People

Ambika Kamath

Principal Investigator

Contact me at Ambika.Kamath [at] colorado.edu

I’m a behavioral and evolutionary ecologist interested in social and socioecological interactions among individuals, and the impact of these interactions for evolution and for human understandings of nature. I use field-based techniques, close reading and conceptual inquiry, and mathematical modeling approaches to tackle specific questions tailored to different organisms’ unique natural histories.

See my publications on my Google Scholar Page.

You can find my personal website and blog at ambikamath.com

Jenna Pruett

Postdoctoral Scholar

Contact me at Jenna.Pruett [at] colorado.edu

I’m an evolutionary ecologist interested in nesting behavior, maternal effects, and developmental plasticity. The goal of my research is to understand how complex environmental factors contribute to phenotypic variation, particularly in reptile systems. You can read more about my work on my website.

Katie Mazalova

Masters Student

Contact me at Katie.Mazalova [at] colorado.edu

I am a licensed social worker turned EBIO masters student. As a social scientist, my work and research has focused on understanding and treating behavioral disorders through the practice of evidence based models that are trauma informed, as well as advocating for positive social change, equity, and inclusion. As a newbie to the EBIO field I am interested in researching the impact of environmental change on animal behavior and adaptation, and in examining the different ways in which humans and animals relate to one another across different geographic communities and cultures. 

Melina Packer

Research Associate (post-doctoral)

Contact me at Melina.Packer [at] colorado.edu

I am a scholar of queer feminist technoscience studies whose work primarily engages with critical race and postcolonial animal studies and environmental justice. Please visit my website to learn more about my intellectual training, publications, and/or research collaborations. 

Sarah Nalley

Research Associate (post-undergrad)

After working as a professional photographer and in business management, I returned to academia to pursue my passion for wildlife and evolutionary biology. I recently graduated with distinction from CU Boulder with an undergraduate degree in EBIO and am focused on exploring wildlife biology and behavior. My interests include the influences of the wildland-urban interface on vertebrate behavior and adaptive behavior through the lens of climate change. After my experience as a survivor of the Marshall wildfire in Boulder, I am driven to explore how fire and weather extremes driven by climate change affect wildlife populations, community ecology, and how these events may act as selective pressures on animal behavior.

Yanru Wei

Undergraduate Researcher

Currently I am an undergraduate going into my senior year studying Ecology and Evolutionary Biology with a minor in Philosophy at University of Colorado Boulder. I am interested in studying conservation biology and behavioral biology, especially in reptiles. Specifically, I would like to look into the possibility of recovering endangered reptile populations in the wild through captive breeding. As an international student, I am also excited about working and communicating with people with different backgrounds and cultures.

Dylan Clements

Undergraduate Researcher

I’m an undergraduate EBIO student passionate about community ecology and conservation. In particular, I’m interested in how anthropogenic pressures threaten the functional diversity of communities and in turn the health and services of ecosystems.