I am a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Winchell Lab at New York University (NYU) working on urban Anolis lizards and fine-scale species distribution models. I am also a Visiting Scientist with the American Museum of Natural History's Center for Biodiversity, where I co-coordinate meetings for the NY Species Distribution Modeling Discussion Group. I completed my PhD in May 2024 in the Akcakaya Lab in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at Stony Brook University in New York. 

As a landscape ecologist and herpetologist, I am interested in what determines where we find species over varying spatial and temporal scales, specifically reptile and amphibian species. I am particularly interested in how species distributions and space use may shift due to various types of anthropogenic change, including climate change and changes in extreme weather, as well as urbanization and deforestation. My PhD research used a combination of field and quantitative modeling methods to address questions related to the ecology and distributions of Puerto Rican Anolis lizards. You can read more about this work on my Research page.

In addition to my research, mentoring, teaching, and working with students is incredibly important to me, and something that I will continue to prioritize throughout my career. I have ~40 students in Puerto Rico who I continue to work with, mentor, and assist in applying to internships and graduate school, and who have taught me so much about Puerto Rico’s biodiversity and culture. I believe that involving and engaging students who are local to where I conduct my field work is critical to supporting local conservation efforts and respecting those who live there. Involving local students in my field work - and supporting them long after our field work concludes - will remain a constant throughout my career, regardless of where my work takes me. 

I am also broadly interested in science communication, outreach, and public speaking. As a STRIDE Fellow through Stony Brook's Institute for Advanced Computational Science, I aimed to improve on these skills in order to faciliate my future efforts in conserving species. I love giving public talks on herpetology, conservation, and field work, and look forward to any public speaking and outreach opportunities that come my way!

If you're interested in seeing some photos from the field, please check out my Instagram @annainthefield or my Field Photos page on this website!