GRADUATE STUDENTS
Rupinder Bakhshi
Rupinder is interested in coupled socio-ecological systems inclusive of community-based forest management, human wildlife conflict and coexistence, and landscape ecology. She worked on diverse aspects of community engagement for conservaon at WWF-India for four years, and received a Fulbright fellowship to pursue a master’s degree at Duke University (2018-2020). Her doctoral research will likely explore intersecons between resource tenure, forest management, conflict and conservaon outcomes in central India.
Michael Levin
Michael translates his interest in the regions where humans and wildlife actively share the landscape into research on the movement ecology of meso-carnivores in North America. His PhD research is on renewable energy landscapes, and specifically focuses on how solar energy infrastructure may influence the movement and habitat selection of bobcats through solar-dense regions of North Carolina.
Erich Eberhard
Erich is interested in using emerging technologies to better understand the link between biodiversity and ecosystem services in tropical landscapes, with the goal of informing land-use strategies that advance conservation and human wellbeing. To complement his research, he develops multimedia projects that explore environmental narratives and enable community participation in research and management. He is co-advised by Ruth DeFries and Shahid Naeem.
Anubhav Vanamamalai
Anubhav’s research is geared towards achieving wildlife conservation goals in a human-dominated landscape, with an emphasis on integrating scientific research with on-ground implementation. His previous work with non-profit organizations in India explored the effective use of conservation technologies in addressing human-wildlife conflict. His doctoral research work will focus on human-wildlife interactions, landscape ecology and land-use change, and the intersection of policy, economics, and wildlife conservation.
Linnea Norton
Linnea studies how past and present changes to the climate and natural resource management practices shape ecological landscapes, focusing on carbon cycling in coastal mangrove forests for her PhD dissertation (co-advised with Dr. Maria Uriarte). A National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships Program recipient, she is interested in how economic incentives in the voluntary carbon market influence ecosystem functioning, local community livelihoods, and climate resilience. Her field work is based in Senegal’s Saloum Delta, where she served as a Peace Corps volunteer before working in carbon finance .
Savannah Cooley
Savannah’s research interests stem from her personal and professional mission of playing a role in mitigating climate change. Her current research focuses on ecosystem regeneration dynamics at landscape and global scales. In particular, she is interested in characterizing how forest regeneration can influence ecosystem-atmosphere exchanges of water, carbon and trace greenhouse gases. To investigate these dynamics, Savannah uses a transdisciplinary toolset suitable for addressing complex socio-ecological challenges that includes remote sensing data, Bayesian statistics, co-production approaches integrating local knowledge and indigenous perspectives, field observations and process-based theoretical modeling. She is co-advised by Dr. Duncan Menge.
POST DOCS
Benjamin Clark
Benjamin Clark received his PhD from the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology. He is now working on nature-based solutions for climate mitigation in India.
