I am a PhD candidate in the Akcakaya Lab in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at Stony Brook University in New York. I am a population ecologist, herpetologist, and conservation biologist interested in the drivers of species distributions and how species distributions may change through time. My work uses a combination of field and quantitative modeling methods to address questions related to the ecology and distributions of Puerto Rican Anolis lizards. Specifically, I use mark-recapture to explore species interactions and quantify species demography for three species of Puerto Rican anole, while I use single- and multi-species distribution models to explore drivers of species distributions for all ten Puerto Rican anole species. 

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 roughly 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 aim 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!