Hawaii Wildlife Ecology Lab
808-956-7530
Hawaiʻi Wildlife Ecology Lab
A Collaborative & Diverse Group
Dr. Melissa R. Price
Assistant Professor
To conserve fragile ecosystems, we must understand the ecology and connectivity of individual species. My projects examine pieces of the puzzle, such as genetic connectivity, habitat use, and species interactions.
The decisions we make today in conservation will have long-reaching effects, and must be made based on best practices and solid research. I go to work each day excited to be part of a community of people working to conserve endangered species for the health of our planet and the enjoyment of future generations.
Dr. Kristen Harmon
Derek Risch
Project Coordinator
Kristen Harmon graduated from the Hawaii Wildlife Ecology Lab in 2022 with a PhD in Natural Resources and Environmental Management and a specialization in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology. Her PhD research focused on developing spatial and statistical models to assess environmental impacts on Hawaiian waterbird reproductive success and the role of Hawaiian Indigenous resource management in recovering Hawaiian waterbird populations. As part of her dissertation work, she completed the first statewide assessment of projected losses of waterbird nesting habitat due to sea level rise across Hawai‘i, as well as the potential for Hawaiian Indigenous wetland agro-ecosystems (lo‘i) to compensate for these losses. Kristen is now serving as a Project Coordinator in the Hawaii Wildlife Ecology Lab working on decision analyses projects that aim to optimize resource allocation strategies for the long-term persistence of natural resources in the Hawaiian Islands. Kristen is also committed to outreach and education, as she regularly participates in community conservation events and youth educational programs.
Project Coordinator
Derek Risch is an ecologist specializing in quantitative methods, including ecological modeling, spatial prioritization, and GIS techniques for wildlife and resource management. He earned his Master’s Degree from the Hawaiʻi Wildlife Ecology Lab in 2019, and his work bridges scientific research with practical conservation and natural resource management solutions. Currently, his research focuses on the impacts of invasive wild ungulates in response to both environmental and human-mediated conditions to improve wildlife management strategies across Hawaiʻi. Derek is also engaged in projects centered on sustainable recreational trail use and design.
Born on the windward side of Oʻahu, Derek is an avid hiker who enjoys walking his dog along the beach and surfing whenever possible.
Claire Atkins
M.S. Graduate Student
Claire was born in Pennsylvania and led a wild and winding life through her early twenties. She graduated with a B.S. in Natural Resources & Environmental Management from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa after completing the first two years of her degree at the Community College of Denver. Claire is interested in many aspects of coastal ecology and grounds her work through growing and sustaining reciprocal relationships to place, community, and collaborators. She is currently working to understand the occupancy and resource partitioning of migratory shorebirds in Heʻeia, Oʻahu.
Molly Hagemann
M.S. Graduate Student
Molly is a graduate student pursuing a master’s degree in the Natural Resources & Environmental Management department at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She is focused on studying the population genetics of the Pueo (Hawaiian Short-eared owl, Asio flammeus sandwichensis), but is also interested in the genetic structure of Short-eared owls at a global scale. Molly grew up in Texas and received her undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Texas at Austin. In 2010, she moved to Hawaiʻi and began working at the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, where she still serves as the manager of the Vertebrate Zoology collections.
Lauren Katayama
M.S. Graduate Student
Lauren was born and raised on the island of ʻOahu and grew up loving the environment. She graduated with a B.S. in Natural Resources and Environmental Management at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and is continuing with the program for her M.S. degree. Lauren has previous experience working with Hawaiʻi’s native waterbirds (Aeʻo, ʻAlae ʻula, and ʻAlae keʻokeʻo) in the Hawaiʻi Wildlife Ecology Lab and with Kāhuli (native snails) in the Snail Extinction Prevention Program. She is now doing research on invasive wild ungulates such as feral pigs, mouflon sheep, and axis deer and their impacts on Hawaiʻi Island and Maui Island ranches.
Wade Naguwa
M.S. Graduate Student
Wade is a graduate student who originally started as an intern in the lab as a freshman in undergrad. Being born and raised in Hawai'i, he has always had a keen sense of pride with natural resources in our environment. He is pursuing a masters degree to better his knowledge on our natural resources to better the ecosystem for future generations. Wade has worked on multiple projects in the lab as an intern in the past, but he will be focusing his time in grad school on axis deer movement on Maui.
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Koa Grabar
M.E.M Graduate student
Koa was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaiʻi, and graduated with a B.S. in Natural Resources and Environmental Management from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. He is continuing in the program to study the relationships between lo‘i kalo managers and the native waterbirds (Aeʻo, ʻAlae ʻula, and ʻAlae keʻokeʻo) that reside within them. Before joining the Hawaiʻi Wildlife Ecology Lab, he was a Pacific Internship Programs for Exploring Science intern with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s Hawaiʻi Endangered Bird Conservation Program, working on ʻAlalā conservation breeding. In addition, Koa worked with Colorado State University, banding and GPS transmittering ‘Alae ‘ula and ‘Alae ke‘oke‘o. This research sparked Koa’s love of waterbirds!
Taylor Shimabukuro
M.S. Graduate Student
Taylor Shimabukuro was born and raised on the island of O'ahu. He graduated with a B.S. in Biology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. After graduating he served several terms as an AmeriCorps member where he was introduced to the world of conservation. These opportunities have allowed him to be working towards a master's degree in Natural Resource and Environmental Management at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa. His research involves the habitat selection of waterbirds for nesting and chick development at Hamakua Marsh.
Charlton Kūpa‘a Hee
M.E.M Graduate student
As a Native Hawaiian raised in Ke‘elepulu, Ko‘olaupoko, O‘ahu, Kūpa‘a spent his formative years learning the importance of mālama ̒āina and aloha ̒āina, restoring ka loko i‘a o He‘eia with the non-profit group Paepae O He‘eia. Prior to joining the Hawai‘i Wildlife Ecology Lab, Kūpa‘a began his relationship with Kāhuli, endemic Hawaiian land snails, in 2015 as a field technician with the Division of Forestry and Wildlife Snail Extinction Prevention Program. Through years of observation and caring for the many imperiled Kāhuli species he has witnessed population-recovery success as well as species extinction. In hopes of improving upon knowledge, conservation and care of these sensitive snails Kūpa‘a tracks the dispersal of lab-reared and wild Kāhuli to better understand their movement behavior.
Jaime Botet
M.S. Graduate Student
Jaime Botet is a graduate student pursuing his master’s degree in Natural Resources & Environmental Management department at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in the Hawaiʻi Wildlife Ecology Lab. His research is focus on how nest site and habitat characteristics influence predation of Hawaiian Stilts (Himantopus mexicanus knudseni) and Hawaiian Gallinules (Gallinula galeata) nests and how they relate to their nesting success. Born and raised in Puerto Rico, he aims to continue collaborating with local communities, non-profit organizations, government agency and the private sector to sustain our ecosystems by enriching the human perception of nature and enhancing worldwide policy actions for the benefit of the planet.
