I take messy or complex biological data, identify the best tool to understand it (or develop that tool if needed), construct a reproducible analysis pipeline to infer the underlying biological processes, and then create visualizations and written explanations that convey the key results and hopefully some of the nuance of the system. Most of my work has involved more complex relationships than can be easily modeled with simple hierarchical structures, and I have developed, published, and applied novel methods to apply functional linear models to fit spatially explicit structured data; novel methods for inferring population-level patterns from sparse time-series monitoring; and novel methods to leverage machine learning to detect non-bilinear interactions in messy data. My current research focuses on
- Assessing population dynamics and shifts in phenology for rare and at-risk butterfly species from monitoring data.
- Understanding patterns of competition and coexistence among bacteria and fungi in microbiomes.
- Understanding plant and insect population dynamics through the lens of plant defense strategies.
However, I am excited by questions across ecology, and collaborate on diverse projects including identifying links between shrimp grazing behavior and their microbiomes, identifying spatiotemporal patterns in shorebird migrations, and examining zebra communication and behavior.
I defended my PhD in 2019 at Cornell University, where I was advised by Professor Stephen Ellner, and worked closely with Professor Anurag Agrawal. My dissertation focused on: (1) understanding why plants invest in multiple defense traits (e.g. common milkweed plants have toxins, trichomes, and latex), and (2) understanding how the evolution of phenological cueing strategies can explain observed variation in species responses to climate change.
I grew up on a small farm in the northern California foothills, and received a Bachelors of Science in Evolution, Ecology, and Biodiversity and a minor in Quantitative Biology and Bioinformatics from the University of California, Davis. As an undergraduate, I worked in the lab of Professor Jay Rosenheim on an independent research project exploring the effects of field aggregation of pest populations in agriculture, which we published in 2018.
In my free time, I enjoy blacksmithing, leatherworking, archery, martial arts, and amateur photography.
I am on mastodon at @collinedwards on the ecoevo.social server, and on researchgate, google scholar, and LinkedIn. I can be reached at edwards.evoeco[at]gmail.com.