Current Lab Members

Research Interests: 

Collin’s dissertation research focuses on the influences of climate change and land-use change on island reptile communities. Specifically, his research examines relationship between thermal preferences of reptile species and the availability of microhabitats in the Aegean Islands. He has broad interests in spatial and community ecology, conservation biology, and applied wildlife management, and has worked with many game and non-game species across the United States. Collin has served as an instructor for the UM Wildlife Ecology course. 

Research Interests: 

Henry's thesis is looking at the role nurse plants play in facilitating plant regeneration in overgrazed ecosystems. He is broadly interested in the field of plant ecology, and has worked extensively in Michigan restoration, primarily focusing on the removal of invasive species. Additionally, Henry has an interest in plant systematics and is helping the University's herbarium develop a digitized version of their dichotomous key for Michigan plants.

Research Interests:  

Jeffrey’s thesis research focuses on developing ecological models that predict the impact of human-subsidized outdoor cats on island wildlife communities. He is broadly interested in herpetology and is interested in the microevolutionary adaptations that reptiles are forming in response to novel stressors like climate change and invasive species. 

Research Interests: 

Brittany's research explores the interface of aquatic and terrestrial systems, focusing on how introduced goats affect seabird-derived nutrients on Aegean islands. She is passionate about the conservation and management of island endemic and endangered species and has broad research interests in animal behavior and evolutionary ecology.

Research Interests: Kate's research focuses on the conservation of Greek archipelagos where local island ecosystems are currently facing a progressive inundation of plastic. She analyzed the effects of plastic trash on remote seabird islands - ironically transported there by gulls feeding at garbage dumps - on the islands and their organisms, and demonstrated that they are increasingly negatively impacted by this threat.

Research Interests:  

Qitong's academic path began in Paleobiology at Nanjing University, where she studied trilobites and dinosaurs. With a passion for addressing contemporary environmental issues, she shifted her focus to Ecosystem Science and Management at the University of Michigan. Her current research emphasizes island ecological restoration, involving soil sampling, plant biomass assessment, and insect trapping. Qitong thrives outdoors, passionately engaging with both rocks and vegetation to contribute to ecological conservation efforts.

Research Interests:

Wanqi is currently working on her capstone project, which focuses on the ecological assessment and biodiversity restoration of Mediterranean islands. Her work emphasizes geospatial data analysis and visualization of the current overgrazing situation on the islands. This includes conducting three-dimensional reconstructions of the islands using drones and modeling software. Additionally, on a smaller scale, she will map the presence of endangered plants on vertical cliff faces. Wanqi is broadly interested in utilizing geospatial data to analyze environmental issues and make informed decisions for sustainable development.