Meet The Team
Background:
I am originally from Bristow, Virginia, and earned my B.S. in Wildlife Conservation here at Virginia Tech. In undergrad, I assisted with a black bear behavior study in the WHAPA lab. Since graduating, I have worked with bats, birds, and small mammals across the country.
Research Area:
I am a second-year master's student in Dr. Ford's lab, studying four imperiled bat species around Asheville, North Carolina. My research focuses on the occupancy and activity of these four species as well as the movement of tricolored bats post-emergence from their winter roosting sites.
Fun Fact:
I'm a big recreational birder!
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Background:
I grew up in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia and I got my B.S. in Wildlife Conservation from Virginia Tech. I stayed in the New River Valley after graduating and got a job with the Conservation Management Institute at Virginia Tech as a natural resources technician and still work there as a wildlife biologist. I mostly research bats, but I have worked on other projects studying migratory waterfowl, invasive nutria, tree inventory, and macroinvertebrates. Currently, I am in Dr. Mark Ford's lab pursuing my Master's degree studying bats in the desert southwest.
Research Area:
I am broadly interested in how bats use the landscape and how they interact with one another. Specifically, my research is on the southern Colorado Plateau and the Navajo Nation. I am studying bat occupancy and activity across habitat types, as well as temporal niche partitioning. My research will be important for future management practices in the southwest as the fungal pathogen that has been infecting bats in the east and mid-west, white-nose syndrome, makes its way into the region.
Fun fact:
When I am not in Blacksburg for classes, I live in North Carolina with my husband and our fur babies!
Background:
I grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Abingdon, Virginia. I earned my bachelor's in wildlife Conservation here at tech in 2025! During my time as an undergrad, I worked in the WHAPA lab and completed undergraduate research on amphibians in retention ponds and studied salamanders in Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. During breaks from school, I traveled doing technician work! I helped out Marcella with big cats in Belize, radio tracked toads in Wyoming, and studied grassland birds in Illinois. Currently, I'm a master's student in the Kindsvater lab.
Research Area:My first chapter is a continuation of a project I started in undergrad; Investigating Batesian mimicry between
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the Blue Ridge Dusky and Weller's Salamanders. My second chapter uses salamanders as a bioindicator to assess how Beech Bark disease and Hurricane Helene have impacted the landscape in southern Appalachia.
Fun Fact:
I love coffee and have worked as a barista twice!
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Background:
I am from central Virginia, and I am a Ph.D. student in the Geospatial and Environmental Analysis Program, where my research focuses on the behavior and movement patterns of American black bears.
Research Area:
My dissertation uses accelerometry, animal-borne camera collars, and environmental data to develop data science frameworks for classifying wildlife behavior and creating management tools. These tools help natural resource agencies generate actionable, science-based insights for informed, adaptive conservation, and resource-management decisions.
Fun Fact:
I have two dogs named Louie and Zuri who are also big Hokie fans!
Joseph Gerdes (He/Him)
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Background:
I am a 2nd year Master's student in the Dayer Human Dimensions Lab. I do human dimensions research with cattle rancher's who work with the National Audubon Society to manage their herds and pasturelands to benefit grassland bird species and bird habitat. Before I joined the Department, I worked as a private lands conservationist with Virginia DCR and helped farmers and landowners design and implement conservation projects like vegetated buffers, stream-exclusion fencing, and wildlife habitat.
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Background:
Originally from Uganda, I earned my BSc in Fisheries and Water Resource Management from Busitema University, where my undergraduate research examined the effects of closed fishing seasons on commercial fisheries of Lake Kyoga, Uganda. After working with various fisheries agencies in Uganda, I am now a master student at Virginia Tech, where I study how fisheries regulations affect the livelihoods, food security, and adaptive capacity of fishing-dependent communities.
Research Area:
My current research examines the impacts of the 2024 ban on small seine fishing gear targeting small pelagic species (lake sardine) across Uganda’s major lakes (Victoria, Albert, and Kyoga), with a focus on gender and equitable fisheries governance. More broadly, I am interested in socio-ecological approaches to understanding the connections between human livelihoods and conservation, particularly how fisheries management, climate and environmental change, and governance shape freshwater biodiversity and communities dependent on tropical aquatic resources. My goal is to contribute to sustainable and equitable fisheries management while pursuing a career in research and academia.
Fun fact:
Outside of research, I enjoy hiking, exploring natural landscapes, and discovering new places.
Izzy Fraser-Milewsky (They/Them)
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Background:
I am originally from Ely, England (kind of near Cambridge!). Before coming to VT, I completed my MS at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ in Environmental Science & Policy. Now, I'm a 2nd year PhD student in the Dayer Lab.
Research Area:
I am a conservation social scientist, and my current work focuses on the human dimensions of wildlife disease — especially avian influenza. I am also interested in human-wildlife interaction as recreation as well as environmental policy.
Fun Fact:
My undergraduate studies were in two totally different areas: astrophysics and sustainability. I pivoted to environmental science in graduate school!
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Background:
Hi everyone! I am from Brazil and earned my bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences in 2013. As an undergraduate, I studied the behavior and population dynamics of howler monkeys, an endangered primate species in the Atlantic Forest hotspot. I then completed an MS in Zoology, studying the behavior and ecology of a small primate in the Brazilian Amazon. After my master’s degree, I spent 6 years working with local villagers to establish phenological monitoring in two Sustainable Development Reserves in Central Amazonia.
Research Area:
I am now pursuing a PhD in Fish and Wildlife Conservation. My research focuses on wildlife use in the Amazon region from a social perspective. I’m interested in understanding why people participate in the illegal wildlife trade and their motivations for keeping wild animals as pets.
Fun Fact:
I love traveling and dancing! And I have a cute dog named Tapioca.
Akea Cader(She/Her)
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Background:
I am from Hampton Roads, VA and I received my B.S. in Fish and Wildlife Conservation from Virginia Tech in 2020. As an undergraduate, I worked on my own research project examining the effect of prescribed burns on small mammal abundance and species richness. I found great joy in connecting with my fellow students through outdoor recreation which further developed my appreciation for the outdoors. After graduation, I worked with the National Park Service in Boston as a Youth Education Coordinator, where I organized and ran youth programs intending to connect local youth to the outdoors and the cultural resources in their community.
Research Area:
I am broadly interested in the human dimensions of wildlife and social ecological systems. My current research aims to understand how changes in flounder abundance in the mid-Atlantic due to climate change affects food insecurity, cultural well-being, and income of recreational anglers and commercial fishers. I am also interested in science communication and how our profession can improve the dissemination of information.
Fun Fact:
Crocheting has become my new favorite hobby, and I really enjoy creating lots of new trinkets.
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Background:
My name is Isabella Badon and I am currently a master's student in the adaptive fisheries lab studying the communication of sea lamprey control between the government and Indigenous communities. Before entering the social science world, I studied salamanders and how their behavior would change with increasing temperature.
Fun Fact:
I am also the head coach for the women's wrestling club team here.
Background:
Reyhane Rastgoo is a Ph.D. student in the Fish and Wildlife Conservation program at Virginia Tech, working in Dr. Ashley Dayer's Human Dimensions Lab. She earned her bachelor's degree in Environmental Science and a master's in Biodiversity Conservation and Management from the University of Tehran, Iran. Her research explores the intersection of conservation and social science, focusing on human-wildlife interactions and the human dimensions of wildlife. As a Graduate Research Assistant, Reyhane will investigate the motivations behind longleaf pine landowners' participation in the Conservation Reserve Program.
Research Area:
Human Dimensions of Natural Resources and Human-wildlife Interactions
Fun Fact:
I enjoy practicing yoga, taking walks to photograph nature (when I first moved to Blacksburg, I posted so much on iNaturalist that I’m pretty sure the app got tired of me!), listening to podcasts, and watching documentaries.
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Background:
I am from Taiwan and earned my Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine from the University of Tokyo, Japan (2022). During my time in Japan, I completed two internships focused on human-bear coexistence—one with Asiatic black bears and another with brown bears. These experiences inspired me to pursue a master’s degree to further explore human-bear interactions using quantitative approaches. I then completed an MS in Geospatial Data Science and Ecosystem Science & Management at the University of Michigan (2024), where my research examined how snare traps affect the space use and movement of Asiatic black bears in Taiwan.
Research Area:
My PhD research focuses on effects of sarcoptic mange on American black bear populations and individuals in the Virginia Appalachian Mountains, examining how this skin disease impacts population dynamics, physiology, and spatial behavior.
Fun Fact:
I have worked with four different bear species (at different capacities) so far, and my goal is to work with all eight!
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Background:
I am a second year master's student from Rochester Hills, Michigan and I went to Michigan State University for my bachelor's in Fisheries and Wildlife.
Research Area:
I am interested in interdisciplinary studies which include advancing fisheries-based food systems, and community and social-ecological problem solving. At the Adaptive Fisheries lab, I investigate the perspectives, experiences, and values of underrepresented recreational anglers—commonly referred to as Provisioning Fishers—who operate in and around the urban areas of Lake Michigan. My exploration is specifically focused on local communities, food security, and culture/identity while utilizing social science methods to address potential gaps in fisheries management practices.
Fun Fact:
Arctic Grayling are my favorite freshwater species and were also the species I worked with for my first technician job as an undergrad student.