California Bird Atlas (CBA)
Science Advisory Committee

Morgan W. Tingley, PhD (Chair)
Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles

Dr. Morgan Tingley joined the faculty at the University of California, Los Angeles in 2020, after previously serving as an Assistant Professor at the University of Connecticut and as a David H. Smith Conservation Research Fellow at Princeton University. His research combines original field samples with ecological "big data" to understand how large-scale anthropogenic drivers of change affect geographic distributions and community interactions of birds over short to long timespans. This is his second statewide bird atlas, having been co-PI on the second Connecticut Bird Atlas from 2018–2022. In addition to his role at UCLA, Dr. Tingley is President-Elect of the American Ornithological Society (AOS).

For more information: Tingley Lab

Ron Melcer Jr., PhD
Environmental Program Manager,
California State Parks

Ron is an Environmental Program Manager at California State Parks, where he leads statewide efforts in wildlife conservation, ecosystem restoration, and climate adaptation. A conservation biologist and applied geographer, his work focuses on integrating science into policy and management to sustain biodiversity and ecological resilience across California’s State Parks. Prior to his current role, Ron worked with the California Department of Water Resources and the Delta Stewardship Council, developing conservation strategies, decision-support tools, and policy for river and Delta ecosystems. His research and publications span topics ranging from riparian bird–habitat relationships to large-scale conservation planning in the Central Valley. When not working, Ron can often be found birding along California’s coast or contributing to long-term monitoring with the Rocky Point Bird Observatory.

Dr. Allison Shultz is Associate Curator of the Ornithology Department. As a curator, she oversees the bird collection, does research, and helps with anything related to birds in the museum. For her research, she tries to understand how and why birds are the colors that they are, and how they are adapting to our changing world. In addition to her research, Dr. Shultz is passionate about inspiring a love of nature and birds in everyone. 

For more information: The Shultz Lab

Allison J. Shultz, PhD
Associate Curator, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

Sam Safran,
University of Minnesota

Sam is an ecologist with more than a decade of experience applying science to guide ecosystem management and the conservation of biodiversity. Sam specializes in leveraging participatory science data (like from eBird and iNaturalist), statistical models, and geospatial analysis to assess species responses to changing landscapes. He is currently completing his PhD at the University of Minnesota with a focus on understanding bird responses to habitat restoration and urban greening in human-dominated systems. Prior to graduate school, Sam worked as an Environmental Scientist at the San Francisco Estuary Institute, where he led projects to support landscape-scale restoration, climate change adaptation, and ecological resilience across California. He holds a joint BA in Biology and Environmental Studies from Middlebury College in Vermont, which is where he banded his first bird. Find him in his family's garden taking (bad) pictures of bees, swimming in a nearby lake, or trying to spot birds from the car while his toddler naps in the back. Fellow eBirders–request a personalized “lifer map” from Sam here.


For more information: Sam Safran

Melanie is the Lead Scientist and Supervisor of the California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB) and Conservation Analysis Unit (CAU) in the Biogeographic Data Branch at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). As California’s Natural Heritage Program, CNDDB maintains an inventory of the status and locations of California’s imperiled plants and animals, and CAU develops spatial data products including species habitat models, movement models, range maps, and habitat connectivity models. Melanie has spent her career at CDFW developing data and tools for applied use in conservation decision-making. She led the development of CDFW’s Areas of Conservation Emphasis (ACE) project, which maps metrics of biodiversity and conservation importance across California, and is used in a variety of planning efforts. While most of her work these days is done in front of a computer, during her free time you can usually find her outdoors helping to instill a love of nature in the next generation.

For more information: CDFW Biogeographic Data Branch

Melanie Gogol-Prokurat, PhD
Lead Scientist, California Natural Diversity Database,
California Department of Fish and Wildlife

Natalia Ocampo-Peñuela is a Colombian Conservation Ecologist, ornithologist, and birder. Since 2021 she has been an Assistant Professor in the Environmental Studies Department at the University of California, Santa Cruz where she leads the Conservation Ecology Lab. Her research blends insights from field observations, community science data, and geospatial techniques to quantify the impact of anthropogenic activities on bird populations and habitats. She uses these research insights to identify and map bird conservation priorities at local to global scales, often in partnership with conservation practitioners. Most of her research focuses on species of conservation concern—those endemic and/or threatened—in the world’s tropics, with a special focus on Latin America. Some of her current research themes include mapping habitat connectivity for the world’s birds, using bird resurveys to quantify impacts of landcover and climate change on bird populations, and understanding the role of birdwatching tourism in bird conservation and sustainable rural development in tropical countries. Her approach to ornithology and conservation centers diversity and inclusion, highlights the importance of authentic partnerships, and elevates the voices of those historically underrepresented in our field.

More more information: Natalia Ocampo-Peñuela

Natalia Ocampo-Peñuela, PhD
Assistant Professor,
University of California, Santa Cruz

Phillip Unitt,
Curator of Birds & Mammals,
San Diego Natural History Museum

Philip Unitt is the Dennis and Carol Wilson Endowed Chair of Ornithology and curator of the Department of Birds and Mammals. Phil is a specialist in subspecies identification, distribution, and history of distributional change of California birds. He has led large survey projects, organizing hundreds of volunteers; analyzed and interpreted extensive data sets; and prepared more than 4,000 bird specimens.

Phil edits and produces publications on a wide variety of scientific subjects for diverse audiences, both public and professional. He authored The San Diego County Bird Atlas and The Birds of San Diego County, coauthored Birds of the Salton Sea, and is editor of Western Birds, the regional journal of ornithology for western North America.

Chris Elphick is a conservation biologist, primarily studying wetland birds and their habitats. He participated in his first bird atlas in his early teens, mostly surveying blocks no one else wanted to visit, a behaviour he has continued to cultivate. He has done field work throughout California and a PhD on the effects of flooding Sacramento Valley rice fields on wintering birds. Book projects include the Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior and the Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Nevada. He helped to oversee the second Connecticut Bird Atlas and is currently working to incorporate the results into a comprehensive Birds of Connecticut.

For more information: Chris S. Elphick

Chris S. Elphick, PhD
Professor, University of Connecticut

Other committee members (bios forthcoming):