Curriculum Vitae

Amy Dunham, Ph.D

Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology● Rice University● MS-170, 6100 Main St. ● Houston, TX 77005

Tel:(713) 348-2792● E-mail:aed4(at)rice.edu ● Web: http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~amy.e.dunham/

 

 

Research Interests :

Conservation biology, community ecology, plant-animal interactions, population biology, terrestrial food-web ecology, linking above and below ground ecology, invasive species,  tropical ecology

 

Degrees Earned :

2003           Ph.D. in Ecology & Evolution, Stony Brook University (December 2003)

                   Advisor: Dr. Patricia C. Wright. 

                   Reading Committee : Drs. Charles Janson, Manuel Lerdau, Peter Waser

1995           BA with distinction & honors in Zoology, Connecticut College 

 

Postdoctoral positions :

2006-2007  Smithsonian Institution, Department of Conservation Biology/ Monitoring and Assessment of Biodiversity Program. 

2005-2006  Harvard University, Hrdy Fellow in Conservation Biology, Dept. of Organismic & Evolutionary Biology

 

Academic Positions :

2009-pres      Assistant Professor, Rice University, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

2007-2009     Research Faculty Fellow, Rice University, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

2004-2005    Visiting Assistant Professor, College of William & Mary, Department of Biology 

 

Academic Honors, Awards and fellowships :

2005-2006     Sarah and Daniel Hrdy Fellow in Conservation Biology, Harvard University

2001-2002    Afrique Nature Grant in Aid of Research (organization of European Union) 

2001             Robert Sokal Award for Ecology & Evolution, SUNY Stony Brook

1999             Peregrine Foundation Research Grant

1992-1999    Margot Reis Fellowship Award 

1997             National Science Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship – Honorable Mention

1996-1997    PhD Recruitment Fellowship Award, University of Alberta

1994             Dorothy Richardson Prize for Excellence in Zoology 

1994             KECK Research Grant

1994             Explorers' Club Research Grant

1991-1995    Sandy Hill Foundation Fellowship Award

1991             Best student poster award- New York State Junior Science Symposium

 

Courses Taught :

Instructor

2006                Advanced Seminar in Conservation and Sustainability, Harvard University

2005                Conservation Biology, College of William & Mary

2004                Biodiversity & Ecosystem Function, College of William & Mary

2003                Biodiversity & Conservation, University of Virginia

 

Teaching Assistantships

2003                General Ecology, Stony Brook University

2002                Biology for Non-Majors, Stony Brook University

2002                Ecosystem Studies/Global Ecology, Stony Brook University

1997                Vertebrate Biology, Stony Brook University                     

1996-1997       Introductory Biology, Stony Brook University

1996                Introductory Biology, University of Alberta

1995                Vertebrate Biology, Connecticut College

 

Professional Memberships and Societies :

Sigma Xi Research Society, World Conservation Union Species Survival Commission, Ecological Society of America, Society for Conservation Biology, American Association of University Women

                          

Service and Outreach:

•  Scientia Fellow, Rice University (2009-2010)

•   Sally Ride Science Festival, Workshop leader (hands-on science for 5th-8th grade girls) 

•   American Association for the Advancement of Science, Project 2061, K-12 Science Education Reform Panel (2007)

•  Smithsonian's grade 3-5 child outreach program, speaker. Smithsonian Center for Lifelong Learning (2006)

•  Speaker for Harvard University's Concord Environmental Public Lecture Series (2006)

•  World Conservation Union's Global Mammal Assessment Workshop, Hanoi, Vietnam (2006)

•  Director of environmental education outreach program in Ivory Coast's Taï National Park (1999-2001)

    Duties: Designed & constructed local nature museum in collaboration with park management & environmental ministries in Ivory Coast. Planned & participated in local school programs for environmental education.

• Results of my evaluation of USFWS endangered species listing protocol was used in testimony to the U.S. Senate Committee on Environmental and Public Works, Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife, and Water, May 9, 2001

• Peer review: Biodiveristy and Conservation, Conservation Biology, American Naturalist, Ecology, Oikos, Journal of Theoretical Biology, Biotropica, National Geographic Society Grants in Aid of Research, NSF proposal reviewer, 

 

Workshops:

• Workshop for Conservation, Research, & Training in Madagascar, Centre ValBio (2005)

• Habitat restoration & development in southwestern Madagascar, USAID project (2005)

• Sino-USA Collaborations in Biocomplexity and Ecosystem Services,   NSF/UVT. (2005)

 

Invited Speaker Presentations:

• Trinity University, Department of Biology Seminar Series

• University of Houston, Department of Biology & Biochemistry Seminar Series

• Sam Houston State University, Biological Sciences Seminar Series

• Harvard Public Environmental Lecture Series (through the Concord Land and Conservation Trust)

• Annual Hrdy Lecture in Conservation Biology, Harvard University.          

• SUNY ESF Environment and Forest Biology Seminar

• University of California at Riverside, Center for Conservation Biology

• University of California at Riverside, Ecology and Evolution Seminar Series

• Mountain Lake Biological Station Colloquium Series (University of Virginia)

• University of Massachusetts at Lowell, Biology Seminar Series

• College of William & Mary Biology Seminar

• Virginia Tech Wildlife Biology Seminar Series

• Connecticut College, Colloquium Series in Biology

• University of Alberta, Zoology Colloquium Series

 

Conference Presentations:

Edwards, K, Walker, S. L., Dunham, A. E., Pilgrim, M., Shultz, S. 2009. Population Viability Analysis of the Eastern Black Rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis michaeli). 7th International Conference on Behaviour, Physiology and Genetics of Wildlife

Dunham, A. E., 2009.  Impacts of climatic variability and hurricanes on lemur demography in Madagascar. Association of Tropical Biology Annual Meeting 2009

Dunham, A. E., 2008.  Invasive ants cause collapse of understory food web in an African rainforest.  Society for Conservation Biology Annual Meeting 2008

Dunham, A. E., 2008.  Battle of the sexes: Cost asymmetry explains female dominance in lemurs. American Society of Primatologists Annual Meeting 2008

Dunham, A. E. and Rudolf, V. H. W., 2008.  Monomorphism in strepsirrhine primates, a new explanation. American Society of Primatologists Annual Meeting 2008

Dunham, A. E. 2007. Effects of an invasive ant on above and below ground processes in an African rainforest. Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting 2007

Bagdassarian, C., Dunham, A. E. , Palesko , A., Raucher, D., Brown, C., 2006 Environmental feedbacks promote species persistence in food-webs. Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting 2006

Dunham, A. E.  2006 Loss of functional diversity and trophic cascades in a tropical forest.  The 2006 Yodzis Colloquium in Fundamental Ecology: Biodiversity, Structure, and Function

Dunham, A. E.,  Akçakaya, R. H., Bridges, T.  2006. Models without age structure may overestimate risks: Using scalar models for precautionary assessments of threatened species. Society for Conservation Biology Annual Meeting 2006.

Ratelolahy, F., Dunham, A. E., Johnson S., & Wright, P.C.  2006  Geographic distribution, population densities & population viability analysis for Propithecus edwardsi.    International Primatology Society Meeting (Uganda) & at the International Congress on Prosimian Conservation

Dunham, A. E., et al.  2005 Applying appropriate complexity & uncertainty in population viability analysis of endangered primates.  American Association of Physical Anthropology Meeting 2005

Dunham, A. E. 2002  Impact of insectivores on the leaf litter community of a tropical forest.

       Association of Tropical Biology Annual Meeting, Panama

Dunham, A. E. 2002  Importance of small carnivores for germination of palm seedlings in the swamp forest of Ivory Coast.  Carnivores 2002: A Conference on Carnivore Biology & Conservation

Dunham, A. E. & P. Gaubert   2002  Assessing the conservation status of a poorly known African Carnivore. Carnivores 2002: A Conference on Carnivore Biology & Conservation

Ferson, S., H.R. Akçakaya and A. Dunham. 1999. Using fuzzy intervals to represent measurement error and scientific uncertainty in endangered species classification. Proceedings of the 18th International Conference of NAFIPS, IEEE, Piscataway, New Jersey.

 

 

For publications click here.