Welcome to my website! Here's a little about me:
Why are species found where they are? Human actions must now be considered when answering this classic question in ecology. In my research, I seek to understand what traits (natural history, behavior) and abiotic factors (climate change, acoustic space) influence why some species are more tolerant to habitat disturbance than others.
I am currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Smithsonian, co-hosted by the National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). My project focuses on using bioacoustics to examine how tropical land-use and climate change impact amphibians and their advertisement calling efforts. To do so, I work on the long-term research sites of the Smithsonian Bird Friendly® coffee program in Panama. The ultimate goal is to inform standards for biodiversity-friendly agroforestry practices, especially for understudied animals like frogs.
I am proud to be a National Geographic Explorer and a Senior Researcher at Third Millennium Alliance/Jama-Coaque Reserve in Ecuador, where I conducted most of my PhD research. TMA works to protect one of the most endangered rainforests in the world (the Ecuadorian Pacific Forest) through preservation and community regenerative agroforestry. I have also done fieldwork in Madagascar, the Philippines, Australia, Borneo, Honduras, Peru, Costa Rica, and Kenya.
I absolutely love teaching and mentorship, both in the classroom and in the field! I have experience developing and teaching my own full-semester & study abroad courses, as well as mentoring undergraduate and graduate students. I am also a faculty member with the Amazon Research Initiative for Educators (ARIE) at The Morpho Institute: we bring K-12 teachers into the Peruvian Amazon to conduct field research, which then inspires inquiry-based conservation lesson plans.
I am a member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SCC) and Amphibian Specialist Group (ASG). I also have experience working in the conservation non-profit sector: I was the Program Director at Amphibian Ark (2023-2025), Science Editor & Curriculum Developer at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (2012-2015), and policy analyst for the Coalition for Rainforest Nations (2011).
I am currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Smithsonian, co-hosted by the National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). My project focuses on using bioacoustics to examine how tropical land-use and climate change impact amphibians and their advertisement calling efforts. To do so, I work on the long-term research sites of the Smithsonian Bird Friendly® coffee program in Panama. The ultimate goal is to inform standards for biodiversity-friendly agroforestry practices, especially for understudied animals like frogs.
I am proud to be a National Geographic Explorer and a Senior Researcher at Third Millennium Alliance/Jama-Coaque Reserve in Ecuador, where I conducted most of my PhD research. TMA works to protect one of the most endangered rainforests in the world (the Ecuadorian Pacific Forest) through preservation and community regenerative agroforestry. I have also done fieldwork in Madagascar, the Philippines, Australia, Borneo, Honduras, Peru, Costa Rica, and Kenya.
I absolutely love teaching and mentorship, both in the classroom and in the field! I have experience developing and teaching my own full-semester & study abroad courses, as well as mentoring undergraduate and graduate students. I am also a faculty member with the Amazon Research Initiative for Educators (ARIE) at The Morpho Institute: we bring K-12 teachers into the Peruvian Amazon to conduct field research, which then inspires inquiry-based conservation lesson plans.
I am a member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SCC) and Amphibian Specialist Group (ASG). I also have experience working in the conservation non-profit sector: I was the Program Director at Amphibian Ark (2023-2025), Science Editor & Curriculum Developer at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (2012-2015), and policy analyst for the Coalition for Rainforest Nations (2011).
|
Education:
PhD in Conservation Ecology | University of California, Berkeley MSc in Animal Behavior | Cornell University MPA in Environmental Policy | Columbia University BA in English Literature, magna cum laude | Cornell University |
Selected Fellowships & Grants:
AAUW Dissertation Fellowship | 2021 National Geographic Explorer Grant | 2019 National Science Foundation GRFP | 2014-2019 USAID Global Development Fellowship | 2017 |
I'm honored to have been featured in the Berkeley Science Review! Read the article here.
