About Gillian
I am a native of Brooklyn, New York and I started my career as an art major attending LaGuardia High School of the Arts where I earned a degree in fine arts with an interest in medical illustration. My academic career was in biological science with an emphasis on wildlife and population genetics, however at the same time, I have had several art shows and one solo ceramic sculpture exhibition. The interdisciplinary nexus between art and science is always of interest to me which led to my current research in collaborative teams. While much of my career was as an ecologist and wildlife biologist for the U.S. National Park Service with postings in Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Joshua Tree and Wrangell St. Elias National Parks, I have always been interested in the application of my research in associated with human communities whether through environmental justice or ecosystem services. Now, I work on ecological indicators of climate change with collaborative partners from many disciplines. Our most recent work is focused on ecological indicators in Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Parks and Huascaran National Park, Peru. We use citizen science apps to generate data on pollinator shifts in the various parks and tie those shifts with local livelihoods. My newest project expands that research with a Marie Curie Horizon 2020 grant from the European Union which features mountain systems from around the world working on livelihoods that are shifting in response to climate change. I am part of a team working on pollinators and biodiversity indicators in high elevations in the Alps, Andes, Rocky Mountains and other mountain ranges.
Website Google Scholar Profile CVInterests
- Sustainability (including adaptation, sustainable development and scholarship on issues related to global and multicultural communities)
- National Parks and Protected areas
- wild pollinators ecology and biodiversity change
- International environmental negotiations (UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, IUCN)
- Art and climate change Women in Science Diversity and Inclusion in Natural Resources
Education
BS, Biology - Northwestern University
Evanston, IL,
MS, Biology - University of Vermont
Burlington VT,
PhD, Biology - University of Missouri-St. Louis
St. Louis, MO,
Awards, Honors, Grants
- NSF-Youth Environmental Alliance in Higher Education (YEAH) RCN-UBE, 2020
- NSF INCLUDES planning grant: Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) in the environmental sciences, 2020
- Marie Curie Horizon 202 RISE (Research Innovation Staff Exchange) grant from European Union, 2020
- NSF-GEO-GOLD Workshop2 . Field Experiences for students in ecology--survey of ecological faculty, 2019
- NSF International travel grant for student participation in negotiations., 2019
- NSF-International environmental negotiations Workshop, 2019
- Fulbright Scholar La Molina University, 2017
- Human Diversity Award-Ecological Society of America , 2017
- NSF-Coupled Natural-Human systems grant: Andes, Bofedales and Cattle. Glacier retreat and livelihood in the high Andes of Peru, 2017
- NSF-GEO-GOLD FIELD project, 2017
- Joint Faculty, Department of Ethnic Studies, Colorado State University, 2013
- Margaret Hazaleus Award for increasing research and scholarship on women and girls, 2013
- NSF- Fostering Learning Alliances in Sustainability in Higher education (FLASH), 2012
- NSF- 3dWomen women in sustainability, 2012
- NSF - Global Women Research Scholars Network, 2011
- AAAS Fellowship in Science and Diplomacy, 2011
- USAID-African Dryland Center, 2011
- NSF-Rocky Mountain Sustainability and Science Network, 2010
- NSF Voices of Culture in Earth Sciences (VOICES) NSF-EAGER,
Presentations
Students doing Goal oriented science for the SDGs
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Madrid, Spain, 2019
Science and Communication
UN Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio de Janeiro, 2012
Science and Diplomacy
American Association for the Advancement of Science, Seattle, Washington, 2020
Science and Diplomacy
American Association for the Advancement of Science, Seattle, 2020
Engaging Diversity students in field experiences in ecology
Ecological Society of America, Louisville, Kentucky, 2019
Global Women Scholars
Gordon Research Conference, New Hampshire, 2012
Social networks and science
University of Wollongong, Australia, 2011
Sustainable Fisheries
Pacific Economic Consulate, New Caledonia, 2011
Certifications
- AAAS Fellow in Science and Diplomacy by AAAS, 2011
Memberships
- Coalition of National Park Service Retirees
- George Wright Society for Parks and Protected Areas
- Ecological Society of America
- American Association for the Advancement of Science