Research

Bornean Bird Conservation

I’m interested in landscape ecology, community assembly, and life history traits of birds. My current research is focused on understanding lowland Bornean birds’ ecology and annual cycles, the role of protected areas in preserving avian biodiversity, and identifying management needs for rare and threatened species. I use bioacoustics, bird banding and point count data, museum specimens, and statistical modeling in R to inform my research. This work is conducted in collaboration with researchers at Sarawak Forestry, UNIMAS, Samarakan Planted Forest, GPP, RIMBA, Louisiana State University, George Mason University, The Evergreen State College and Ornitho-logistics.

Read our recent publication in Frontiers in Environmental Science!

Avian monitoring in the Pacific Northwest

I currently work as a Scientific Instruction Technician at Evergreen State College, assisting undergraduate students with field and lab methods in biology and use of the natural history collection. Seasonally, I worked as an avian field technician, monitoring streaked horned larks (Eremophila alpestris strigata) on remnant prairies of the South Puget Sound. I also volunteer with the Black Hills Audubon Western Bluebird Project, assist with local breeding bird surveys, contribute to MAPS banding efforts, and enjoy birdwatching throughout the region.

Natural History Collections

I started in the Field Museum’s Bird Collection in 2012, assisting with specimen preparation for salvaged birds collected after colliding with buildings on annual migrations. In 2014, I also began assisting with research on the evolutionary origin, ecological maintenance, and conservation of biological diversity in Philippine island ecosystems. I focused myself full-time in the bird collection in 2017, where I continued to train students on specimen prep, helped facilitate tissue loans, co-led a digitization project called "PLUME: Phenotype Linkage Utilizing Multimedia in Emu", and nest-monitored with Chicago Peregrine Program.

Currently, I train students at Evergreen State College on bird specimen preservation and assist classes with natural history collection needs.