Elise Zipkin

Elise Zipkin is a Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology at Michigan State University's College of Natural Science. As Director of the Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Program, she leads the Quantitative Ecology Lab, focusing on statistical models to study population dynamics and biodiversity conservation across species including insects, birds, amphibians, and mammals. Her research integrates multi-source data to analyze ecological responses to climate change and human impacts.

• Area of Expertise: Quantitative Ecology, Conservation Biology
• Key Projects: Monarch butterfly decline analysis, bird community dynamics, amphibian conservation modeling, mammal habitat responses
• Award: Red Cedar Distinguished Professor for scholarly accomplishments and teaching excellence

The lab emphasizes open science practices, developing reproducible code and accessible tools for ecological modeling. Current NSF-funded work ($1.3M grant) investigates climate and land-use effects on bird populations through continent-scale data integration.