Margaret Kosmala

I am an ecologist studying the interactions among species at multiple trophic levels and how those interactions are affected by anthropogenic changes to the environment. My disciplinary interests are broadly summarized as community ecology, and I have particular interests in biodiversity, ecosystem function, predator-prey dynamics, and disease ecology. I like to investigate whether theory developed in one realm of ecology or in one ecological system works in other realms or systems. I use experimental, observational, and modeling methods, because I believe that these appraoches are complementary and together lead to better understanding of our natural world. I seek both to understand the basic nature of species' interactions as well as to develop scientific understanding to provide guidance for land, wildlife, and conservation managers.

I enjoy developing science outreach using techonology and new media. Along with Ali Swanson and Dr. Craig Packer and in collaboration with the Zooniverse, I am running the Snapshot Serengeti citizen science project. Volunteers help us identify African animals in images taken by camera traps in Serengeti National Park. We will use the results to study large mammal community structure and function over space and through time. You can follow the project's progress on its blog, on Facebook, and on Twitter.

I am currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Minnesota, and I am located at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. on a CIC-Smithsonian Institution Predoctoral Fellowship. I plan to defend my disseratation in 2013.