Kristin Brunk

PhD Graduate Student

kbrunk@wisc.edu

(608) 890-3160

120 Russell Labs
1630 Linden Drive
Madison, WI 53706

Education

2013: B.S. Fisheries and Wildlife Ecology, Northland College

Curriculum Vitae (PDF)

Research interests

I have a wide range of interests but am broadly interested in how anthropogenic influences affect the behavioral ecology, adaptation, and conservation of species. I believe that understanding as much as possible about organisms and the ecosystems they inhabit is the best way to begin to conserve biodiversity. I am interested in conducting research that both answers basic scientific questions and has real-world applications for the conservation of biodiversity.

In my PhD research with Dr. Zach Peery and Dr. Anna Pidgeon, I aim to (1) understand how local-scale land management and broad-scale oceanographic conditions contribute to long-term occupancy dynamics of an endangered seabird, the Marbled Murrelet, (2) assess current management strategies for Steller's Jay populations in high-use areas where their populations have high potential to affect Marbled Murrelet reproductive success, and (3) understand how human food subsidies may affect species' space-use strategies, fitness, and dominance hierarchies in a behavioral ecology context.

Personal interests

In my free time, I like to spend as much time outside as possible hiking, fishing, birding, ice skating, and playing with our dogs, Milo and Charles. When I'm inside, I enjoy curling up with a good book, baking, and playing the ukulele.

Where I'm From