Dr. Gwen Iacona is an Assistant Research Professor at Arizona State University, where she serves as the Assistant Director for the Center for Biodiversity Outcomes. She also serves on the advisory board for the National Parks Service, where she promotes data-driven ecological decision-making. Gwen’s dissertation research focused on the costs and benefits of managing protected areas for conservation, and her work now primarily focuses on how we can support conservation decision-makers in achieving the outcomes they are looking for.

Dr. Edauri Navarro-Perez is currently a postdoc at Arizona State University. Her dissertation research focused on roots, specifically how soil restoration treatments, in a greenhouse, affect root development. Now, her postdoc is through ESSA, Earth Systems Science for the Anthropocene, where she does various things including leading a seminar, mentor an undergraduate, help organize events for the community and students and do research in ecological-human relationships with water.