It takes more than one person to create research successes. 

I joined the lab as a postdoctoral associate in Fall 2023. I am using high-frequency accelerometer and location data from beef cattle to understand the effects of rangeland management techniques on production and ecosystem changes. I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, IL, and completed my undergraduate degree in Zoology with a concentration in Zoo and Aquarium Science at Michigan State University. Afterwards, I spent two years working for a non-profit in Namibia, where I was assigned a mix of cheetah husbandry and fieldwork. My interest in ecological research developed as I moved on to work as a field technician or intern on projects focused on ground squirrels, caracal, and scimitar-horned oryx. I obtained a Master of Science in Natural Resources at the University of Missouri, working with an international team of researchers to investigate how energy expenditure and foraging rates during spring migration were related to breeding deferral in two populations of greater white-fronted geese. From there, I went on to complete my PhD in Ecology at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, where I studied rodenticide exposure and demography of fishers in New York. I am broadly interested in quantitative and applied ecology, especially related to conservation and management of terrestrial birds and mammals. I am keenly interested in population modeling and ecological applications of machine learning. In my spare time, I enjoy outdoor adventures, walking my dog, true crime podcasts, and dabbling in arts and crafts. 

I joined the lab in February 2025. My research focuses on applying machine learning techniques to animal movement, using data-driven approaches to better understand spatial dynamics of Chronic Wasting Disease.

I earned my Master’s in Applied Data Science from New College of Florida, where my final semester included a practicum internship with the USDA, applying machine learning to ecological data. After graduating, I continued this trajectory as an ORISE fellow, working on integrating machine learning techniques to study cervid behavior. This experience marked the beginning of my work in movement ecology and solidified my passion for using data science to address ecological questions. I am broadly interested in quantitative ecology, artificial intelligence applications in wildlife research. Outside of work, I enjoy playing video games, exploring new programming techniques, listening to music, and spending time with my cat.

I joined the lab in Fall 2023 to study movement ecology of Least Terns and Black Skimmers along the Mississippi coast, in collaboration with Audubon Delta. I am from Knoxville, TN, where I got my start in ecology and ornithology as an undergraduate student in Biological Sciences at the University of Tennessee. I later completed a Master of Science in Biology at Arkansas State University. I have worked on a variety of ecological field research projects, often studying songbird species of conservation concern like Cerulean Warblers, Golden-winged Warblers, and Loggerhead Shrikes. I have also contributed to studies of Northern Bobwhites and secretive marsh birds, as well as other taxa like reptiles, amphibians, and plants. My research interests include species-habitat relationships, population ecology, and spatial aspects of ecology like movements and space use, migration, distributions, and landscape ecology. I am also interested in conducting research that is relevant to conservation efforts. In my free time, I enjoy birding, photography, the outdoors, books, music, coffee, etc.

I joined the lab in Fall 2025 as a PhD student. My current research focuses on agent-based modeling to understand wildlife detection probabilities and wildlife-human interactions using drones. I am originally from India and have been enthusiastic about tiger ecology and behavior since childhood. I completed my master’s in wildlife sciences from the University of Missouri, where my research focused on understanding large carnivore occupancy in Indravati Tiger Reserve, India. Prior to this, I earned two Master’s degrees in India – one where I worked on tiger corridor mapping for central India – and one where I evaluated forest biomass. I have also worked as a biologist and GIS analyst in two tiger reserves and as a data analyst with Playa Lakes Joint Venture in the U.S. where I conducted avian assessments. I am currently involved in a project known as Urban Tiger Conservation and I have also worked extensively on women’s education and training programs across different tiger reserves in central India, focusing on capacity building, community engagement, and empowering women to participate in conservation initiatives. Outside my research, I enjoy writing poems and articles, wildlife photography, playing chess, trekking, and exploring the world.

I joined the lab in summer 2024 as a MSc graduate student. I am researching catfish movement ecology and pond microbiology and do my work at the National Warmwater Aquaculture Center in Stoneville, MS. I am from Jackson, MS, but now I call Starkville home. I graduated from Mississippi State University with a Bachelors of Science with a concentration in Conservation Biology. I have a special interest in wildlife disease ecology and I have a variety of fieldwork experience including moist soil impoundment ecology; waterfowl ecology and monitoring; bat ecology, acoustic telemetry and capture; and museum specimen preparation and research. I am an active member of The Wildlife Society and the Mississippi Bat Working Group. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my four siblings and my two cats (Jinx and Spooky), hiking and exploring, running, gardening, and reading. Currently, I am working on developing my field journal (@lilysfieldjournal) into a podcast and learning as much as I can to develop my skills as a wildlife biologist and researcher.  

I joined the lab in Spring 2026. I am working to correct biases associated with thermal roadside surveys used for white-tailed deer monitoring. I am from Signal Mountain, Tennessee, and I received my bachelor’s degree in wildlife and fisheries science from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. I have worked on a variety of different projects, including mist netting for bats in Arkansas and conducting avian mortality surveys on wind farms in Iowa. Other experiences involved small mammal trapping, chronic wasting disease surveys, and remote camera deployments. I am also Firefighter Type 2 certified. My research interests include population ecology, wildlife disease ecology, and the management of threatened or endangered species. In my free time, I enjoy going on walks, listening to music, reading, and solving crosswords.

I joined the lab in the summer of 2026 as an MSc graduate student. My research focuses on correcting biases associated with thermal roadside surveys of white-tailed deer in collaboration with the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. I grew up in Colorado and received my bachelors degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Colorado. I have spent the last five years as a wildlife technician working on a variety of projects in the west that have deepened my passion for wildlife research; including reintroducing California condors into the redwoods, tracking mountain lions, monitoring Mexican wolves and studying elk survival in Colorado. Each experience has furthered my passions and research interests to include wildlife-human interactions, wildlife behavior and ecological interactions, and inter-disciplinary based management. In my free time I enjoy hiking, camping, backpacking or really any excuse to be outside with the critters.