The key objective of my research has been to improve biodiversity assessments for species in the Neotropics by leveraging tools such as remote sensing, species distribution modeling, and knowledge about species functional traits and their roles in the community.

During my Master’s work at the City College of New York, I studied both the distribution and conservation status of the “Olinguito”,  a recently discovered carnivoran endemic to Colombia and Ecuador.  

During my Ph.D. I received a NASA FINESST Award to generate better range maps for species of conservation concern in Central and South American moist tropical forest, regions of high biodiversity. Specifically, I built a new trait database for frugivorous birds in mammals in the Neotropics called ‘Frugivoria’, evaluated the utility of geodiversity data for modeling mammalian species distributions in Colombia, and assessed the spatial dynamics of taxonomic and functional diversity for frugivorous bird and mammals in the Tropical Andes. The workflows I generated will help conservation practitioners make better informed decisions when setting spatial conservation priorities.

Painting, cooking, nature walks!