About Me
I was born and raised in Central Oregon, where I enjoyed exploring the Pacific Northwest wilderness and interacting with wildlife at every turn. I have always loved the outdoors, and had a keen interest in wildlife, plants, and many other aspects of nature. My curiosity for the natural world grew during my undergraduate, where I studied environmental science with a focus in wildlife biology. I quickly fell in love with the study of birds, and became enamored with the challenges of identifying birds by sight and sound. Soon after, I had the opportunity to study seabirds in the Gulf of Alaska, where I discovered my passion for research, avian ecology, and conservation.
My research interests are now broadly based in avian ecology, with particular focus on breeding biology, conservation physiology, behavior, and energetics. Examining the intersection of these fields will improve our understanding of both individual and whole population processes, particularly in response to changing environmental conditions.
Let's team up to save the birds!
Rhinoceros auklet chick
Blue grosbeak
Glaucous-winged gull chick
Green-winged teal
Tufted puffin chick
Education
Aug 2024 –– Present
Cal Poly Humboldt
Arcata, California
M.Sc. Candidate
Department of Wildlife
Johnson Habitat Ecology Lab
2019 –– 2023
McGill University
Montréal, Quebec
B.Sc. Agriculture & Environmental Science
First Class Honours in Environmental Biology
Wildlife Biology specialization
Publications
Jackson, L. M., Léandri-Breton, D. J., Whelan, S., Turmaine, A., Hatch, S. A., Grémillet, D., & Elliott, K. H. (2023). Beyond body condition:
Experimental evidence that plasma metabolites improve nutritional state measurements in a free-living seabird. Comparative
Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology, 285, 111504.
Brisson-Curadeau, É., Lacombe, R., Gousy-Leblanc, M., Poirier, V., Jackson, L., Petalas, C., Miranda, E., Eby, A., Baak, J., Léandri-Breton, D.-J., Choy, E., Legros, J., Tranze-Drabinia, E., & Elliott, K. H. (2024). A meta-analysis of the impact of drones on birds. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, n/a(n/a), e2809. https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.2809
Experience
Jan – May 2024
Avian Research Technician
Caesar Kleberg Wildlife
Research Institute
Texas A&M University Kingsville
Southern Texas
-
Assisting with winter and spring trapping efforts of chestnut-bellied scaled quail and northern bobwhite across southern Texas.
-
Quail trapping efforts utilizing baited walk-in funnel traps.
-
Assisting in the deployment of cellular GPS transmitters on captured scaled quail.
-
Programming and monitoring deployed GPS devices
-
Search and recovery of GPS devices
-
Conducting banding, morphometric measurement, aging, sexing, feather and fecal sample collection.
-
Collaboration with private land owners
Oct 2023 – Jan 2024
University of Nebraska – Lincoln
Southeast Kansas
Waterfowl Research Technician
-
Assisted with fall and winter trapping efforts of mallards across the southeast region of Kansas.
-
Trapped waterfowl using baited swim-in funnel traps and cellular trail cameras.
-
Assisted in the attachment and deployment of GPS transmitters on captured mallards.
-
Conducted mallard trap extraction, banding, morphometric measurement, and blood sample collection.
-
Collaborated with local residents, hunters, private land owners, and state or federal refuge managers.
-
Search and recovery of GPS devices.
-
Data collection, management, and organization.
May – Aug 2022
Institute for Seabird
Research and Conservation
Middleton Island, AK
Seabird Field Technician
-
Monitored breeding seabirds; including capture and handling, banding, resighting color bands, recording morphometrics, sedentary behavioural observations, population counting with spotting scope, blood draws of chicks and adults, nest searching and productivity monitoring for cliff- and burrow-nesting species.
-
Black-legged Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla), Pelagic Cormorants (Urile pelagicus), Glaucous-Winged Gulls (Larus glaucescens) , Tufted Puffins (Fraturcula cirrhata), Rhinoceros Auklets (Cerorhinca monocerata), and Common Murres (Uria aalgae).
-
Deployed biologging and tracking devices including light-level geolocators, accelerometers, videologgers, and GPS devices.
-
Data entry, management, and proofing.
-
Lived communally on a remote island with limited amenities, no running water, and lived in a tent for 3.5 months.
Jan 2022 – Apr 2023
McGill University
Montreal, Quebec
Honours Research Thesis
-
Developed a research project including hypotheses, experimental design, and field protocol.
-
Managed a small field team and led daily field work, including training and oversight of assistants.
-
Directed 3.5 months of technical field sampling including capture and handling of Black-legged
-
kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla), blood and feather sampling, blood sample analysis, deployment of biologger
-
and geolocator devices, and ultrasounds.
-
Collaborated with researchers from various institutions.
-
Data entry, management, proofing, and analysis (using Microsoft Excel, R, and ArcGIS).
-
Conducted laboratory analyses of blood-plasma triglyceride content using Gen5 microplate reader.
-
Reviewed literature on seabird nutrition, breeding physiology, and energetics.
-
Manuscript accepted for publication in Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A.
May – Aug 2021
Grace Bio-Labs
Bend, OR
Research and Development Intern
-
Examined literature on novel applications of microarray technology to ecological studies including crop management, GMO detection, and soil quality monitoring.
-
Assisted with microarray prints and scans, growth of cell lines, and cell viability assays.
-
Received technical training on aseptic technique, cell seeding, cell culturing, cell passaging, microarray
-
scanning and imaging with GenePix, Innopsys, and EVOS scanners.
-
Data entry and organization.
July 2021
Oregon State University – Cascades
Bend, OR
Field Assistant
-
Assisted with long-term woodpecker monitoring surveys in the Metolius River area.
-
Field work included nest searching for cavity-nesting birds, species identification, vegetation surveys, and
-
resighting previously identified nesting sites.
-
Learned to operate handheld GPS devices, “Peeper” cavity inspection cameras, and digital clinometers.
Presentations
Beyond Body Condition: Experimental Evidence that Plasma Metabolites Improve Nutritional State Measurements in a Free-Living Seabird. Oral presentation at the Pacific Seabird Group 51st Annual Meeting. February 21–23, 2024. Seattle, WA.
Metabolites Levels Reflect Nutritional State in a Free-Living Seabird. Poster presentation at the Pacific Seabird Group 50th Annual Meeting. February 15–17, 2023. San Diego, CA.
Honors & Awards
Honorable Mention for Oral Presentation | Pacific Seabird Group 51st Annual Meeting (2024)
Awarded to one outstanding undergraduate/master's student presenters
First Class Honours in Environmental Biology | McGill University (2023)
Dean’s Honour List | McGill University (2023)
Awarded to students in the top 10% of their graduating class
The Douglas and Doreen Jose Student Experience Enhancement Award (2023)
Grant to support student participation in academic conferences
Quebec Center for Biodiversity Science Discovery Award (2022)
Grant to support scientific research efforts
Eliza M. Jones Scholarship Award | McGill University (2021)
Scholarship awarded for high academic achievement
Training & Certifications
-
Oregon driver’s license (valid through 2032)
-
McGill University Animal Care Certification – Basic, Advanced, and Wildlife, (2022)
-
WHIMIS Environmental Health and Safety, Biosafety, and Hazardous Waste Management Training
-
(2022)
-
Experience driving automatic and manual ATVs
-
Experience operating firearms
-
CPR/First Aid, American Red Cross (2016)
Computer & Software Skills
-
Proficiency in Rstudio, Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, etc.) and Google Workspace (Sheets, Docs, Slides, etc.).
-
Experience using ArcGIS and ArcMap from BREE529 “GIS for Natural Resource Management”
-
Experience using GPS/accelerometry systems including Axy-Trek, Technosmart, and Ornitela
