RESEARCH SCIENTISTS
Dr. Jamie Peeler (she/her), post-doctoral researcher, 2021 - 2024; Research Scientsts 2024 - present
Dr. Jamie Peeler is a landscape ecologist dedicated to tackling forest conservation challenges in a more fire-prone world. Her interest in fire was originally sparked while working abroad in South Africa’s savannas. After returning to the United States, Jamie pursued research technician positions within hardwood forests in Minnesota, forested wetlands in Florida, and conifer forests in the Pacific Northwest. She experienced fire in many forms while working in these different ecosystems, including its potential to reshape forests dramatically. Her firsthand experiences ultimately inspired questions on fire, spatial pattern, and resilience that shaped her work in graduate school. In 2021, Jamie completed her Ph.D. in Geography from Penn State University. She is currently completing a postdoctoral fellowship as a NatureNet Science Fellow with The Nature Conservancy and the University of Montana.
Read more about Jamie's post-doc research in this story: UM postdoc studies 'opportunity hot spots' for reducing wildfire carbon loss.
Dr. William "Buzz" Nanavati (he/him), post-doctoral researcher, 2023 - 2025; Research Scientist, 2026 - present
Dr. Buzz Nanavati studies how climate and humans interact to influence ecosystem dynamics, across broad spatial and temporal scales. Buzz’s work calls on the information preserved in lake and wetland sediments, including fossil pollen, charcoal, plant remains, and sedimentary DNA records. Buzz has worked throughout the Americas, including the Peruvian Andes, Argentine Patagonia, Missouri Ozarks, Oregon Cascades, and now boreal Alaska. His current research is part of the National Science Foundation-funded “Boreal Fire Feedbacks” project, where Buzz is examining how boreal forest ecosystems have responded to short-interval fires over the past 2,500 years. Buzz holds a B.A. in Spanish and B.S. in Anthropology from Southern Methodist University, an M.A. in Anthropology from Washington State University, and a Ph.D. in Ecology and Environmental Sciences from Montana State University.