I am an avian ecologist working at the intersection of community ecology, landscape ecology, population biology, comparative zoology, and conservation biology. I am particularly interested in questions that both advance basic ecological theory and provide applied results for conservation practitioners managing biodiversity. Most of my work as focused on birds as model organisms, with over 20 years of field experience on four continents. I am a strong believer in the continued importance of field data collection, especially in understudied biological hotspots.
I was a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Uni Bern Division of Conservation Biology for 2021-2024 where I developed projects regarding the post-fledging ecology of European Hoopoes, thermal ecology of alpine birds, and avian mortality caused by vineyard nets. Much of my time was spent laying the groundwork for the Alpine Bird Project, which leverages novel animal tracking and biologging technologies, new thermal drone mapping techniques, and state-of-the-art biophysical models to predict the thermal tolerances of Alpine Rock Ptarmigan and Rock Partridge. By examining how the two species adjust their movement behavior in relation to local microclimate and their predicted physiological tolerances to heat extremes, the project will provide concrete recommendations for managing microhabitat structures within alpine landscapes that are predicted to provide microclimatic buffering and refugia from thermal warming for alpine biodiversity.
I am now an Assistant Professor at Texas A&M University in the Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology and continue to collaborate with the CB Division as an Adjunct Assistant Professor.
Website: www.animalecology.org
