Valentina Alaasam, Ph.D.

I am interested in how anthropogenic environmental change affects animal behavior, physiology, and evolution. I study this in cities - a ‘natural experiment’ where the speed and magnitude of change is unprecedented and the intersection of multiple stressors (e.g. light, noise and air pollution, heat, habitat loss/fragmentation, invasive species, etc.) is especially potent. I then try to apply what we learn to inform conservation and promote urban designs that nurture both human diversity and biodiversity.

I am currently a postdoc at NYU working with Dr. Kristin Winchell to study morphological and physiological adaptations in urban hummingbirds. I received my Ph.D. in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology from the University of Nevada, Reno (with Dr. Jenny Ouyang), where my dissertation focused on the effects of light pollution on sleep, circadian rhythms, and stress physiology in zebra finches. Check out my research page for more information.

In my free time, I rock climb, backpack, run, ski uphill, cook, craft, practice reversing self-deprecation culture, and fight for social justice in both science and outdoor spaces.