Research

Dissertation Abstract:  Urban ecosystems are increasingly shaped by intertwined social, ecological, and historical processes, yet these dynamics are often treated in isolation. This dissertation integrates perspectives from the humanities, ecology, and public health to investigate how historical injustices, built environments, and socio-ecological factors influence rodent communities and zoonotic risks in cities, with Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, serving as the primary study system. In Chapter 1, I propose the concept of social-ecological landscapes of fear as a framework to account for negative human histories, such as eviction and environmental injustice, that constrain ecological inquiry. Drawing parallels with predator-induced landscapes of fear in ecology, I argue that failure to acknowledge these histories limits where and how science is conducted, reinforcing inequities in conservation. In Chapter 2, I use an agent-based model to evaluate how residential building efficiency and retrofitting influence populations of brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) and their predators, red foxes (Vulpes vulpes). The simulations reveal that retrofitting reduces rodent abundance most effectively when paired with greenspace access and limited commercial activity. Furthermore, large-scale efficiency initiatives demonstrate both ecological benefits and economic feasibility by aligning pest mitigation with sustainable development goals. In Chapter 3, I examine how socio-economic conditions and park attributes shape rodent community diversity and composition across fifteen neighborhoods. Using trapping surveys, DNA sequencing, and sanitation assessments, I show that income, homeownership, and building density influence park size and receptacle types, which in turn mediate native versus invasive rodent captures. Results emphasize that internal park habitat structure exerts a stronger influence on rodent assemblages than neighborhood-level attributes, highlighting the need for habitat-specific management. Finally, Chapter 4 builds on these ecological and socio-economic insights by assessing the prevalence of Leptospira and hantaviruses in urban rodents. Using the same field sampling framework as Chapter 3, this ongoing work links rodent diversity and provenance to pathogen risk, with implications for anticipating zoonotic spillover under varying sanitation and habitat conditions.

Together, these studies advance a transdisciplinary framework that situates urban rodent ecology within its social and historical contexts. By bridging ecological modeling, field surveys, pathogen screening, and critical humanistic inquiry, the dissertation demonstrates how addressing both structural inequities and ecological processes is essential for designing resilient, healthy, and inclusive cities.

Overview:  My work centers around the interactions of wildlife and their environments. For my dissertation, I am primarily focused on urban spaces and use cross-cutting methodologies, including framing my research around One Health, social theory, and environmental justice. The breath of my interest is reflected in my PhD committee, which is made up of an array of disciplines, including my PI, Dr. Nyeema C. Harris, a wildlife ecologist, economist Dr. Ken Gillingham, climate change and public health scholar Dr. Daniel Carrión, and urban ecologist and forester, Dr. Morgan Grove. 

One Health: The Philadelphia Rodent Study PRS leverages my wildlife and well-being research background. Studying the drivers of urban rodents and their pathogens in Philadelphia, I can begin to parse out how novel dynamics of cities, like energy burden, shape rodent communities and the potential for zoonotic disease spread. For this research, I lead rodent/scat sampling across 15 different Philadelphia neighborhoods. To answer these questions, I am using different statistical and molecular techniques. This work would not be possible without collaboration, including the Philadelphia Data Lab, Friends of Gorgas Park, Dion Lerman, Dr. Marieke Rosenbaum, Dr. Fedrico Costa, and many, many more. 

 Social Theory: Studying wildlife insolation is no longer enough, especially in cities. Ignoring the legacy effects of policy and actions that are detrimental to different areas means ignoring critical drivers of behavioral and phenotypic characteristics of wildlife. I explore the harms of ignoring these legacies, erasing them, or hyper-focusing on particular narratives. Haerms include the lack of funding to explore scientific questions in particular areas, oversimplification of questions, or misrepresenting communities in scientific studies. Ensuring these harms do not occur means doing science differently, which means emphasizing community voices and ultimately being comfortable with being uncomfortable. 

Solutions: For me finding casual relationships between well-being, the environmnet, and wildlife is great. But, extrodinary science means going beyond dessimnating to implementation. We owe it to tax payers who support scientific research. My work aspries to implemnt retrofitting, greening, and other climate soultions that protects  pathogens and dangerous temeratures so everyone can live helthy fulfilling lives.