Lab retreat 2021
Laura Prugh, Professor of Quantitative Wildlife Sciences
Research interests: multi-species conservation and management, population and community dynamics, ecological restoration, conservation of fragmented populations, noninvasive genetics
Education
Postdoctoral Researcher, University of California Berkeley
Postdoctoral Researcher, University of British Columbia
PhD (2005), University of British Columbia
BA (1996), Earlham College
Christine Phelan, MS Student
Research Interests: predator-prey dynamics, movement ecology, fire ecology, conservation biology
Education: BFA Animation (2006), Savannah College of Art and Design
Jiangyue Wang, MSc Student
Prashant Mahajan, Visiting Fulbright PhD Scholar
Research Interest: Carnivore ecology, Prey-predator interactions, Trophic interactions, Fear ecology, Human-wildlife interactions
Dissertation: Assessing the strength of perceived predation risk by mesocarnivores from large predators.
Funding: Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellowship (FNDR 2024-2025), USIEF, Prime Minister Research Fellowship (PMRF)
Education
M.Sc. (2018), Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), Wildlife Science
B.Sc. (2016), University of Delhi, Zoology (H)
Katie Breen, PhD Student
Research Interests: conservation science in a changing climate, and using remote sensing to study biodiversity and wildlife
Dissertation: Evaluating camera traps as ground-based remote sensing networks linking snow and wildlife
Funding: NASA Graduate Fellowship, Erasmus global mobility grant, American Scandinavian Foundation
Education: BA Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (2015), Princeton University
Samantha Kreling, PhD Student
Research Interests: urban wildlife behavior and genetics, urban evolution, human-wildlife conflict, community science
Dissertation: Non-invasive insights on urban coyote diet, coexistence, and genetics in Seattle, Washington
Funding: NSF DEB Grant, SEFS Graduate Fellowship, College of Environment Graduate Research Fellowship, UW Royalty Research Fund, Woodland Park Zoo, Animal Welfare Institute, Hall Conservation Genetics Grant
Education: BS Molecular Environment Biology (2019), University of California Berkeley
Ben Sullender, PhD Student
Research Interests: snow-wildlife interactions, global climate change, spatial ecology, conservation biology
Funding: SEFS Graduate Fellowship, NASA Interdisciplinary Science Program, NASA FINESST Fellowship, Program on Climate Change Graubard Fellowship
Education:
BA, Environmental Studies, Carleton College (2011)
MS, Conservation Biology and Sustainable Development, University of Wisconsin-Madison (2016)
Yasmine Hentati, PhD Student
Research Interests: urban carnivore community dynamics, human-wildlife conflict, movement ecology
Dissertation: Urban wildlife health in the Seattle-Tacoma region through a social-ecological lens
Co-Advisor: Chris Schell, UC Berkeley
Funding: NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, NSF DEB grant, Hall Conservation Genetics Grant
Education: BS Wildlife Ecology & Management (2016), University of Maryland
Ellie Reese, Genetics Lab Manager
Research Interests: Morphological and genetic species identification, noninvasive genetic monitoring of endangered species for conservation purposes, PCR design and optimization.
Education:
MSc (2015), UC San Diego, Biology
BSc (2014), UC San Diego, Biology (Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution)
Lab Alumni
Kayla Shively, MSc Student (2023)
Biologist, Wildlife Conservation Society (Fairbanks AK)
Thesis: DNA metabarcoding reveals dietary diversity and prey partitioning in reintroduced fishers in the Washington Cascades
Michael Procko, Research Scientist (2023)
PhD Student, Utah State University
Becca Windell, Research Scientist (2021)
Co-founder, Home Range
PhD Student, Colorado State University
Mira Sytsma, MSc (2019)
Global health consultant, Linksbridge SPC
Thesis: Impacts of tour boat shore excursions on terrestrial wildlife in Glacier Bay National Park
Peter Mahoney, Postdoctoral Researcher (2019)
Wildlife Biologist, Marine Mammal Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, NOAA
Jiake Zhou, PhD student (UAF, 2020)
Faculty, College of Ecology at Lanzhou University
Dissertation: Climate change impacts on ecosystem services in Arctic Alaska
Kelly Williams, Genetics Lab Manager (2019)
Research Associate, Evolutionary Anthropology Department, Duke University (Tung lab)
Mitch Parsons, MS student (2018)
PhD Student, Utah State University
Thesis: Trophic relationships of reintroduced fishers in the South Cascades
Kaija Klauder, MS student (2018)
Wolf technician, Denali National Park
Thesis: Scavenging dynamics and habitat use of wolves and mesocarnivores in Denali National Park
Bridget Borg, PhD student (2015)
Wildlife Biologist, Denali National Park and Preserve
Dissertation: Effects of harvest on wolf social structure, population dyamics, and viewing opportunities in national parks
Casey Pozzanghera, MSc student (2015)
Regional Wildlife Biologist, Idaho Department of Fish and Game
Thesis: Non-invasive methods for obtaining occupancy probabilities and density estimates of interior Alaska's mesocarinvore populations
Kelly Sivy, MSc student (2015)
Contract Biologist, Fairbanks
Thesis: Direct and indirect effects of wolves on interior Alaska's mesopredator community
Ross Dorendorf, MSc student (2015)
Wildlife Biologist, Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Thesis: Motivations and drivers of trapper catch per unit effort in Alaska
