Shahid Naeem (he/him) is Professor of Ecology in the Dept. of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology and Director of the Earth Institute Center for Environmental Sustainability at Columbia University. He obtained his PhD from the University of California at Berkeley, was a postdoctoral fellow at Imperial College of London, the University of Copenhagen, and University of Michigan. He has served on the faculty of the University of Minnesota, the University of Washington, and currently serves on the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and the Earth Institute at Columbia University. Recipient of the Ecological Society of America’s Buell and Mercer Awards and the Lenfest Distinguished Faculty award at Columbia University, he is also a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and an Aldo Leopold Leadership fellow. Considered among the "World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds" in environmental and ecological science by Thompson Reuters in 2014, his teaching, research, and publications focus on the importance of biodiversity in the functioning of ecosystems and the services they provide humanity. [CV 2023]
Matt Palmer (he/him) is a Senior Lecturer in the department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology. He received his PhD in Ecology and Evolution from Rutgers University, where he studied plant community ecology. He is currently involved in a range of research and education projects in New York City and the surrounding region. He collaborates with NYC Parks, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, NASA, the USDA Forest Service, and several units within Columbia University on research, teaching, and teacher training initiatives. Current research projects include evaluating the ecosystem functions of green infrastructure, studying the ecosystem consequences of reforestation in NYC, and providing scientific support for the management of both invasive and rare species throughout the region. Matt teaches classes in botany, forest ecology, urban ecology, herpetology, and research methods. Many of these classes involve significant field work.
Erich Eberhard (he/him), PhD student | Broadly, I am interested in the interdisciplinary study of coupled human and natural systems, with an emphasis on understanding the socioeconomic drivers of biodiversity loss and its cascading consequences for ecosystem function, ecosystems services, and human wellbeing. My PhD research makes use of emerging technologies, including bioacoustics, to study biodiversity dynamics across multi-use tropical landscapes and unravel the mechanisms by which they shape services. To complement my research activities, I develop multimedia projects that explore environmental narratives and support community participation in research and management.
Rin Krichilsky (He/They, as Erin in the literature) | Rin has an affinity for all creatures six-legged and/or chitinous. However, their soft spot is for wasps and bees in the superfamily Apoidea, which they have been studying since 2015. They graduated with a B.S. in 
Entomology from Cornell University in 2017 and, prior to starting their PhD at Columbia, worked for the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama, the USDA in Utah, and Academia Sinica in Taiwan. They are a partner PhD student advised by Dr. Shahid Naeem in E3B and Dr. Jessica Ware at the American Museum of Natural History. Rin's research focuses on Systematics, Biodiversity, and Ethics. Their dissertation harnesses collections, phylogenomics, and field studies to elucidate the evolutionary relationships of Apoidea, as well as the role of diet in their diversification and richness.
Essential Apoidea Reading Recs: Sphecid Wasps of the World (Bohart and Menke), The Bees of the World (Michener), Wasp Farm (Evans), The Solitary Bees (Danforth)
Maddy Dietrich (she/her), PhD student | My research focuses on marine ecology and coastal resilience, in particular the way that climate change and other abiotic factors affect biodiversity and ecosystem functioning of southeastern US salt marshes.
Emily Leggat (she/her), PhD student | I am interested in how human environments and infrastructure influence species interactions. My area of focus is insect interactions in urban areas. [CV 2023]
Lily Kunkel (they/them), PhD Student, former Bridge Scholar |Ecology is the foundation and methodological home base for my research interests, but
I’m deeply influenced and inspired by further research and work experience in social psychology, archaeology, environmental art, and sustainability. I am interested in urban avian communities and the ecosystem services they provide, particularly at the intersection of cultural diversity and biodiversity. As a Two-spirit ecologist of Cherokee and Choctaw descent, I am also interested in the urban Indigenous experience, human-nature relationships, citizen science, and creative, accessible science engagement!
Sean Reese (he/him) is a PhD student in the School of International and Public Affairs' Sustainable Development program. He is broadly interested in natural resource policy but focuses on topics at the intersection of economics, ecology, and earth science. He is particularly interested in global efforts to preserve biodiversity, the economic value of nature, and how the biosphere acts as a mediator for climate change impacts (particularly through the provision of ecosystem services).
Mads Moore (they/them) investigates the distribution, abundance, and ecology of 
Coleoptera in urban parks across NYC, with the intention of understanding edge effects and candidate genes found in chosen taxa to identify any traits aiding in urban adaptation and genetic differentiation. Prior to becoming a graduate student, they worked with the Toews Lab at Penn State for over two years as a field assistant sampling wood warblers, where they fell in love with avian research. Prior to that, they worked as a STEM educator and metalsmith building and educating at the intersection of science and art. Their diverse background in both education and craftsmanship has enriched their perspective on scientific research and community engagement, and reinforces their dedication to good science communication. In their free time, they love to bike, build community, and laugh.