I am a postdoctoral researcher in the Combrink Lab at the University of Arizona, where my work focuses on understanding how ecological systems, climate change, and zoonotic diseases interact. Using spatial simulations, I study the risks posed by mosquito-borne viruses in Arizona, combining my background in disease modeling with a commitment to developing practical conservation strategies.

I earned my Ph.D. in Ecology from Ewha Womans University, where I developed innovative ecological models to tackle complex challenges in animal conservation. I integrate advanced geographic and ecological modeling techniques into my research, utilizing my skills in GIS and R programming.

Research Statement
Ecological modeling provides unique opportunities to understand systems and simulate conservation management scenarios to optimize conservation outcomes without overly invasive measures or decisions lacking scientific basis that may be more costly than beneficial. Now more than ever, it is time to bring detailed empirical and field-based investigations together to conduct rigorous academic work that has real-world conservation relevance. 

As a researcher, I am interested in applying ecological modeling to issues including conservation management of threatened species, species reintroductions, invasive species, road-kill mitigation, habitat connectivity and dispersal pathways, and climate change refugia. On top of these direct applications, I intend to further the field of ecological modeling through innovative methods that will have significant impacts on predictive modeling. To match my lofty goals in research, I have an extensive and diverse background in both ecological modeling and applied ecology. I am proficient in a variety of GIS and modeling softwares and tools, including the ArcGIS suite, R (through RStudio), MaxEnt (maximum entropy modeling platform), HexSim (model framework for spatially explicit, individual-based population simulations), and Linkage Mapper (for wildlife habitat connectivity analysis). 

During my time as a researcher in South Korea, I have made valuable connections to labs in multiple countries across Asia. I am actively collaborating on manuscripts with researchers in China, Taiwan, Russia, and Mongolia. Going forward, I intend to maintain these connections and create new collaborations between the USA and Asia within the conservation sphere. Conservation research is emerging and evolving in Asia, and I am particularly interested in developing joint research programs between the USA and Asia. 

Ecological models and conservation management:  One of my main research goals will continue to be the direct application of individual-based models to conservation management. Previously, I used Vortex individual-based modeling to create population viability analyses (PVAs) of threatened treefrog species – Dryophytes suweonensis and Dryophytes flaviventris – in South Korea, which is intended as a management recommendation for conservation managers. Under current conditions without conservation management, both species face imminent extinction. However, a management strategy tiered by designation priority involving reducing habitat degradation, reducing the effects of catastrophic events, and improving survival rates would ensure the long-term survival of both species. I have also collaborated with officials from the Korea National Park Service on a population model of reintroduced Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) in Jiri Mountain National Park utilizing HexSim. While the initial goal of this project was to determine the carrying capacity of the national park, I expanded the study to simulate the recolonization of bears across the country with and without an additional reintroduction, concluding that a second reintroduction is needed for full restoration of the species in South Korea. 

I have also collaborated with officials from the Korea National Park Service on a population model of reintroduced Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) in Jiri Mountain National Park utilizing HexSim. While the initial goal of this project was to determine the carrying capacity of the national park, I expanded the study to simulate the recolonization of bears across the country with and without an additional reintroduction, concluding that a second reintroduction is needed for full restoration of the species in South Korea. 

Identifying climate change refugia of individual and multiple species: Another of my research goals is to predict climatic stability and future climate change refugia for multi species globally. One of my thesis chapters focused on predicting the present range and climate change impacts for a Korean salamander, Karsenia koreana, adding to the knowledge of the understudied species2. This study also determined that under the two more extreme climate change scenarios, the species would have significantly reduced suitable climate within its current range, necessitating translocation (Fig. 3). Building on this research I would like to identify high biodiversity refugia on a global scale. The ultimate goal of this research will be to overlap areas of high multi species refugia for amphibians with current protected areas to determine if current protections will remain adequate under climate change scenarios. 

Improve and innovate modeling methods: During my Ph.D., I created a novel methodology for adjusting climatic variables to latitudinal gradients for application in ecological modeling. I found that incorporating latitude-adjusted climatic variables improved model fit, especially for a species with a wide latitudinal range. Moving forward, I will explore the application of this methodology to model projections under future climates, as climate change will have varying impacts across latitudes and species with wide latitudinal ranges especially will be impacted disproportionately across latitudes.