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Welcome! I am an avian evolutionary ecologist. Currently, I am a Postdoctoral Associate in Eric Walters Lab at Old Dominion University.
In the Walters Lab, I study the cooperative breeding behavior of Acorn Woodpeckers at the Hastings Natural History Reservation.
For my PhD, I investigated the ecological and environmental factors that determine the elevational distribution of a bird species. I am broadly interested in natural history, eco-physiology, life history evolution and biogeography of birds. I use experimental and comparative methods to understand how the complex interactions between species, their habits and their habitats affects life-history evolution at a macro-eco-evolutionary scale.
In the Walters Lab, I study the cooperative breeding behavior of Acorn Woodpeckers at the Hastings Natural History Reservation.
For my PhD, I investigated the ecological and environmental factors that determine the elevational distribution of a bird species. I am broadly interested in natural history, eco-physiology, life history evolution and biogeography of birds. I use experimental and comparative methods to understand how the complex interactions between species, their habits and their habitats affects life-history evolution at a macro-eco-evolutionary scale.
Recent News
March 2019
I have been awarded a Smithsonian Postdoctoral Fellowship! I will be back to studying Himalayan birds but this time at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum.
February 2019
Gave two talks in Norfolk, Virginia last week. One at the Cape Henry Audubon Society about Himalayan birds and the Old Dominion University Biological Sciences seminar. Both talks resulted in some fascinating conversations with the audiance!
January 2019
First acorn woodpecker manuscript is accepted in American Naturalist! So excited about this paper that studies why acorn woodpecker females form joint-nesting coalitions. A behavior seen in only a handful of other birds.
September 2018
It was wonderful to give research seminars at both the National Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Washington D.C. Met so many cool people!
May 2018
New paper out on how hemoglobin concentration and avian malaria infections interact along a Himalayan elevational gradient. Check it out here!
April 2018
It was great fun attending the American Ornithologists Society meeting in Tuscon Arizona.
Just received the news that my first publication for the year looking at avian blood parasites along elevational gradients was accepted in BMC ecology!
January 2018
I gave my first talk on acorn woodpecker biology at the 150th meeting of the American Society of Naturalists. What a fun meeting. Great talks and great conversations.
November 2017
Our paper on breast stripe dimorphism in green-backed tits is out in Avian Biology Research. Green-backed tits again made it to the cover of the journal!
October 2017
Had an amazing time at Cal Poly where I gave the Biological Sciences Departmental Seminar about my research! I was hosted by Clint Francis and had the pleasure to meet and talk science with many brilliant students in the department.
September 2017
Our paper on elevational replacement in green-backed and cinereous tits is out in Journal of Avian Biology. Its also been chosen as the cover article.
July 2017
Our paper on breast stripe dimorphism in green-backed tits has been accepted in Avian Biology Research!
June 2017
I received the American Ornithological Society Conference Travel Award. Really looking forward to hanging out with fellow bird-nerds at the meeting where I will be talking about my Himalayan bird research.
April 2017
A chapter from my dissertation that describes the interspecific competition between cinereous and green-backed tits and its influence on their elevational distribution was just accepted in the Journal of Avian Biology.
March 2017
Two papers were accepted this month! One on avian vocal mimicry in Tawny Larks and another on Species Distribution Modeling of Western Ghats birds! Both these papers are with undergrad and Master's mentees who worked for me at Cornell.
I started work as a post-doc with Eric Walters at the Hastings Natural History Reservation.
March 2019
I have been awarded a Smithsonian Postdoctoral Fellowship! I will be back to studying Himalayan birds but this time at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum.
February 2019
Gave two talks in Norfolk, Virginia last week. One at the Cape Henry Audubon Society about Himalayan birds and the Old Dominion University Biological Sciences seminar. Both talks resulted in some fascinating conversations with the audiance!
January 2019
First acorn woodpecker manuscript is accepted in American Naturalist! So excited about this paper that studies why acorn woodpecker females form joint-nesting coalitions. A behavior seen in only a handful of other birds.
September 2018
It was wonderful to give research seminars at both the National Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Washington D.C. Met so many cool people!
May 2018
New paper out on how hemoglobin concentration and avian malaria infections interact along a Himalayan elevational gradient. Check it out here!
April 2018
It was great fun attending the American Ornithologists Society meeting in Tuscon Arizona.
Just received the news that my first publication for the year looking at avian blood parasites along elevational gradients was accepted in BMC ecology!
January 2018
I gave my first talk on acorn woodpecker biology at the 150th meeting of the American Society of Naturalists. What a fun meeting. Great talks and great conversations.
November 2017
Our paper on breast stripe dimorphism in green-backed tits is out in Avian Biology Research. Green-backed tits again made it to the cover of the journal!
October 2017
Had an amazing time at Cal Poly where I gave the Biological Sciences Departmental Seminar about my research! I was hosted by Clint Francis and had the pleasure to meet and talk science with many brilliant students in the department.
September 2017
Our paper on elevational replacement in green-backed and cinereous tits is out in Journal of Avian Biology. Its also been chosen as the cover article.
July 2017
Our paper on breast stripe dimorphism in green-backed tits has been accepted in Avian Biology Research!
June 2017
I received the American Ornithological Society Conference Travel Award. Really looking forward to hanging out with fellow bird-nerds at the meeting where I will be talking about my Himalayan bird research.
April 2017
A chapter from my dissertation that describes the interspecific competition between cinereous and green-backed tits and its influence on their elevational distribution was just accepted in the Journal of Avian Biology.
March 2017
Two papers were accepted this month! One on avian vocal mimicry in Tawny Larks and another on Species Distribution Modeling of Western Ghats birds! Both these papers are with undergrad and Master's mentees who worked for me at Cornell.
I started work as a post-doc with Eric Walters at the Hastings Natural History Reservation.
