I am an ecologist and post-doctoral associate in the Plant Ecology lab at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. My research investigates the potential limitations to tree species’ upslope migrations with climate change across mountains in the northeastern United States. This work is funded by the Northeastern States Research Cooperative.

I earned my PhD in the Department of Integrative Biology’s Ecosystem and Landscape Ecology Lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. My research focused on the effects of more frequent fire and reduced postfire forest recovery on plant community structure and function in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. With climate change, anomalously frequent fire and conversion of forest to non-forest are expected to become increasingly common through the end of this century. Areas where this is currently occurring provide prescient insight as windows into the future of Yellowstone plant communities.

In addition to ecological research, I am passionate about teaching, mentorship, and science communication. I’ve taught courses related to community ecology, biology, environmental studies, and biogeochemistry at the undergraduate and graduate levels. I have also worked with the Adirondack Mountain Club as a Summit Steward. In this position, I climbed the highest mountains in New York to educate hikers on the fragile arctic-alpine ecosystem and perform trail work to preserve the 27 rare, threatened, or endangered plant species above treeline. I am always looking for creative and fun ways to communicate my work in the classroom and beyond

Outside of work I enjoy hiking, reading, writing poetry, skiing, snowshoeing, going to minor league baseball games, and trying new food. Recently, I visited nearly half of the ~700 Wisconsin State Natural Areas and am now exploring New York’s Land Trust and Conservancy properties.

Check out my science and other adventures on Twitter (@even_kiel25) and Bluesky (@nathankiel.bsky.social).