As a first generation college student, I believe that early and active mentorship is critical for increasing diversity in science. As a result, I have a special focus on mentoring undergraduate students from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds. I have frequent opportunities for undergrads to work with me and other members of the lab on our research. If you are currently an undergraduate at the University of Arizona and have an interest in how people make decisions about how we manage the environment, engage in conservation, and develop management policies, please feel free to contact me.
In addition, I have sometimes have opportunities available for master’s and PhD level graduate students. I work with students on research related to coupled natural human systems, natural resources management and policy, adaptive management, and rangeland management. As an interdisciplinary scientist, I am especially interested in working with students who would like to integrate rigorous social and policy science with ecological research. If you are interesting in learning more about my lab and exploring the possibility of working together, please contact me.
In the near future, I expect to have an open position in the lab for a range and livestock management technician to assist with work on virtual fencing for livestock management.
Current Lab Members:
Jessie Golding: Post-doctoral research fellow. Jessie is a quantitative ecologist who is working to understand US Forest Service responses to climate change induced forest die-off and will also be developing new work around the design and implementation of effective monitoring programs and mentoring students in the lab.
Kendall Beals: Post-doctoral research fellow. Kendall is a soil carbon ecologist who is working to identify the effects of restoration practices on carbon sequestration in rivers and streams on rangelands within New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona.
Elena Dosamantes: PhD student in Ecology, Management, and Restoration of Rangelands, who is using co-production methods to understand community preferences for invasive plant management and the development of new governance approaches to invasive plants.
Brandon Mayer: PhD student in Ecology, Management, and Restoration of Rangelands, who is studying the implementation of virtual fencing for livestock management on extensive southwestern rangelands.
Claire Johnston: PhD student in Policy Studies at Charles Darwin University in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. Claire is investigating the governance approaches used by international scientific organizations to manage the global scientific knowledge commons.
Ayden McLeod: MS student in Agricultural and Resource Economics, who is investigating the economic impacts of the Telegraph Fire on communities around Globe and Phoenix, AZ.
Grace Potter: MS student in Natural Resources Studies, who is working on an NSF funded project to understand the networks of actors engaged in wildfire management and management of ecosystem transitions in Arizona and New Mexico
Carter Boulin: Research staff working on various projects with the US Forest Service to support rangeland monitoring, with a focus on adapting the Grazing Response Index to southwestern rangelands.
Amber Dalke: Research staff and project manager for the lab’s research on implementation of virtual fencing on extensive southwestern rangelands.
Andrew Antaya: Research staff and lab’s lead data scientist and data manager. Andrew works on the lab’s research on implementation of virtual fencing and on other research projects as needs arise.
Sarah Noelle is a close friend of the lab and research staff at the Arizona Experiment Station. Sarah works with our lab group on virtual fencing projects, including managing the Virtual Fence Working Group and on US Forest Service rangeland monitoring.
Undergraduate Researchers: My lab has frequent opportunities for undergraduate research on a range of projects. Current projects with potential opportunities for undergraduates include research on migratory species governance, forest die-off in North America, and applications of virtual fence technologies on rangelands.
Previous Lab Members:
Dani McLaughlin: Post-doctoral research fellow, who worked with us to investigate governance responses to ecoclimate teleconnections. Now Assistant Professor at Kent State University.
Cameron Burleson: MS student in Natural Resources Studies, who completed a study to understand the impacts of US Forest Service implementation of adaptive management on rangelands using a large dataset of USFS management documents. Cameron is now working in environmental and rangeland management with the Arizona State Land Department.
Nizhoni Tallas: MS student in Natural Resources Studies, who completed research to understand how Indigenous knowledge is and is not incorporated into interpretive language at National Parks and other public land sites in the southwestern US. Nizhoni currently works for the Climate Science Alliance as an Indigenous Stewardship Fellow.