Elizabeth Carlen

Bio

Elizabeth Carlen, Ph.D., is an evolutionary ecologist studying urban wildlife. Her research uses field studies, large community science datasets, and molecular techniques to gain insight into how cities shape the distribution, behavior, and relatedness of urban organisms. Her work also examines how human culture can shape the evolutionary processes of mutation, selection, gene flow, and genetic drift. To her surprise, her dissertation research was featured on Saturday Night Live and led The New York Times to refer to her as the "Pigeon Stalker." In addition to her research, she is a co-founder and editor of the urban evolution blog Life in the City: Evolution in an Urbanizing World. Carlen earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, a Master of Science in Biology from San Francisco State University, and a doctorate in Biology from Fordham University.