Erin Crone

IGC FELLOW    |   Global Change Center

Ph.D. Student  •  Biological Sciences

Advisor: Dr. Meryl Mims

Research Interests: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Species Vulnerability, Conservation Prioritization

ercrone@vt.edu •  Google Scholar •  LinkedIn

Erin is a PhD student in the Department of Biological Sciences advised by Dr. Meryl Mims. She researches vulnerability of species to climate change, focusing on broad scale patterns that make some species more vulnerable than others and methods that can be used to assess vulnerability across taxa. She hopes her research will be used to help prioritize conservation resources and promote practical conservation methods.

Erin received her B.S. in Environmental Science from Bellarmine University. During that time, she assisted with forest biodiversity surveys in her home state of Indiana and completed a senior thesis studying effects of land use on habitat quality in a rural stream. She went on to complete her M.S. in Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology with Dr. Dan Preston at Colorado State University studying effects of invasive species as predators, prey, and competitors within urban food webs. Upon graduation, Erin worked for a year as a fisheries technician studying fish communities in large Midwest rivers. Through these and other projects, Erin has developed a fascination with diverse ecological systems, particularly within human-altered settings.

As an Interfaces of Global Change Fellow, Erin is excited to expand the breadth of her PhD through interdisciplinary collaboration and to become better equipped to play a role in tackling complex global challenges like climate change and biodiversity loss. In her free time, she enjoys creative activities, gardening, and spending time in nature any way she can.