Our Team
Dedication. Expertise. Passion.
We are a group of dedicated conservation biologists working on creative, science-based solutions to biodiversity conservation challenges. We support one another, collaborate on group projects, and have a lot of fun.
Prospective Students interested in working with Dr. Kross at the University of Canterbury should check out this page.
Ananya Agnihotri
PhD Student @ University of Canterbury
Ananya is interested in studying the role of birds in agriculture ecosystems. Her PhD will focus on understanding the ecosystem services and disservices provided by birds in vineyards and arable crop ecosystems, and how these services interact with surrounding farmland habitat.
Ava Johnson
PhD student @ University of Canterbury
Ava is interested in ecology and urban conservation, with a special focus on insects.
Mary Buford Turnage
PhD student @ University of Canterbury
Mary Buford is combining ecological and geospatial methods to look at habitat connectivity and wild biodiversity use of non-crop vegetation across the Canterbury Plains agricultural region. She is broadly interested in transitioning food production systems to address global biodiversity decline and work better for feeding the human population.
Erin Mornin
Masters student @ University of Canterbury
Erin is interested in conservation biology with a specific focus on animal behaviour and ecological relationships. For her current master’s research, she is investigating the occupancy and diet of an introduced owl species in Christchurch.
Kelly Herrmann
Masters student @ University of Canterbury
Kelly is interested in animal behaviour and welfare. For her Master's research, she is investigating if and how visitors at Willowbank Wildlife Reserve impact the overall welfare of four primate species.
Sara Kross, PhD
Senior Lecturer @ Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha| The University of Canterbury.
Sara is a conservation biologist interested in human-modified landscapes, ecosystem services, human-wildlife conflicts, and predator-prey dynamics.
Jordan Hollinshead
Masters student @ University of Canterbury
Jordan is interested in ecological relationships and how they influence conservation efforts and agricultural practices in New Zealand. Her current Master’s research focuses on understanding the impact of birds in New Zealand kiwifruit orchards.
Fergus Lowen
Masters student @ University of Canterbury
Fergus is interested in conservation biology and ecology that includes responses to environmental changes and human-wildlife interactions/services with a specific focus on vertebrates.
Emily Phillips
PhD student @ UC Davis
Emily is studying barn owl nesting ecology, growth rates, diet, and other aspects of their ecology in intensive farmland.
Laura Plimpton
PhD student @ Columbia
Laura is interested in the effect of anthropogenic drivers, specifically related to land conversion and habitat fragmentation, on spillover (and spillback) of zoonoses.
Lab Alumni & Affiliates
Michael Levin
Kross Lab:
Kross Lab:
Masters student @ Columbia & Current lab affiliate
PhD student @ Columbia
Katie Maffett
Kross Lab:
Kross Lab:
Masters student @ Columbia
Lab Manager @ Texas A&M
Breanna Martinico
Kross Lab:
Kross Lab:
BSc and PhD @ UC Davis
Human-Wildlife Interactions Advisor for UCANR
Andie Muñoz
Kross Lab:
Kross Lab:
Masters student @ Columbia
PhD student @ VIMS
Anna Soccorsi
Kross Lab:
Kross Lab:
Masters student @ Columbia
TBA!
Rochelle Thomas
Kross Lab:
Kross Lab:
Masters student @ Columbia
Director of Greenwich Audubon
Kevin Webb
Kross Lab:
Kross Lab:
Lab Affiliate
Angel Investor & Director of Superorganism
Patrick Mackenzie
Kross Lab:
Kross Lab:
Lab Affiliate
Postdoc @ Harvard
Jared Meek
Kross Lab:
Kross Lab:
Lab Affiliate
PhD candidate @ Columbia University
Jess Schlarbaum
Kross Lab:
Kross Lab:
Masters student @ UC Davis
Public Information Office @ The Peregrine Fund
Jay Schoen
Kross Lab:
Kross Lab:
Lab Affiliate
PhD candidate @ Columbia University
Vijay Ramesh
Kross Lab:
Kross Lab:
Lab Affiliate
Postdoc @ Cornell Lab of Ornithology