Graduate Students

Applications of machine learning to wildlife research and conservation. Projects include bioacoustics for northern spotted owl monitoring and camera traps for studying mammal community dynamics

Drivers of maladaptive behavioral propagation of human-centric foraging tactics in Bottlenose dolphins.

Water temperature effects on aquatic ecosystems - Cutthroat utilization of cold water refuges during seasonal high temperature events on the Willamette River

Multispecies interactions in Yellowstone National Park.

Olivia is a current master’s student in Fisheries Science, studying the spatial and temporal trends of microplastic ingestion by myctophids off the West Coast. Myctophids, or lanternfishes, are an abundant forage fish and their diel vertical migrations bridge pelagic and mesopelagic foodwebs...

My research focuses on seasonal habitat use and movement of Pacific  White Sturgeon in the John Day Reservoir of the Columbia River.

I am a master's student in Will White's Fisheries Oceanography and Population Dynamics lab. My project is modeling the impacts of offshore wind farms coming to the coast of Oregon.

Using molecular and morphometric methods to describe the diversity of fishes around the world. I am currently working on freshwater sculpin fishes (Cottus spp.) of the Pacific Northwest

I am interested in multi-scale spatial and ecological relationships for aquatic species. I am researching habitat relationships for a pair of lamprey species found in south-central Oregon, using geospatial, modeled environmental data, and site level measurements. 

I study coastal wolves in Alaska and arboreal carnivores in Guatemala using non-invasive methods. 

My dissertation research is focused on ecology of wintering grassland birds, including area-sensitivity, habitat selection, and habitat segregation. My research includes an analysis of wintering habitat use by chestnut-collared longspurs, and Sprague’s pipits (a former Endangered Species Act...

I am a social scientist who uses ideas from social psychology and behavioral science to study and (hopefully) improve conservation program success for people and the planet. My dissertation focused on why people trust and distrust each other and the emotions people felt in the context of...

Developing a high-density flow-through system for rearing Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas) larvae. 

I am researching Mule Deer Resource Selection looking specifically at the impact of annual grass encroachment on native mule deer forage composition, cover, biomass, and quality. 

My graduate research explores the impact of juniper removal on Greater sage-grouse and the surrounding vegetative and invertebrate communities. More generally, I am passionate about conservation and ornithology. I have prior research experience related to bird banding, robber fly ethology and...

My interests are Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS), also known as Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) and how these knowledge systems can used and incorporated in research and policy. 

My thesis project explores potential growth opportunities and mortality risks for juvenile salmonids rearing in seasonally disconnected habitats in the Skagit River.

My work involves invertebrate ecology and riparian management in Northeastern Oregon. Specifically, I am investigating (1) the response of aquatic macroinvertebrate communities to Low-tech Process Based Restoration (LTPBR) and (2) the response of non-bee...

My academic interest is in the possible reintroduction of sea otters (Enhydra lutris) to the Oregon coast. 

I am studying a declining population of greater sage-grouse in Central Oregon at the western edge of greater sage-grouse range, investigating possible causes for the decline. These investigations include collecting data on human disturbances, avian predator densities, conifer encroachment, and...

Researching the foraging and spatial ecology of Atlantic puffins on Matinicus Rock, Maine.  I'm deploying GPS units, TDRs, and using fecal DNA metabarcoding to determine how puffins are reacting to a rapidly warming and increasingly heatwave-prone Gulf of Maine.

I'm also involved in...

My research focuses on bioacoustics as a non-invasive tool for modeling ecosystem dynamics and putting forth best practices for biodiversity conservation. I have worked on various bioacoustics projects with different taxa, from analyzing African forest elephant communication to building...

Migratory waterfowl usage of semi-permanently flooded wetlands in the Intermountain West and western Prairie Pothole regions

Structured decision making models for anadromous sturgeon in the Central Valley

My research focus is the environmental impact of anthropogenic contaminants using the measuring stick that matters most: the wildlife. My current research measures how mercury pollution affects dragonfly and amphibian behaviors and bioaccumulates through the food web. 

Evaluating bat species richness and occupancy in south-central Oregon

Social-ecological systems approach to understanding how wolves, wild and domestic ungulates, and drought affect the relationships between people, specifically ranchers, and wildlife on Western rangelands.

The goal of Mee-ya’s master’s project is to perform a feasibility analysis for an alternative form of electronic monitoring in Oregon’s recreational charter fleet. Mee-ya’s research will utilize stereo-video photogrammetry (calculating measurements and/or the creation of models of objects...

Liam is currently working on his master's thesis, using stable isotope and satellite tagging data to study the movement and feeding ecology of humpback whales in the North Pacific. To aid in this, Liam recently graduated from IsoCamp (class of 2022), a world-renowned short course on stable...

PSM Capstone: A SWOT Analysis of Invasive Norway Rat (Rattus norvegicus) Management in Alberta, Canada to Guide Broader Directions

Other academic interests: Wildlife conservation, species management and recovery, urban-wildlife issues, avian migration, human impacts on wildlife, and...

I'm broadly interested in transdisciplinary approaches to address marine conservation challenges in a changing world. Through my current and future research, I aim to use quantitative techniques to better understand the cetacean bycatch in small-scale fisheries and develop bycatch mitigation...

Potential impacts of red imported fire ants and other factors on monarch butterfly reproductive success in the Texas coastal prairie.

Effects of thermal variability on Pacific Cod (Gadus macrocephalus) foraging, growth, and metabolism in the Gulf of Alaska.

I am a marine conservation social scientist and ecologist interested in using interdisciplinary strategies to approach human-related problems within the marine and coastal realm. I’m currently a Fisheries Science Master’s student in the ...