Ph.D. student
My research is focused on the ecology and evolution of positive interactions in communities. For my PhD, I am interested in understanding the importance of facilitation as a mechanism that structures tropical bird communities, using mixed-species flocks as a study system. I will study how participation in mixed-species flocks can influence life history traits and fitness in birds, as well as the importance of these multi-species systems for migratory species on their wintering grounds. Furthermore, I will use a phylogenetic approach to study the evolution of sociality in birds. I believe that the incorporation of facilitative interactions as a mechanism structuring communities has the potential to reform our understanding of diversity.
