she/her/hers

Assistant Professor

Organismal Biology & Ecology

Research Interests

My research interests lie at the intersection of evolutionary ecology, landscape genomics, wildlife conservation, and animal physiology. More specifically, my aim is to determine the evolutionary underpinnings of adaptation in natural populations by examining animal behavior, morphology, and physiology and by correlating these phenotypes with individual genotypes in a population and landscape genomic framework. Most of my research has focused on understanding adaptation to climate in Channel Island Song Sparrows and other avian taxa to inform conservation management.

Activities & Interests

Riding motorcycles, boxing, hiking with my dogs, reading

Publications

Gamboa, M.P., C.K. Ghalambor, T.S. Sillett, S.A. Morrison, & W.C. Funk. 2021. Adaptative divergence in bill morphology and other thermoregulatory traits is facilitated by restricted gene flow in song sparrows on the California Channel Islands. Molecular Ecology.

Gamboa, M.P., C.K. Ghalambor, T.S. Sillett, W.C. Funk, R.A. Furbush, J.F. Husak, & R.M. Danner. 2022. Environmental correlates and functional consequences of bill divergence in island song sparrows. Functional Ecology.

Regular Classes

BE106 – Biology of Animals

BE208 – Ecology

BE309/409 – Independent Research Blocks

BE440 – Animal Behavior