About Me
Ecology in a human-altered world
I am an applied ecologist with a particular interest in human-dominated ecosystems, such as agriculture and urban environments. I am intrigued by fact that small changes in management approaches can have disproportionately large benefits in these “degraded” habitats. The goal of my research is to understand the broad questions of how to manage these landscapes for both wildlife and people. I often use an ecosystem services framework to weigh the net benefits (or tradeoffs) that accompany management practices.
I obtained my B.A. at Skidmore College in NY, my M.S. at Humboldt State University in CA, and my PhD at the University of Illinois Chicago. Learning and conducting research in many areas of the country and abroad has fostered my wide breadth of interests. I have an extensive background in ornithology (the study of birds), but I am not only an ornithologist! Most of my research is focused on the community level, so I also study other taxonomic groups like plants and invertebrates.
I am an applied ecologist with a particular interest in human-dominated ecosystems, such as agriculture and urban environments. I am intrigued by fact that small changes in management approaches can have disproportionately large benefits in these “degraded” habitats. The goal of my research is to understand the broad questions of how to manage these landscapes for both wildlife and people. I often use an ecosystem services framework to weigh the net benefits (or tradeoffs) that accompany management practices.
I obtained my B.A. at Skidmore College in NY, my M.S. at Humboldt State University in CA, and my PhD at the University of Illinois Chicago. Learning and conducting research in many areas of the country and abroad has fostered my wide breadth of interests. I have an extensive background in ornithology (the study of birds), but I am not only an ornithologist! Most of my research is focused on the community level, so I also study other taxonomic groups like plants and invertebrates.