Rudi Boekschoten

As a naturalist I build my worldview on an understanding of the world as an ecosystem of inextricable parts. The mountains of western North Carolina, where I am from, have taught me that at every level of inquiry there is an endlessly fascinating world to be found. My interests lie in conservation biology, wildlife ecology, biogeography, and restoration ecology – and how research in these disciplines can be directly applied to conservation.

I earned a dual major in Biology and Geography from UNC-Chapel Hill. There I worked with everything from frog evolution to plant taxonomy and raptor husbandry. I went on to work various field jobs with frogs, giant otters, wolves, giant anteaters and jaguars. My master’s research in the Pauli Lab will focus on the role of trophic cascades in a puma-fox system in the Patagonian steppe. I hope this work will contribute to our understanding the role of carnivores in the regulation of ecosystems globally, and reinforce the value of their conservation and restoration.

email: boekschoten@wisc.edu