Allie Caughman

Bio

I am a quantitative marine ecologist and PhD student in the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara advised by Steve Gaines and Darcy Bradley. I received by BS in Biology from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2020 and my MA in Statistics from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2024.

I work at the intersection of marine animal movement ecology, conservation, and data science and use a broad range of theoretical simulations, data synthesis, and statistical and predictive modeling to understand animal movement processes from individuals to populations to global distributions. I work to answer a broad range of foundation ecological questions about how, why, and where species are moving, with a particular interest in how these processes are changing due to human influence. The end goal of much of my research is producing actionable conservation solutions.

During my time in the Gaines and Bradley labs, I am researching in how different movement traits or movement trait combinations effect the conservation in species both now and in the future with climate change and if humans impacting species movement behaviors in protected areas and beyond through proximate or memory based cues. I am currently supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellows Program.

Outside of my research, I put my quantitative skills to use by consulting on a variety of environmental science problems. While my expertise remains in fisheries, ecology, and conservation, I am well versed in a range of methods that can be applied to any environmental issue. From machine learning and statistics, to data management (including spatial data!), I am always looking for opportunities to work with organizations.

I spend most of my free time rock climbing at the Santa Barbara Rock Gym in downtown Santa Barbara. I also enjoy hiking, kayaking, SCUBA Diving and other outdoor activities!

Education

B.S. Biology | Georgia Institute of Technology | 2016 - 2020

M.A. Statistics (Data Science) | University of California, Santa Barbara | 2021 - 2024

Ph.D. Environmental Science and Management | University of California, Santa Barbara | 2021 - 2026 (expected)

Contact

Primary Email: acaughman@bren.ucsb.edu

Consulting Contact: acaughman.consult@gmail.com

Allie Caughman

Bio

I am a quantitative marine ecologist and PhD student in the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara advised by Steve Gaines and Darcy Bradley. I received by BS in Biology from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2020 and my MA in Statistics from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2024.

I work at the intersection of marine animal movement ecology, conservation, and data science and use a broad range of theoretical simulations, data synthesis, and statistical and predictive modeling to understand animal movement processes from individuals to populations to global distributions. I work to answer a broad range of foundation ecological questions about how, why, and where species are moving, with a particular interest in how these processes are changing due to human influence. The end goal of much of my research is producing actionable conservation solutions.

During my time in the Gaines and Bradley labs, I am researching in how different movement traits or movement trait combinations effect the conservation in species both now and in the future with climate change and if humans impacting species movement behaviors in protected areas and beyond through proximate or memory based cues. I am currently supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellows Program.

Outside of my research, I put my quantitative skills to use by consulting on a variety of environmental science problems. While my expertise remains in fisheries, ecology, and conservation, I am well versed in a range of methods that can be applied to any environmental issue. From machine learning and statistics, to data management (including spatial data!), I am always looking for opportunities to work with organizations.

I spend most of my free time rock climbing at the Santa Barbara Rock Gym in downtown Santa Barbara. I also enjoy hiking, kayaking, SCUBA Diving and other outdoor activities!

Education

B.S. Biology | Georgia Institute of Technology | 2016 - 2020

M.A. Statistics (Data Science) | University of California, Santa Barbara | 2021 - 2024

Ph.D. Environmental Science and Management | University of California, Santa Barbara | 2021 - 2026 (expected)

Contact

Primary Email: acaughman@bren.ucsb.edu

Consulting Contact: acaughman.consult@gmail.com