Urban Nature Research Center
It may surprise you, but Los Angeles exists inside a “Biodiversity Hotspot,” which is a Conservation International designation for an area with plants and animals that are incredibly diverse, but also under threat. The Urban Nature Research Center's (UNRC) goal is to help to spotlight ways to boost and sustain that biodiversity, and ultimately make L.A. a hospitable place for wildlife—and, by extension, humans—to thrive.
But our scientists need help from all Angelenos. Most of L.A.’s wildlife lives in private property—backyards, schoolyards, the courtyard of your apartment building. Scientists can’t trespass there! UNRC wants to engage the public to collect large amounts of data—data that wouldn’t be possible without community scientists who share their observations with museum researchers by e-mail and through social media.
Our Staff
Clear Search
Clear
Associate Curator, Mammalogy (Terrestrial Mammals)
Kayce Bell, Ph.D.
Museum collections form a vital component of Kayce's research on mammal and parasite diversity and distribution. She is interested in the processes that lead to new species and how host diversity impacts parasite evolution.
Curator Emeritus, Entomology
Brian Brown, Ph.D.
Dr. Brian V. Brown, retired head of NHM's Entomology Department and Curator Emeritus of Entomology, is an expert on the systematics of phorid flies, especially the tropical species of ant-decapitating flies, genus Apocephalus.
Associate Manager, Community Science
Amy Jaecker-Jones
Amy Jaecker-Jones joined the community science program in 2018. Her primary responsibility is coordinating the City Nature Challenge, at both the local and international levels.
Senior Manager, Community Science
Miguel Ordeñana
Miguel Ordeñana, who joined NHMLAC in April 2013, is an environmental educator and wildlife biologist.
Curator, Herpetology & Director, Urban Nature Research Center
Greg Pauly, Ph.D.
Dr. Greg Pauly is Curator of Herpetology and Co-director of the Urban Nature Research Center. He studies the natural history, evolution, and conservation of reptiles and amphibians.
Associate Curator, Ornithology
Allison J. Shultz, Ph.D.
Allison is an ornithologist who integrates research across evolutionary timescales to gain an understanding of the processes that produce the patterns of biodiversity.
Twila Bratcher Chair in Malacological Research and Associate Curator, Malacology, and Associate Director, Urban Nature Research Center
Jann Vendetti, Ph.D.
Jann Vendetti is NHM’s Twila Bratcher Chair in Malacological Research, and a founding member of the Urban Nature Research Center.
