People

Dr. Neil H Carter, Assistant Professor, PI of the Conservation & Coexistence Group
I am an assistant professor in the School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS) at the University of Michigan. My research is highly interdisciplinary and utilizes field-based, quantitative, and conceptual approaches to understand complex feedbacks among people, wildlife, and ecosystems. I strive to conduct actionable research that advances science and informs decision makers on ways to conserve biodiversity while also sustain (and improve) human well-being. Research interests include: Complexity of socio-environmental systems, sustainability science, wildlife ecology, landscape ecology, conservation ecology, and human dimensions of wildlife management.

E-mail: nhcarter@umich.edu

Education:
Postdoctoral Fellow – National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (2013 - 2015)
Ph.D. – Fisheries & Wildlife; Michigan State University (2013)
M.S. – Terrestrial Ecology; University of Michigan (2007)
B.S. – Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution; University of California, San Diego (2003)

Current Conservation & Coexistence Group Members

Alexander Killion, PhD Student, Resource Ecology Management (UM SEAS)
I am a conservation scientist focused on human-environment systems with an emphasis on sustainable development and wildlife conservation. I use interdisciplinary methods, often relying on quantitative approaches and big data at large scales. My dissertation investigates the interactions and tradeoffs between humans and wildlife in shared landscapes. I also enjoy co-developing research with diverse stakeholder groups to create actionable science products.

E-mail: killion@umich.edu

Education:
M.S. – Fisheries & Wildlife; Michigan State University (2016)
B.S. – Biology and Pre-Medicine; Augustana College (2013)

Tara Easter, PhD Student, Resource Ecology Management (UM SEAS)
With a grave concern for the global decline in biodiversity and the disproportionate effects of environmental degradation on different communities, my research broadly examines the efficacy and politics of wildlife conservation and management. My dissertation research is on the intersection between legal commercial freshwater turtle harvest and illegal turtle trapping and trade in the US. This interdisciplinary work draws from fields such as social-ecological systems (SES), geography, and conservation criminology, and utilizes both qualitative and quantitative methods. With this work and future endeavors, I hope to advance SES applications to incorporate underlying political and cultural interactions and better inform conservation policy.

E-mail: tseaster@umich.edu

Education:
M.S. – Biology; Boise State University (2018)
B.S. – Evolution, Ecology, and Conservation; North Carolina State University (2012)

Edward Leal Trout, MSc Student, Biology (Boise State)
The research I conduct is focused on the frontiers of human-wildlife interactions. I am interested in questions of how animals use the landscape in the presence of human activity and the best ways of mitigating human-wildlife conflict. Depredation of livestock by carnivores such as wolves, cougars, bears, and coyotes is a serious and pervasive national problem costing both ranchers and predators. For my thesis, I am working with the Wood River Wolf Project and local sheep ranchers in the Big Wood River Watershed to address these issues. I plan to combine spatial use data from carnivores, their prey, and sheep herding to develop tools to inform future decision making by ranchers to lower both sheep and carnivore mortality.

Email: edwardtrout@boisestate.edu

Education:
B.S. – Zoology; University of California Santa Barbara (2016)
B.A. – Classics; University of California Santa Barbara (2016)

Kaitlyn Frank, MSc Student, Environment and Sustainability (UM SEAS)
Originally a computer scientist by trade, I aim to take an interdisciplinary approach to wildlife conservation and management problems. I am interested broadly in the application of geospatial data science, quantitative methods, and computational tools to questions in landscape ecology, conservation, and wildlife management. My master’s thesis research involves examining the factors influencing road crossing behaviors of cougars and mule deer in the American Southwest to inform decision making around mitigating wildlife-vehicle collisions and to better understand how the dynamics of this predator-prey system are affected by human disturbances.

Email: frankkm@umich.edu

Education:
B.S. – Computer Science; University of Michigan (2016)

Ethan Hiltner, MSc Student, Environment and Sustainability (UM SEAS)
My background is in terrestrial wildlife research and human-wildlife interactions with a focus on management of ungulates and mesocarnivores across the Midwest. I am interested primarily in the application of geospatial data science to inform and facilitate conservation ecology research and wildlife management across broad spatial scales. My master's thesis is aimed at investigating the impact of changing snow depth on mesocarnivore habitat suitability and species interactions in Michigan's Upper Peninsula with an emphasis on developing suitable management techniques in the face of changing climatic conditions.

Email: hiltnere@umich.edu

Education:
B.S. - Fisheries and Wildlife (Specialization in Wildlife Biology and Management); Michigan State University (2018)

Graduates

2020 - Natalie Madden, MS in Conservation Ecology (UM-SEAS)
How traits affect bird responses to anthropogenic noise - a meta-analysis

2019 - Abigail Sage, MS in Biology (Boise State)
Integrating social dimensions into spatial connectivity planning for grizzly bears

2018 - Tara Easter, MS in Biology (Boise State)
Quantifying mammalian interactions and distributions to inform conservation planning in Mozambique

Former Group Members (Boise State)

Dr. Mark Ditmer, Postdoctoral Researcher, Boise State & UM-SEAS (2018-2020)
Dr. Michael J Poulos, Postdoctoral Researcher, Geosciences (2016-2017)
Udaya Jayawardhana, MSc, Research Assistant (2016-2018)
Katherine Markham, PhD Student (2017-2019)
Sarah Coose, B.S. Student, Research Assistant (2019)
Jessica Mueller, B.S. Student, Research Assistant (2018)
Anna Roser, Postbaccalaureate Student, Research Assistant (2018)
Javier Luna, B.A. Student, Research Assistant (2017)
Julie Ramirez, B.S. Student, Research Assistant (2017-2019)