Ecological Networks
Lab Members
Meet our lab members! Our research group combines a wealth of knowledge with students coming from both the Graduate Group in Ecology and Applied Math programs.
Fernanda Valdovinos
I am a theoretical ecologists and network scientist studying the structure and dynamics of ecosystems facing anthropogenic perturbations. I focus on the mechanisms empirical research has shown to be important for the dynamics of ecological systems. I integrate those mechanisms into mathematical models of ecological networks that I interrogate using computers, mathematical analysis and biological intuition, and whose predictions I test with empirical data.
Casey Duckwall
PhD Candidate
Applied Mathematics
I am a student in the Applied Math graduate program. My research interests lie in dynamical systems, network theory, and statistical programming and in applications of these tools to various biological systems ranging in scale from intracellular reaction networks up to population dynamics, ecological risk assessment, and epidemiology. I am currently focused on extending population dynamics models to incorporate empirical data on oceanographic drivers. Additional interests include math education, teaching, and increasing the accessibility of math resources to more students.
Sabine Dritz
PhD Student
Graduate Group in Ecology
My work integrates empirical, statistical, and computational methods of ecological network theory to address how environmental perturbations arising from climate change impact plant-pollinator communities. I am particularly interested in the ecosystem function of novel plant-pollinator assemblages resulting from phenological shifts, range shifts, and species invasions and how these can inform conservation management practices.
Sophia Simon
PhD Student
Graduate Group in Ecology
I am a PhD student in the Graduate Group in Ecology and a Sustainable Oceans NRT Trainee. I am interested in applying mathematical models to a variety of interdisciplinary, use-inspired research questions spanning marine networks, population dynamics, and epidemiology/microbiology. My work is currently focused on applying theory to understanding the sustainability of complex systems.
Alaina Stockdill
PhD Student
Applied Math
I am a second year Applied Math PhD student and am generally interested in applying mathematical methods to ecological and biological models.
Lauren Mossman
PhD Student
Applied Math
I am a second year PhD student in the Graduate Group for Applied Mathematics. As I continue to explore my research interests under the umbrella of mathematical biology, I am excited by the applications in ecology ranging from climate change to network modeling.
Lab Alumni
Taranjot Kaur, Postdoc, UC Davis (2023-2025).
Milton Stookey (2023-2025) PhD student in Applied Mathematics, UC Davis.
Marco Ruiz (2022-2024) PhD student in Applied Mathematics, UC Davis.
Appilineni Kushal (2022-2024) PhD student in Applied Mathematics, UC Davis.
Rebecca Nelson (2022-2025) PhD student in Ecology, University of California, Davis.
Kayla R. S. Hale (2015-2023) PhD candidate in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan.
Paul R Glaum, Postdoc, University of Michigan and then UC Davis (2018-2022).
Margaret Knight (2021-2022) PhD student in Applied Mathematics, UC Davis.
Jonathan Morris (2018-2020) PhD candidate, University of Michigan.
Maria Isidora Avila-Thieme (2017-2020) PhD Ecology, Catholic University.
Daniel Maes (2019-2020) M.S. in Applied and Interdisciplinary Mathematics, Marjorie Lee Browne Scholar, University of Michigan.
Simone Oliphant (2019-2020) M.S. in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Frontiers Program, University of Michigan.
Alva Curtsdotter, Postdoc, University of Michigan (2018).
Valentin Cocco (2018) M.S. École Normale Supérieure, Paris, France.