Ophelia Wang

With a strong interest in the Neotropics, I began my MS thesis work at the University of Illinois on how palms impose recruitment limitation on seedlings in Costa Rica and Panama. A growing interest in applied ecology, conservation, and geographic information system motivated me to shift my MA work to Neotropical palm communities in fragmented forests in northern Costa Rica. I conducted my PhD research in the Ecuadorian Amazon for tree diversity patterns and conservation planning.

I began working as a postdoctoral Research Associate in the Lab of Landscape Ecology and Conservation Biology at NAU in 2010. My postdoctoral projects consist of a multidisciplinary project of integrated spatial models of non-native plant invasion, fire risk, and wildlife habitat to support conservation of military and adjacent lands in the arid Southwest, funded by the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program at the Department of Defense. In addition, I participate in a project using time series remote sensing approach to map fine fuels in the Sonoran Desert ecosystems, funded by the Joint Fire Science Program. My other projects include vegetation mapping in the Kane and Two Mile Ranches in northern Arizona, remote sensing analysis of deforestation patterns in relation to drug activities in Honduras, and conservation prioritization and reforestation recommendations in Nicaragua based on land use and land cover change analysis.

I became the first Bisgrove Postdoctoral Scholar in 2011. The Bisgrove fund has supported me to pursue training and career development opportunities of non-profit conservation leadership, such as Certificate of Professional Achievement in Nonprofit Management at the Kellogg School of Management in Northwestern University and Conservation Leadership Practicum at Monterey Institute of International Studies. I obtained her Adjunct Faculty status at NAU in 2011 and has supervised undergraduate and graduate students who are supported by the Wyss Conservation Scholarship, NAU/NASA Space Grant Scholarship, and NAU Global Learning Research Scholarship. I aim to integrate my skills in geospatial techniques for conservation biology and my advancement in Bisgrove career training towards developing biodiversity conservation consulting opportunities.

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