I am a conservation biologist interested in human-modified landscapes, ecosystem services, human-wildlife conflicts, predator-prey dynamics, species translocations, and behavioral ecology. I am currently the Director of the Masters program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology at Columbia University in New York City and have ongoing active research programs on raptor ecology and ecotoxicology in California.
I was formerly an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Studies at California State University, Sacramento where I taught undergraduate courses and conducted research. I was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Wildlife, Fish & Conservation Biology at UC Davis from 2013-2016. First as a 2013 David H. Smith Conservation Research Postdoctoral Fellow where I used field experiments, landscape ecology and economics to quantify the value of wild birds to farmers in California with Rodd Kelsey of The Nature Conservancy, Jason Townsend of Hamilton College, and John Eadie of UC Davis. I then worked as a postdoc in the lab of Roger Baldwin to construct predator-prey models with the aim of determining whether barn owls (Tyto alba) are able to control rodent pests on California farms.
I completed my PhD in zoology at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, NZ, under the supervision of Ximena Nelson and Jason Tylianakis. My PhD research focused on the efficacy of reintroducing the threatened New Zealand falcon (Falco novaeseelandiae) into the vineyards of Marlborough, New Zealand's largest wine growing region as both a conservation scheme and as a source of natural pest control. My work combined behavioural ecology, ornithology, and conservation biology to examine the changes that have occurred as a result of the falcon reintroductions- in the falcons themselves and in the vineyard ecosystems. I am also a founding member of the Malborough Falcon Conservation Trust, where I was a member of the board of trustees from 2009-2013 and am currently serving as a scientific adviser. I also worked as the programme manager for the Trust for 2 years, and was responsible for overseeing staff and volunteers, ensuring that permitting and husbandry adhere to guidelines, and writing management documents. I also prepared and delivered our education programme in local schools and to local community groups, and helped design and build our aviary.
Previously, I completed a BSc in Animal Science at Cornell University (New York) and a MRes in Environmental Biology at the University of St. Andrews (Scotland).
I was formerly an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Studies at California State University, Sacramento where I taught undergraduate courses and conducted research. I was a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Wildlife, Fish & Conservation Biology at UC Davis from 2013-2016. First as a 2013 David H. Smith Conservation Research Postdoctoral Fellow where I used field experiments, landscape ecology and economics to quantify the value of wild birds to farmers in California with Rodd Kelsey of The Nature Conservancy, Jason Townsend of Hamilton College, and John Eadie of UC Davis. I then worked as a postdoc in the lab of Roger Baldwin to construct predator-prey models with the aim of determining whether barn owls (Tyto alba) are able to control rodent pests on California farms.
I completed my PhD in zoology at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, NZ, under the supervision of Ximena Nelson and Jason Tylianakis. My PhD research focused on the efficacy of reintroducing the threatened New Zealand falcon (Falco novaeseelandiae) into the vineyards of Marlborough, New Zealand's largest wine growing region as both a conservation scheme and as a source of natural pest control. My work combined behavioural ecology, ornithology, and conservation biology to examine the changes that have occurred as a result of the falcon reintroductions- in the falcons themselves and in the vineyard ecosystems. I am also a founding member of the Malborough Falcon Conservation Trust, where I was a member of the board of trustees from 2009-2013 and am currently serving as a scientific adviser. I also worked as the programme manager for the Trust for 2 years, and was responsible for overseeing staff and volunteers, ensuring that permitting and husbandry adhere to guidelines, and writing management documents. I also prepared and delivered our education programme in local schools and to local community groups, and helped design and build our aviary.
Previously, I completed a BSc in Animal Science at Cornell University (New York) and a MRes in Environmental Biology at the University of St. Andrews (Scotland).
