Born and raised in Los Angeles, CA (North Hollywood and Sunland specifically) I became interested in wildlife at an early age. I became a pretty good birdwatcher when I started birding around the age of 12 (my skills have sharply declined since!). I went to high school at the L.A. Zoo Magnet. It was there I had my first ecological research experiences working on mercury effects on the Common Loon (Gavia immer) and becoming a volunteer for Audubon at Deb's Park in East Los Angeles. I received my BS in Environmental Sciences from the University of California, Berkeley. While I was there I worked on habitat preferences and population dynamics in the Green-rumped parrotlet (Forpus passerinus) in Steve Beissinger's lab. Currently I'm a PhD candidate in Biological Sciences at Stanford University being advised by Carol Boggs and Paul Ehrlich.
In my free time I enjoy hanging out at my apartment by Alamo Square park in San Francisco with Marie (my girlfriend) and my cats. I also like music quite a bit and play some guitar. You may have heard of my award winning band, The Salvador Dali Lamas. We had a song played once on a college radio station. And keep an eye out for my new band, Ptim and the Ptarmigans.