I defended my dissertation in May 2019 and am now a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. David Enard's lab in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Arizona. I completed my PhD in Stony Brook University's Department of Ecology and Evolution, where I am co-advised by Dr. Patricia C. Wright and Dr. Liliana Dávalos.
I use computational and genomic techniques to study adaptation and demographic changes in at-risk species. To improve such studies I work on developing methods to test population and phylogenetic-level hypotheses with genomic data.
I have done field work to census lemur populations in Madagascar, locate feeding sites of the Aye-aye (Daubentonia madagascariensis) to obtain DNA samples from their saliva, study mate choice in the American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis), and capture bats for sampling for studies of the evolution of sensory ecology.
Educating the next generation of thinkers and scientists is an important part of my work. I recently co-developed and instructed an Introduction to Statistics course for Science Education PhD Students. I am regularly a Teaching Assistant for Conservation Biology (BIO 336/BEE 572) at Stony Brook University, which engages students using active learning techniques. We use pre- and post-assessments to monitor their progress through six main units: demography, conservation genetics, species interactions, biogeography, biogeochemistry, and environmental economics. I have also been a Teaching Assistant for Study Abroad Madagascar, where I led classes in field methods (in the rainforest!) and supervised independent student projects.
I have a BA in Biology, focusing on Behavioral Ecology, from Oberlin College; and a Bachelors of Music in Historical Performance of Recorder and Baroque Flute from Oberlin Conservatory.