People

Dr. Melanie Davis

Current Members

Carina Kusaka – PhD

I received a B.S. in Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology from Colorado State University, where I studied behavioral and movement ecology of reptiles. My graduate research in the Davis lab at OSU is focused on the tufted puffin, a Species of Greatest Conservation Need along the Oregon Coast. I am conducting spatial analyses to examine changes in the relationship between suitable breeding habitat and population viability of tufted puffins over time. Being born and raised in Hawai’i has helped me develop a passion for wildlife conservation, as well as a strong interest in finding ways to broaden participation in ecology. 

Katherine Carey – PhD

I grew up in the Northeast before moving to Oregon to study freshwater fisheries. I worked for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife for two years on three projects related to salmonid conservation before completing my MS degree in Fisheries Science from Oregon State University in 2022. I am now pursuing a PhD in the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences. My research focuses on native fish community assemblages in relation to disturbance ecology in Goose Lake Basin, Oregon. As an endorheic desert valley, Goose Lake Basin is highly susceptible to drought and wildlife which threaten future water availability and habitat connectivity for a variety of native and non-native fish species. My research will provide managers and stakeholder partners with contemporary and projected species distribution maps under varying climate scenarios to identify key riparian areas for habitat restoration.

 

Noelle Foster – MS

I am a Master’s student who is examining the effects of the 2020 Labor Day fires on wildlife habitat use in the Oregon Cascades. I grew up in Idaho and received my B.S. in Zoology from Weber State University (Ogden, UT). I have a passion for ornithology and I have had the opportunity to assist with various avian research projects in Idaho, Utah, and Mongolia. My free time is spent with my partner and our dog, birding, trail running, backpacking, and surfing.

Bryan Reiley – Research Associate

I am a Research Associate within the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences at Oregon State University. My work is focused on a Chinook Salmon project attempting to model carrying capacity and estimating population parameters under alternative management and climate scenarios within the Nisqually River Delta in Washington State. My interest in wildlife began at an early age while observing (and capturing!) the various wildlife occupying my backyard in upstate NY. That interest has led me to work with and study numerous wildlife species throughout the United States and Canada including bears, fish, songbirds, reptiles, and arthropods. I have a bachelors degree in Wildlife and Fisheries Science from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, a Master’s in Avian Ecology from Arkansas State University, and a PhD in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Illinois at Champaign/Urbana. While most of my published academic work has focused on avian ecology and conservation my research interests are broad but primarily focused on questions related to applied science with clear application to problem solving. Outside of work I spend too much time on home improvements and when weather allows hiking, camping, and traveling with my wife, daughter, and our dog Mango.

 

Previous Members