Quantitative Ecology & Conservation
I'm a post-doctoral researcher working in Dr. Mark Hebblewhite's Lab in the University of Montana's Wildlife Biology Program. I received my PhD with advisor Dr. Paul Lukacs, also at UM's Wildlife Biology Program.
I tackle projects centered on conservation problems and questions using quantitative and spatial methods. From occupancy models and survival analyses to individual-based movement models and simulations, from assessing migratory behavior trends to estimating and mapping human-wildlife conflict risk hotspots - I have experience with many types of analyses and enjoy learning more all the time.
While the species and systems I work in (humpback whales, caribou, grizzly bears and others) provide the important underlying motivation, I spend most of my time coding in R and JAGS and am a pragmatist in applying both Bayesian and Frequentist frameworks in analyses. I'm happiest when I'm problem-solving (on both my own and collaborators' projects), using quantitative and spatial analyses to obtain the best possible information about a population, species, system or region that scientists, practitioners, managers and policy makers can use to address conservation needs.
