Barner Lab @ Colby College
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Uncovering the consequences of interconnectedness in nature

In an era of pressing global change, ecologists are increasingly asked to make predictions. I, too, am interested in making predictions about how such change will affect ecosystems, but I'm also interested in when and where such predictions are relevant, accurate, or even possible. I'm a scientist who sits squarely between the worlds of experimentation and ecological theory. As such, I'm interested in questions of translation: how do we translate between the observable world and the mathematical or philosophical tools we use to make sense of the natural world?

During my Ph.D. in the Department of Integrative Biology at Oregon State University, I used experimental approaches to understand how diverse communities of species are formed, persist, and change under pressure from a changing ocean. As a James S. McDonnell Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow in Studying Complex Systems, I explore new ways to think about communities, drawing from emerging techniques in network science to make ecological predictions in the context of global change.


My research questions follow two general lines of inquiry, with an ongoing focus on marine ecosystems:
  • Consequences of species interactions for the structure & stability of diverse communities
  • Moving beyond idiosyncrasy and context-dependency in ecological predictions

Professional Appointments

Education

James S. McDonnell Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow (2016-Present)
Boettiger Lab

Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management
University of California, Berkeley CA


Instructor, Marine Biology & Ecology (2017)
Upper-division field course (section on marine algae)
Oregon State University Hatfield Marine Science Center, Newport OR

Science Policy Graduate Research Assistant (2015-2016)
Dr. Jane Lubchenco
Department of Integrative Biology
Oregon State University, Corvallis OR

EPA STAR Graduate Research Fellow in Global Change (2012-2015)
Department of Integrative Biology
Oregon State University, Corvallis OR
​
Graduate Research & Teaching Assistant (2010-2012)

Menge Lab & Hacker Lab
Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans
Department of Integrative Biology (formerly Zoology)
Oregon State University, Corvallis OR

Undergraduate Research Assistant (2008-2009)
Pfister Lab & Wootton Lab

Department of Ecology & Evolution
University of Chicago, Chicago IL
Oregon State University (2010 - 2016)
Ph.D., Department of Integrative Biology
Ph.D. minor, Statistics
Thesis: Predictability & constraints on the structure of ecological communities in the context of climate change
Advisors: Drs. Bruce Menge & Sally Hacker


University of Chicago (2005 - 2009)
B.A. Honors, Biological Sciences
B.A. Specialization in Ecology & Evolution

Thesis: The mixed mating system of the sea palm kelp
Advisor: Dr. Catherine Pfister

Grants & Awards

JSMF Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2016
OSU Lenore Bayley Graduate Fellowship, 2015
ESA Aquatic Section Best Student Talk Award, 2015
Oregon Lottery Merit Scholarship, 2013
Oregon State College of Science Travel Award, 2013
EPA STAR Graduate Research Fellowship, 2012
OSU Hatfield Mamie Markham Grant, 2012
Sigma Xi Grant-in-Aid of Research, 2012
OSU Integrative Biology Annual Grant, 2011-2015
NSF GRF Honorable Mention, 2011
University of Chicago Biology Research Fellowship, 2008

Connect with me

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github
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Disclaimer: Please note that this is my personal academic website and I do not speak for any university, department, funders, or colleagues.
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