As a wildlife ecologist, I am interested in better understanding the socio-ecological dynamics of ecosystems to promote human-wildlife coexistence. My research draws on behavioral and community ecology to understand the roles that humans play in ecological systems, and how humans interact with other large mammal species in shared spaces.

I grew up in suburban New York and attended Columbia University as a undergraduate. I have since fully embraced the West Coast lifestyle and am currently a PhD candidate in the Brashares Lab at the University of California, Berkeley, in the interdisciplinary Environmental Science, Policy, and Management program, graduating in 2019. My dissertation research focuses on the effects of human activity on patterns of animal behavior and distribution across spatial and temporal scales. I am interested in how individual animal responses to humans influence fitness and population dynamics, and shape species interactions within communities. ​

E-mail: kgaynor (at) berkeley.edu
Twitter: @kaitlyngaynor

Mailing Address: 130 Mulford Hall #3114
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-3114​

 When I'm not in the field in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique, or the UC Hopland Research and Extension Center, California USA, you may find me at home in Oakland baking vegan treats, or playing outside and training for triathlons. I'm proudly one of over #500queerscientists and excited to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM.