People
Dr. Ellen O. Aikens – Principal investigator
Ellen is a quantitative ecologist who leads research on wildlife management issues related to animal movement, habitat change and spatial ecology. Ellen has always had a strong interest in applied research. She got started working on applied research questions during her undergraduate education at Ursinus College and later during an internship at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s GIS lab. Ellen’s fascination with animal movement and spatial analysis grew during her time at the Smithsonian, which led her to pursue a graduate degree at the University of Wyoming. During her graduate research, Ellen had the opportunity to explore western Wyoming and to collaborate with a dynamic group of ungulate ecologists in Europe through the NSF graduate research opportunities worldwide program. She then returned to Europe for her postdoc at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior and the Center for the Advanced Study of Collective Behavior in Konstanz, Germany. When not in the lab, you can find Ellen adventuring with her dog Duke, spending time with her family, or knitting a sweater.
Post-docs
Tayler LaSharr
Tayler is an ecologist whose interest in the natural world is largely driven by her desire to understand mechanisms of animal behavior, decision making, and resource allocation. Her research in the Aikens lab is largely focused on understanding the patterns of plant phenology in arid systems and landscapes affected by drought. By working with a collaborative group of researchers across western North America, she will be investigating how to quantify plant phenology in landscapes where forage doesn't always follow a perfect 'wave' of green-up across time and space, how drought affects the progression of resources in different landscapes, and ultimately what that means for how animals use those resources. When not thinking about science, Tayler likely is outside taking pictures of animals, drawing with pencils, or hanging out with her dogs, Ovis and Gus.
Tana Verzuh
Tana is a postdoctoral researcher in the Aikens lab. Her research focuses on the intersection of movement ecology and animal cognition. Cognition and learning are not traits that can be directly measured in animals, rather they must be inferred through behavior. This is even more difficult outside of lab experiments, working with individuals in the wild. Tana seeks to find creative solutions to understand how animals learn their spatial environment and how this then influences how they move across and use the landscape. Importantly, all of Tana’s work has a strong conservation focus, highlighting how we can leverage animal learning in our management techniques. Currently, she is focused on how learning and anthropogenic risk influence space use at the urban-rural interface. Tana also works to improve representation in science through the development of programs such as Women in the Field where she leads week-long courses for budding undergraduate scientists. She is also currently developing an undergraduate field program, collaborating with NGOs, private industry, and state and federal agencies to build field skillsets in students during their time at UW. Before joining the lab Tana received her PhD in Ecology at the University of Wyoming (animal spatial learning), her MS in Zoology as the University of Wyoming (physiology, behavior, and space use), MS in Science Education at Montana State University, and BSc in Zoology at Colorado State University.
Graduate students
Zach Bordner - MS student
Originally from southeastern Pennsylvania, Zach earned a BSc in Ecology from Juniata College, and has spent many years involved in various raptor research projects with organizations such as Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, the Institute for Bird Populations, and Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center. For his thesis, Zach will be investigating early-life movements of Golden Eagles, with a particular interest in the potential costs and benefits of juvenile exploratory behavior. He hopes to gain insight into how these initial decisions may influence fitness in later stages of the complex and protracted dispersals often seen in long-lived raptors. In his free time, Zach enjoys climbing, skiing, and carving wooden spoons.