A major area of current research is on understanding the causes and consequences of variation in telomeres, the aglets of DNA, in a variety of ecological and evolutionary contexts. This includes studies examining how telomeres relate to migratory behavior and glucocorticoid physiology in nomadic finches (pine siskins, red crossbills) and the courtship behavior of Neotropical rainforest birds (manakins).

 

I also conduct research with multiple agencies in the Pacific Northwest. I work with the US Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station, wherein I work to understand and conserve birds found in the Northern Blue Mountain Region (Umatilla, Wallowa-Whitman National Forests) by combining bioacoustics techniques and machine learning technologies. I also work with biologists at the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and Yakama Indian Reservation to study piscivorous birds in the Columbia Basin. As a whole, my research addresses applied questions related to the ecology and conservation of wildlife as well as fundamental questions examining organismal function.

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I am currently a Research Scientist and Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Biology Department at Whitman College. 

 

I received my Bachelor's Degree in Applied Vertebrate Ecology from the Wildlife Department at Humboldt State University. I then conducted my doctoral research at Virginia Tech and was co-advised by Drs. Ignacio Moore and Brandt Ryder. Following my PhD, I conducted postdoctoral research in the lab of Dr. Heather Watts at Washington State University Pullman.