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Desirée L. Narango, Ph.D. (she/her)
Conservation Scientist, Vermont Center for Ecostudies Current CV (last updated: April 2024) Email: dnarango[at]vtecostudies.org Blue Sky: @DLNarango.bsky.social Instagram: @DLNarango I'm a conservation ecologist at the Vermont Center for Ecostudies, where I study birds and insects in human-dominated landscapes. My research combines field experiments, novel biodiversity monitoring tools (automated technology, molecular methods) and ecological modeling to understand the mechanisms that drive multi-trophic interactions, and translate those insights into conservation solutions. A central part of my work is building collaborative relationships across a range of universities and NGOs to build bridges between ecological research and practical conservation action. One of my favorite parts of my job is finding out that people are using my work for conservation decision-making. In my free time, I like to hike and garden, hang out with my family, and play with my two doggos. |
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Melory Brandao (she/her)
M.S. Student, University of Delaware Melory is currently comparing plant and insect communities between Miyawaki Forests, traditional urban regreening efforts, and naturally regenerating forests in the Boston Massachusetts metropolitan area. She is extremely interested in native plant gardening, seed collection, and do-it-yourself ecological restoration, encouraging citizen-scientist collaboration and stewardship. topics: urban ecology, community ecology, plant-insect interactions |
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Laura Costello (she/her)
M.S. Student, Field Naturalist Program at the University of Vermont. I'm a botanist, orchid-lover, and former engineer passionate about creating opportunities and tools for getting more people interested and involved in conservation. My current project explores the relationships between moths and native plants using multiple datasets including VCE's community-sourced Pollinator Interactions on Plants iNaturalist project. My field work uses night-and-day time-lapse cameras to document insect visitation to White Bog Orchid (Platanthera dilatata) across an elevational gradient in Vermont from lowland fens to the top of Mount Mansfield. In my free time I love social dance, baking fancy treats, and photographing orchids (35 of the ~60 in New England so far!) topics: community science, automated wildlife monitoring, plant-insect interactions |
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Sarah Deckel, Ph.D. (she/her)
Post-doctoral researcher, Great Hollow Nature Preserve & Ecological Research Center My ecological interests center on montane breeding bird ecology, with a focus on physiology and climate-related influences. More recently, I've contributed to habitat- and landscape-level projects with wood turtles in the Catskill Mountains, as well as studies of breeding songbirds in hardwood forests of Connecticut. Currently I'm a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow working on a project comparing energetic costs of Swainson's Thrush versus Bicknell's Thrush on Mt. Mansfield, Vermont. Outside of science, I spend my time swimming in cold rivers, reading fantasy trilogies, and being outside with my dog, Otto. topics: montane ecology, conservation physiology, trophic ecology, migratory birds |
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Kevin Dernier (he/him)
M.S. Student, State University of New York Plattsburgh Kevin is currently studying whether automated radio telemetry can be used to quantify female nest behavior in the Gray Catbird and the extent to which female birds adjust nest behavior and reproductive costs in response to weather events. Topics: automated wildlife monitoring, migratory birds, animal behavior |
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Amber Jones (she/her)
Staff Biologist/Project Manager, Vermont Center for Ecostudies Amber currently works with Desiree on the Native Plant Ecotype Project. A naturalist at heart, her love and enthusiasm for nature eventually evolved into a particular fondness for insect ecology. In her spare time you can find Amber chasing insects, reading, and spending time outdoors with her family. topics: insect ecology, plant-insect interactions, community science |
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Gisselle Mejía, Ph.D. (she/her)
David H. Smith Postdoctoral Fellow, Johns Hopkins University Gisselle is an urban ecologist who is currently leading research examining the processes that govern realized niches of cultivated tree species in urban environments and the influence of human preferences for specific tree traits related to ecosystem services. topics: urban ecology, community ecology, social science |
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Anna Peel (she/her)
Lead Bander, Mount Mansfield Songbird Research Program, VCE I'm an avian ecologist most interested in the intersection between human activity and avian survival, whether on the tourist- and hiker-populated ridgeline of Mount Mansfield or at migration stopover locations. In my spare time, I like to play Balfolk fiddle tunes and trick-train her chickens. topics: avian ecology, trophic ecology, migratory birds |
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Juno Stahl (they/them)
Seasonal Technician, Vermont Center for Ecostudies Juno is a seasonal field technician at VCE who works on a project monitoring bee populations on commercial farms and helping out with the Native Plant Ecotype Project. As part of the lab, they are also currently studying diets in Red-backed Salamanders. topics: insect ecology, trophic ecology |
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Previous Lab Members
- Massimo Gulino (VCE Field Intern 2025), currently an undergraduate at Northern Michigan University
- Zoey Pickett (VCE Field Intern 2024), currently an undergraduate at Mount Holyoke College
- Natalie DeVito (VCE Field Intern 2023), currently an undergraduate at Brown University
