlon, 1st place non-collegiate women’s division (Oct 2022)
• Atomic Man Half Iron Triathlon, 1st place women’s division (Oct 2022)
• Hogback Divide 55 mi gravel ride (Aug 2022)
• Ktown on the River Half Ironman, 2nd place women’s division (Aug 2022)
• White Mountains Triathlon Olympic distance 2nd place women’s division and QOM award, (Jun
2022)
• Crank the Kanc Hill Climb 2nd place Women’s division (May 2022)
• Paul Mailman run (10 miles), Montpelier, VT
2021
• Crank the Kanc Hill Climb 5th place Women’s division (May 2021)
• Paul Mailman run (10 miles), Montpelier, VT
• White Mountains Triathlon, half distance, 5th place women’s division (June 2021)
• Lake Dunmore triathlon, 1st place women’s divison (Aug 2021)
• Live Free and Tri half iron, 1st place overall (Aug 2021)
• Lake Sunapee Aquabike, Olympic distance, 1st place women’s division (Sept 2021)
• Hibernator gravel ride, 86 mi option, 1st place women’s division (Oct 2021)
2019
• Tinman Triathlon (half distance), Tupper Lake, New York, DNF due to injury (Jun 2019)
• Raid Lamoille gravel grinder 55 mi option (not a timed event), Craftsbury, VT (Jun 2019)
• Colchester Sprint Triathlon, Burlington, VT 1st place Women’s Division (Jul 2019)
• Lake Dunmore Olympic distance triathlon, Middlebury, VT, 3rd place Women’s Division (Aug 2019)
• Lake George Half Ironman, Lake George, NY, 3rd place Women’s Division (Aug 2019)
• Art Tudehope 10k, 2nd place age group
• Fall Fundo Metric Century gravel grinder, Burlington, VT (not a timed event) (Sept 2019)
• Richard Tom Foundation gravel grinder 65 mi option (not a timed event), Richmond, VT (Oct 2019)
• Vermont Forest Fondo, 45 mi option (not a timed event), Middlebury, VT (Nov 2019)
2018
• Archie Post 5 miler, Burlington, VT, 2nd Place Women’s Division (May 2018)
• Rollin’ Irish Half Marathon, Essex, VT, 1st place Women’s Division, (April 2018)
• Common to Common 30K, Burlington, VT, 2nd Place Women’s Division (Aug 2018)
• Art Tudehop 10k, 2nd Place in age group (Sept 2018)
• Circumbirke trail marathon, East Burke, VT, 3rd place Women’s Division (Sept 2018)
• Fall Fundo Metric Century gravel grinder, Burlington, VT (not a timed event) (Oct 2018)
2017
• Logan half marathon, Logan, UT, 2nd place Women’s Division (Jun 2017)
2014
• Logan Peak Trail Marathon (28 miles), Logan, UT: 1st place Women’s Division and record breaker
for women’s division, 7th place overall
• Wellsville Duathlon, Wellsville, UT: 1st place Women’s Division
2012
• Smithfield Turkey Run, Smithfield, UT: 1st place Women’s Division (Nov 2012)
• First Dam Run, Logan, UT: 1st place Women’s Division (Oct 2012)
2011
• Robie Creek Half Marathon, Boise, ID: 1st place Women’s Division (April 2011)
• Zeitgeist Half Marathon, Boise, ID: 1st place Women’s Division (Nov 2012)
• Boise City of Trees Marathon, Boise, ID: 1st place Women’s Division, 2nd place overall
• Las Vegas Forest Challenge 10 miler, Las Vegas, NV: 1st place overall (July 2011)
• Fire Department 10k, Las Vegas, NV: 1st place Women’s Division, 2nd place overall (Aug 2011)
• Nationals XC meet (Nov 2011)
• YMCA Christmas Run, Boise, ID: 1st place Women’s Division (Dec 2011)
2010
• Idaho Peace Officer Memorial run 5k, Boise, ID: 1st place Women’s Division, 1st place overall (Nov
2010)
• YMCA Christmas Run, Boise, ID: 2nd place Women’s Division (Dec 2010)
2009
• Lewiston Duathlon, Lewiston, ID: 1st place Women’s Division, 3rd place overall
• Palouse Sprint Triathlon, Moscow, ID: 1st place Women’s Division
• Emmett’s Most Excellent Triathlon, Emmett, ID: 5th place Women’s Division, 1st place and Idaho
State Champion in Age Division (20-24)
• YMCA Christmas Run, Boise, ID: 2nd place Women’s Division
2008
• Moscow Mountain Madness11k Run, Moscow, ID: 1st place Women’s Division, 3rd place overall
• Palouse Sprint Triathlon, Moscow, ID: 2nd place Women’s Division, 1st place in Age Division (20-24)
• Emmett’s Most Excellent Triathlon, Emmett, ID: 5th place Women’s Division, 1st place in Age
Division (20-24)
• Lilac Bloomsday 12k Run, Spokane, WA: 5th place in Age Division
• Robie Creek Half Marathon, Boise, ID: 2nd place Women’s Division
• Spring Thaw Duathlon, Nine Mile Falls, WA: 1st place Women’s Division
• Snake River Canyon Half Marathon, Lewiston, ID: 1st place Women’s Division
2007
• Beezley Burn Mountain Bike Race, Ephrata, WA: 1st place Women’s Division
• Spokane River Run, Spokane, WA: 1st place Women’s Division
• Hells Canyon 25k Run, Pittsburgh Landing, ID: 1st place Women’s Division
2006
• Moscow Mountain Madness Mountain Bike Race, Moscow, ID: 1st place Women’s Division
• Devil’s Slide Mountain Bike Race, Lewiston, ID: 1st place Women’s Division
• YMCA Spudman Triathlon, Boise, ID: 13th place Women’s Division, 1st place in Age Division
Last updated: August 1, 2023