Research output per year
Research output per year
Universitetsparken 15, 2100 København Ø
Universitetsparken 15
2100 København Ø
Research activity per year
Assistant Professor & Curator of Birds
Natural History Museum of Denmark
Center for Macroecology, Evolution & Climate
My research program centers on the geography of avian diversification. I study the relative roles of different types of geographic barriers to understand how barrier permeability and periodicity affect the mode and tempo of diversification, and how landscape features and connectivity shape colonization patterns. To study the impact of these geographic features on avian populations, I infer their evolutionary relationships with genomic data collected from high- quality specimens. I work at multiple scales, from higher-level phylogenetics down to fine-scale phylogeography of species complexes. I combine phylogenetics and phylogeography with complementary data streams such as ancestral range/character reconstructions, distributional modeling, and assessments of plumage and vocalizations in a comparative framework. I owe these broad interests to a life-long reverence for natural history.
Education:
Ph.D. University of Kansas, Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (2014). Dissertation title: Drivers of avian diversification in an island archipelago
B.S. Cornell University, Dept. of Natural Resources (2003). Thesis title: A comparison of dispersal estimation methods in birds using a local dispersal study and data from the National Bird Banding Lab
Professional appointments
University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Sciences, Natural History Museum of Denmark, Center for Macroecology, Evolution, and Climate. Associate Professor and Curator of Birds
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History. Department of Vertebrate Zoology. Division of Birds. Peter Buck Postdoctoral Fellow, 2017–2018
School for Field Studies. Center for Himalayan Studies. Program Academic Lead and Resident Lecturer, 2016–2017
University of Florida. Department of Biology and Florida Museum of Natural History. Postdoctoral Associate, 2014–2017
Peer-reviewed publications
* denotes undergraduate mentee co-author
Non-peer-reviewed publications
Research Grants and Fellowships
2017–2020 National Science Foundation, BCS1659032: Collaborative research: an inquiry into turkey behavioral and morphological change. (Co-PI) $158,800
2017–2018 Smithsonian Institution, Peter Buck Postdoctoral Fellowship: Evolutionary genomic consequences of dispersal limitation and flight loss in birds. $106,400
2011, 2013 University of Kansas EEB Summer Research Fellowship, two awards totaling $4,000
2012 University of Kansas, Graduate Studies Summer Research Fellowship. $5,000
2012 American Ornithologists’ Union Student Travel Award: $700
2007, 2012 University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute, Panorama Small Grant Competition, two awards totaling $1,700
2011–2013 National Science Foundation, DEB1110619: Dissertation research: Testing the Pleistocene aggregate island complex (PAIC) diversification model in co-distributed avian lineages. Co-PI $14,900
2011 University of Kansas Graduate Student Research Fund $3,000
2011 American Ornithologists’ Union, Alexander Wetmore Research Award $2,500
2011 American Museum of Natural History, Frank Chapman Memorial Grant $2,000
2011 National Geographic Society Committee for Research and Exploration: An avifaunal inventory of Ayacucho, Peru. $13,500
2010 American Philosophical Society, Lewis and Clark Research and Exploration Grant $3,500
2008 Tinker Foundation Research Travel Grant $850
Awards and Honors
2016 Elective member, American Ornithological Society
2016 American Ornithological Society, James G. Cooper Young Professional Award
2016 Wilson Ornithological Society, Edwards Prize for best major article published in
Wilson Journal of Ornithology in 2015
2012 University of Kansas, Michael S. Gaines Award, teaching excellence in undergraduate biology
Presentations (First author/presenter only)
Invited seminars
2018 Exploring avian diversification through natural history collections. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, CA
2017 Biogeography and diversification of the avian model clade. American Museum of Natural History, New York NY
2016 Phylogenomics of the avian model clade. Louisiana State Museum of Natural Science, Baton Rouge, LA
2015 Genomic approaches to avian biogeography: from root to tip. Invited Seminar. Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History/Department of Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman OK
2015 Avian biogeography and phylogenomics: from root to tip. Royal Ontario Museum/University of Toronto Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Toronto ON
Symposium presentations
2018 How do geographic barriers structure population genomic variation in Philippine birds? American Ornithological Society annual meeting, Tucson AZ.
2016 Avian diversification in the Philippine archipelago. North American Ornithological Congress, Washington D.C.
2013 Resolving the complex evolutionary history of a Philippine Passerine: insights from thousands of nuclear loci. American Ornithologists’ Union annual meeting, Chicago IL
Selected conference presentations
2016 Evolution of vagility and convergent island gigantism in quail (Aves: Coturnix). North American Ornithological Congress, Washington D.C.
2016 Evolution of vagility and convergent island gigantism in quail (Aves: Coturnix). Evolution 2016, Austin TX
2015 Phylogeny and diversification of the New World quail (Odontophoridae). American Ornithologists’ Union Annual meeting, Estes Park, CO
2014 Resolving the complex evolutionary history of a Philippine with genome-wide markers. Evolution 2014, Raleigh NC
2013 Paleoclimate breaks isolated Philippine bird lineages. Evolution 2013, Snowbird UT.
2012 Testing the Pleistocene aggregate island complex (PAIC) model of diversification in co-distributed avian lineages. North American Ornithological Congress, Vancouver BC
2011 Testing the Pleistocene aggregate island complex (PAIC) model of diversification in co-distributed avian lineages. American Society of Field Ornithologists/Cooper Ornithological Society/Wilson Ornithological Society Annual meeting, Kearney NE
2010 Molecular phylogeny and biogeography of the Knipolegus Black-Tyrants. American Ornithologists’ Union, San Diego CA
Field Experience
2018 Smithsonian Institution. Avian specimen collecting expedition. Sarawak, Malaysia
2016–2017 School for Field Studies. Field ecology instructor. Bhutan
2012 University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute. Avian specimen collecting expedition. Ayacucho, Cuzco; Peru
2012 University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute. Vertebrate and parasite specimen collecting expedition. Bohol, Mindanao; Philippines
2011 University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute. Vertebrate and parasite collecting expedition. Luzon, Polilio; Philippines
2009 University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute. Vertebrate and parasite specimen collecting expedition. Govi, Mongolia
2009 University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute. Avian specimen collecting expedition. Ayacucho, Peru
2008 University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute. Avian specimen collecting expedition. Junin, Peru
2008 University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute. Vertebrate specimen collecting expedition. Luzon, Mindanao; Philippines
2006–2007 SWCA Inc. Field team leader, Southwestern Willow Flycatcher population surveys. Arizona, California, USA
2006–2007 Asosiación Armonia. Cochabamba Mountain-Finch population surveys. Bolivia
2006 U. Southern Mississippi. Field team leader, migratory bird surveys. Louisiana, USA
2005–2006 Fundación Jocototoco. Private reserve bird population surveys & mapping. Ecuador
2005 Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Science. Avian specimen collecting expeditions & birds of tree plantation surveys. Sabah, Malaysia
2004–2005 Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory. Breeding bird surveys. Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico; USA
2004 Cornell University. Avian community assembly surveys. Madre de Dios, Peru
2003 Cornell Museum of Vertebrates. Avian specimen collecting expedition. Uruguay
Museum Curatorial experience
2018– Curator of Birds, Natural History Museum of Denmark
2008–2013 Graduate Research/Curatorial Assistant, Ornithology division, University of
2002–2004 Curatorial Assistant, Ornithology and Mammalogy, Cornell Museum of Vertebrates
Collegiate Teaching experience
2016–2017 School for Field Studies
SFS 3060: Mountain Ecology (instructor)
SFS 4910: Directed Research (instructor)
2007–2014 University of Kansas
BIO 593: Ornithology (lecture and lab, primary instructor)
BIO 350: Principles of Genetics (discussion, graduate teaching assistant)
BIO 152: Principles of Organismal Biology (lecture and lab, graduate teaching assistant)
BIO 150: Principles of Cell and Molecular Biology (lab, graduate teaching assistant)
Service
2007– Manuscripts reviewed: Auk: Ornithological Advances, Biodiversity Informatics, Biological Journal of the Linnaean Society, Boletín SAO, Checklist, Condor: Ornithological Applications, Cotinga, Diversity & Distributions, Ecologia en Bolivia, Evolution, Florida Field Naturalist, Global Ecology & Biogeography, Ibis, Journal of Biogeography, Journal of Field Ornithology, Molecular Biology & Evolution, Molecular, Molecular Ecology, Phylogenetics & Evolution, Neotropical Biodiversity, Ornitología Neotropical, PLoS One, PeerJ, PhytoKeys, Proceedings of the Royal Society Series B, Revista Mexicana de Biodiversidad, Wilson Journal of Ornithology, Zootaxa.
2009– Cornell Lab of Ornithology eBird records reviewer, Philippines and Mongolia
2017– American Ornithological Society, Young Professional Awards Committee
2018– American Ornithological Society Student Presentation Award reviewer
2017 Wilson Ornithological Society, Edwards Prize reviewer
2007–2014 University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute, Public bird collection tours and outreach events.
2011–2012 University of Kansas EEB Dept., Admissions Committee Graduate Student Representative.
2010–2011 University of Kansas EEB Dept., Executive Committee Graduate Student Representative.
2008–2010 American Ornithologists’ Union, Student Advisory Committee member
Professional Society Memberships
American Ornithological Society (AOS) – International Biogeography Society (IBS) Society of Systematic Biologists (SSB)
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/debate › Research › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Editorial › Research › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Letter › Research › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review