Projects

Nouzelle

Wildlife post-Woolsey Fire Recovery and Recolonization

Awardee: Chloe Nouzille, M.S. student at UCLA, co-advised by Dr. Dan Blumstein and Dr. Seth Riley. Chloe is pursuing a research-based career studying social learning behavior to increase reintroduction success and conserve endangered species.

Small white Linanthus flowers on sandy alpine soil enclosed in clear bags with tubing to collect floral scent samples.

Evolution of floral scent variation in Linanthus

Awardee: Ioana Anghel, fourth year Ph.D. Candidate in the Zapata Lab. Ioana is interested in the drivers of diversification and how taxa maintain their phenotypic and genetic identity while co-existing in a small area with the potential to hybridize.

Underwater view of a sandy seafloor with clumps of algae and soft coral growing on scattered rocky reef outcrops.

Monitoring of artificial reef restoration in Palos Verdes using eDNA

Awardee: Elijah Catalan, first year Ph.D. student at the Institute of Environment and Sustainability. Elijah's research intends to bring together genomic-based biodiversity monitoring, biogeochemistry, Indigenous tribal knowledge, and stewardship programs to understand the resilience of coastal and marine biodiversity to climate change and possibilities for adaptation on the West Coast.