Karl is a researcher and advocate working at the intersection of climate change, energy transition, and conservation. He is helping to shape CBI’s global engagement strategy on nature-positive infrastructure and renewable energy.  He is also assessing strategies to meet 2030 targets of the Global Biodiversity Framework and other multilateral environmental agreements, reflecting the technical knowledge and cultural imperatives of Indigenous communities.

Karl has engaged in research and policy on climate change mitigation and adaptation for two decades, recently as Senior Advisor at the SLOCAT Partnership, a global NGO driving systemic change through sustainable transport.  At SLOCAT, Karl led science-based analyses to meet targets of the Sustainable Development Goals and Paris Agreement in a network of 90+ UN agencies, multilateral development banks and NGOs. Karl has led peer-reviewed publications on 1.5ºC transport pathways (cited in the IPCC AR6) and on transport ‘quick wins’ (for UK Department for International Development).

Karl is based in pancake-flat Chicago, where he’s still trying to accept the city’s rugged built environment as a substitute for the Rocky Mountains of his youth.

Dr. Chris Cosma is a community ecologist and pollination biologist specializing in developing data-driven conservation strategies. An adventurous and rather nomadic childhood spent in Colorado, Michigan, New Jersey, and California gave Chris early insight into the diversity of people, ecosystems, and environmental problems in the US. Between surf sessions, Chris earned his BS in Ecology at UC Santa Barbara, and then completed his PhD in Ecology at UC Riverside. There, his research focused on the impacts of climate change on plant-pollinator interactions, and how to apply ecological data and tools to guide effective insect conservation actions. Although he focused on moths in this research, Chris loves all insects and is determined to help protect them and their ecosystem services. In addition to pollination and climate change ecology, Chris has expertise in spatial ecology, ecological network science, molecular ecology, plant ecophysiology, insect biology and identification, and environmental policymaking. 

During his doctoral research, Chris bridged the gap between science and conservation action by developing an innovative web application for butterfly and moth conservation in California. The app, which applies ecological network analysis to guide plant selections, is being used by thousands of people to expand and connect insect habitat across California. After garnering media attention and interest from multiple agencies, Chris formed an interdisciplinary working group through the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis to build upon the tool. Chris has been invited to speak to groups all around the country about this work, and in his role at CBI, he brings with him resources and expertise from his various collaborations. Chris currently lives in Spokane, Washington, and when he is not devising strategies to protect our insect overlords, he enjoys backyard permaculture and outdoor adventures with his partner and dog. 

As a quantitative ecologist and conservation biologist, Erin Conlisk integrates field experiments with quantitative techniques to understand California plant and wildlife responses to climate change, land-use change, and their interactions with changing wildfire regimes. Her research ranges from applied land management to academic ecology and is typically multidisciplinary, focusing on conservation co-benefits in socio-ecological systems. Currently, Erin is interested in using empirically-driven vegetation and wildfire simulation modeling to understand the influence of climate change, urban development, and forest management on California wildfire risk.

Previously, Erin has used vegetation simulation models to understand the impacts of wildfire, examined satellite data to support waterbird management in the Central Valley of California, modeled landscape connectivity for iconic wildlife in Southern California, created mechanistic models of species’ distributions and abundances, analyzed data from a treeline warming experiment, and worked in the social sciences with an emphasis on educational equity and environmental justice. When Erin is not working you will find her getting outdoors, talking to young people about newfangled things they didn’t have in her day, and combining these two pastimes.

Cole Soldo is a conservationist who is grounded in the fact that conservation is, ultimately, about people. He comes from The Ohio State University with experience in risk analysis and decision science, measuring the drivers of conservation program participation rates, and farmer conservation identity. His primary research targeted the use of constructed wetlands to address water quality challenges and farmer willingness to adopt edge-of-field conservation measures in the Western Lake Erie Basin.

Cole brings additional ecosystem stewardship and urban sustainability experience to CBI, emphasizing clear communications and finding workable, focused solutions to pressing environmental issues. He is excited to bring an additional viewpoint and expertise to help CBI’s spatial analysis tools become adopted by a wide audience.

Jacob Strittholt works as a Biologist and Data Analyst. Originally from Corvallis, OR, Jacob finished his B.S in Biology specializing in ecology from Oregon State University, and is working towards a GIS certificate. He  is looking forward to contributing towards CBI’s efforts to solving ecological problems that advance the conservation of biodiversity. Jacob loves spending time outdoors, gardening, cooking, and playing guitar!

Dr. Thompson’s background includes a blend of landscape and wildlife ecology, specializing in the relationship between large-scale habitat change and the interactions between predators, competitors, and prey. He has worked with a wide variety of sensitive carnivore species, including black-footed ferrets, island fox, swift fox, bald eagles, and mountain lions in numerous western states. He has served as a technical advisor for wildlife-related issues to numerous organizations and efforts, including the Dinkey Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Project in the Sierras, the Blackfoot-Swan Landscape Restoration Project in northern Montana, and the California Academy of Sciences. Currently, he lives in Missoula, MT and is applying this background to the development of resiliency-based forest management regimes in both the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountain regions.

Deanne DiPietro is a geographer and conservation biologist with over 25 years of experience applying science and information technology to conservation planning. Deanne has a B.S. in Botany and M.A. in Geography from University of California.

As Senior Science Coordinator at CBI she manages projects with multi-disciplinary teams that deliver practical solutions for a wide range of issues from endangered species recovery to community wildfire resilience. Her areas of expertise include science communications, stakeholder engagement, data management, and decision-support tool and digital library design. Deanne’s passion is to apply the latest science and data to protect natural systems while promoting human community resilience in this time of rapid change.

Deanne lives and works in Sonoma County, California.

Dr. John Gallo is a geographer and landscape ecologist who works together with conservation practitioners on applied conservation projects. Dr. Gallo also explores scientific frontiers with the purpose of advancing innovative strategies and best practices to attain multiple benefits. He employs a variety of areas of expertise in an interdisciplinary approach, including:

For more information please see Dr. Gallo’s curriculum vitae linked to the right.

Justin Brice is a Geospatial Analyst with professional experience applying spatial analysis to help conserve natural landscapes and working lands. He has lived agriculture experience growing up in California’s Central Valley on the family walnut farm and holds a B.S. in Wildlife Conservation and minor in Geospatial Sciences from Humboldt State University. With his background in agriculture, wildlife field sampling/surveying work, species distribution, and connectivity modeling, Justin is focused on conserving habitat cores and agricultural lands that act as corridors to allow for wildlife movements. To that end, his recent focus is at the intersection of renewable energy development, protection of valuable farmland, and wildlife conservation as the world races to address our global climate crisis. Collaborative decision support systems will be needed now more than ever so that our decision-makers can have access to a transparent process that allows for scenario planning to make informed decisions using the best available science. Justin is the project manager on several projects involved with the co-production of spatial decision support systems (SDSS) with clients to inform and support decision makers.

Areas of general expertise (other than Geographic Information Systems) include:

Jim Strittholt is Co-Founder, President, and Chief Science Officer of the Conservation Biology Institute and has over 26 years’ experience in applying computer mapping technologies (including GIS and remote sensing) to address various ecological assessments and conservation planning projects in the U.S. and internationally. He holds undergraduate degrees in Botany, Zoology and Secondary Education from Miami University (Oxford, Ohio) where he also earned a Masters in Zoology in vertebrate population genetics. Jim earned a Ph.D. in 1994 from Ohio State University in a self-designed multi-disciplinary program emphasizing landscape ecology, conservation planning, and computer mapping technologies. While a truly multi-disciplinary degree, he conducted most his research and developed most of his technical skills from the Center for Mapping – a NASA Center of Excellence. While at Ohio State, he earned numerous academic achievement awards including being chosen as a University Presidential Fellow during his final year.

He has experience working with large mammals, field research on forests and vertebrates, and taught numerous science courses in high school for six years and several college courses in zoology and biology. Over the last 22 years, he has been principle investigator on numerous projects including nature reserve designs, conservation gap analyses, forest and watershed assessments, ecological modeling, and remote sensing applications in conservation. He has also authored numerous reports, peer-reviewed articles, and white papers. Finally, he has taught numerous workshops on conservation planning. Areas of expertise include conservation planning, landscape ecology, geographic information systems, and remote sensing.