Libby Ellwood
My ecological research occurs at the intersection of climate change, conservation, and community science. I work to understand past systems while conducting contemporary research to see how these systems change over time. This research depends on historical or paleontological information, and natural history collections play a critical role in maintaining and providing these resources. In my current position as Global Collaborations Manager at iDigBio, I work with biodiversity data aggregators to make data discoverable and accessible. These collective efforts occur at regional, national, and international scales, and serve to advance data-driven research, education, and policy.
RECENT ACTIVITIES
iDigBio is the national resource and coordinating center for biodiversity specimen digitization, data mobilization, and aggregation in the United States. It currently serves ~132 million transcribed specimen records and ~48 million media records. There are lots of important reasons to digitize natural history collections specimens and associated information. Watch the video to learn more!
I'm interested in understanding changes to ecosystems, both at the organismal level as well as across trophic levels. Part of the methodology for this research is comparing data uncovered from historical records with contemporary observations. Read some of my recent publications for more information.
