Desiree Narango , PhD.

I’m a conservation scientist and research ecologist at the Vermont Center for Ecostudies. My research focuses on biodiversity conservation and habitat restoration in the face of global change. I primarily study plants, insects, and birds with a particular focus on multi-trophic interactions,  habitat relationships of wildlife with specialized life histories, and mechanistic approaches to applied ecology.

Most of my work takes place in forests of all types, from naturally regenerating and preserved forests to novel ecosystems significantly altered by people, such as urban parks, residential yards, and agroforestry. My interdisciplinary work uses field, lab, and modeling-based approaches to answer questions across scales and taxa. My ultimate goal is to help land managers and communities implement effective and efficient action to support biodiversity and people in a rapidly changing world. I am also strongly committed to public outreach and communication, collaborations between scientists and artists, and improving diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in ecology and conservation.

Before joining VCE, I was a 2020 David H. Smith Conservation Research Fellow working with Susannah Lerman at the USDA Forest Service, Alex Gerson at University of Massachusetts Amherst, and Jeffrey Buler at University of Delaware. I completed my PhD in 2018 at University of Delaware advised by Doug Tallamy and Peter Marra. I also completed a M.S. in 2012 at The Ohio State University with Amanda Rodewald. From 2018-2020 I was a postdoctoral researcher with Peter Groffman and Susannah Lerman at City University of New York.