Biography

My love of wildlife and wild places began early in my life, when I started exploring the local natural areas in and around my suburban Chicagoland hometown. I read as much as I could about animals from a young age, and discovered that wildlife biology was a real career path when I was in high school. From then on, I knew what I would dedicate my life to, and never looked back. That dedication led me to an undergraduate degree in zoology from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, and introduced me to the world of wildlife field work through volunteer and internship opportunities in Illinois, Alabama, and New Mexico. 

By the time I graduated with my BS, I knew that I was most interested in studying mammals for my career, and a few seasonal jobs working with deer, wapiti, and pronghorn confirmed my love for herbivores and sparked my interest in wildlife-habitat relationships, something that I would carry with me to my master's project. I further developed my skills and philosophy as a wildlife scientist at the University of Kentucky, studying wapiti habitat ecology and reproduction across a landscape mosaic of forest and reclaimed minelands. 

To further my goals of being a government research scientist, I decided that the next step for me was a doctoral degree, so I began my PhD project at Washington State University, Pullman in 2022. At WSU, my research focuses on the effects of intensive forest management on snowshoe hare populations, behavioral ecology, and habitat relationships in northern Washington. This project allows me to work with a fascinating species in a stunning landscape, but also challenges me to apply ecological theory and rigorous quantitative methods to a direct habitat management question. 

My experience thus far in the wildlife field has convinced me that my role should be to bridge the gap between the habitat requirements of animal species and how we as humans manage and conserve wild places, connecting natural history, science, statistics, and policy in ways that heal our relationship with the land and its inhabitants. I aim to communicate my love and passion for wildlife to everyone I meet, and hope that someday my work can inspire others to see the world and its biodiversity in new ways.

Research Philosophy

I strive for my research to (1) provide rigorous scientific evidence to inform habitat conservation and management, and (2) further our collective understanding of the ecology and natural history of these amazing animals and the wild places they inhabit. As the world's lands and climate rapidly change, I believe it is more critical than ever to learn as much as we can about the organisms and ecosystems we share the planet with.

I also believe that science in general (and wildlife science specifically) should be for everyone, and we as biologists need to step up and address (1) disconnects between academic/government wildlife research and on-the-ground management and conservation, (2) the communication gap between wildlife scientists, managers, and stakeholders, and (3), the shifting demographics in the wildlife profession and the pressing need for the dismantling of systemic barriers to success for historically-excluded groups. It is the job of all of us to work towards a more open, welcoming, inclusive future in wildlife science, but the burden is on those of us in positions of power and privilege to change the paradigm.