Welcome to my site!

I am a student researcher interested in all things wild – especially birds, and I have a passion for science communication and environmental history, advocacy, and conservation. I am also a published author in peer-reviewed journals and the American Birding Association’s Birding magazine. I love exploring nature, birdwatching, and reading about the history of the environment during my free time, and engage my community through my NativeBiota Project.

Research

My current research focuses on avian migration ecology, conservation paleobiology, and restoration ecology.

  • Alaska Bird Migration

    A weather surveillance radar view of Alaskan avian migration

  • Wild Turkey Ecology

    Late Pleistocene Fossils Recontextualize the Ecology of Introduced Turkeys in California

  • California Condor Under Climate Change

    Fossil-augmented species distribution models reveal the shifted baselines of California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) under climate change

  • Habitat Restoration Analysis

    A study of avian population recovery after habitat restoration using remote sensing and community science bird observation data

  • Fatal Bird Collisions

    Drivers of fatal bird collisions in an urban center

    Co-author, peer-reviewed journal publication

  • Lemming Population Modeling

    Using neural closure techniques to simplify lemming population models

Volunteering

I founded The NativeBiota Project to fight for bird-related causes, share my love for nature with others, and preserve urban wildlife habitats. The NativeBiota Project has partnered with the Pasadena Audubon Society, World Wildlife Fund - India, and numerous online birding and naturalist communities to promote native urban habitats and catalog biodiversity on 2 continents. To date, we have documented 16,000+ wildlife observations in iNaturalist spanning 2800+ species. These observations are then available to scientists for conservation and research.

The NativeBiota Project

 

Experience

  • Student Researcher, Middlebury College HEDGE Lab

    Used paleoecology to answer pressing questions in conservation biology related to the critically endangered California Condor and the management of the introduced Wild Turkey populations in California. Link

  • CEE/MIT RSI Scholar

    Researcher in the MIT MSEAS Lab. Used neural closure techniques in terrestrial ecology for the first time to study lemming population dynamics. Link

  • Researcher, Colorado State University AeroEco Lab

    Extended the use of radar data to monitor Alaskan avian migration for the first time. Link

  • Student Researcher, The Moore Lab of Zoology, Occidental College

    Studied scrub jay morphology and identified misclassified feral parrot images in the eBird and iNaturalist databases.

  • Independent Researcher

    Studied biodiversity changes after wetland habitat restoration using remote sensing.

  • Board Member, Pasadena Audubon Society

    Vote on decisions on field trips, education, conservation, outreach, and other initiatives. Link

  • Advocacy & Conservation Chair, Pasadena Audubon Society

    Lead the bird-friendly street trees initiative for Pasadena. Link

  • Diversity Committee Member, American Ornithological Society

    Chartered to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the ornithology community. Link

  • Founder, The NativeBiota Project

    Founded The NativeBiota Project in 2018 to conserve nature community by community. Started 4 major initiatives. Conducted BioBlitzes, distributed brochures to educate the public, created a website for petition campaigns and online educational material. Collaborated with Pasadena Audubon, World Wildlife Fund - India, and a large online community of iNaturalists and birders. Link