Understanding the role of humans in ecosystems is critical and urgent for biodiversity conservation, especially given the rapid growth of the global anthropogenic footprint. My research as a graduate student in the Brashares Group examines the effects of this ever-expanding human activity on the world's large mammal populations, with an emphasis on behavioral response to human presence. I am interested both in global trends and local dynamics of human-wildlife interactions, and my research integrates large-scale meta-analyses and local field studies in North America and Africa.
Specifically, I am interested in the ecological role of humans as lethal and non-lethal predators, and our effects on animal behavior and community interactions. Humans may drive patterns of wildlife behavior and distribution through their interactions with prey species in a manner predicted by predator-prey theory and the “ecology of fear.” By applying our knowledge of natural predator-prey systems to novel human-modified systems, we may better understand how animals respond to humans at multiple spatial, temporal, and ecological scales and work towards sustainable solutions for human-wildlife coexistence.
Specifically, I am interested in the ecological role of humans as lethal and non-lethal predators, and our effects on animal behavior and community interactions. Humans may drive patterns of wildlife behavior and distribution through their interactions with prey species in a manner predicted by predator-prey theory and the “ecology of fear.” By applying our knowledge of natural predator-prey systems to novel human-modified systems, we may better understand how animals respond to humans at multiple spatial, temporal, and ecological scales and work towards sustainable solutions for human-wildlife coexistence.
Current projects:
Previous research
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In my previous behavioral ecology research, I used observational fieldwork and molecular analysis to examine the evolution of complex behaviors. At Columbia University's Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, I studied the functions of vigilance behavior in wild blue monkeys in the Kakamega Forest in Western Kenya (PI: Dr. Marina Cords). I also worked as a research associate in Dr. Dustin Rubenstein's lab at Columbia University, where I conducted genetic analysis to study the evolution of sociality in colonial snapping shrimp and cooperatively-breeding superb starlings.
I have also been involved in more applied projects at the intersection of conservation and development, including research on spatial patterns of human development around protected areas in southern Kenya, and on nutritional diversity of cropping systems in rural African villages. |
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