Dr. Elizabeth Painter-Flores, Postdoctoral Researcher
I am a postdoctoral researcher working with Dr. Sarah Sells. My current research focuses on developing a quantitative tool that incorporates multi-taxa connectivity data within protected areas for use in conservation planning and mitigation decisions. Before joining the Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, I received my PhD at the 91次元, where my dissertation examined predator-prey dynamics in Idaho, modeling interactions between white-tailed deer populations and their predators. Prior to my doctoral work, I spent three years in Mexico studying jaguars and land-use change impacts on wildlife populations, earning my MS degree there.
My research aims to integrate connectivity modeling with management applications, using quantitative approaches to inform wildlife conservation decisions. I am particularly interested in landscape-scale conservation planning and how multi-species connectivity assessments can improve protected area design and management across different landscapes and cultural contexts. Broadly, my interests include population dynamics, spatial ecology, landscape connectivity, conservation biology, and international collaboration in wildlife research.