Hello! My name is Kelly Mistry, and I am a quantitative ecologist. I am currently working as a research scientist in the Quantitative Conservation Lab at the University of Washington, under Dr. Sarah Converse. The lab is part of both the School of Aquatic & Fisheries Sciences (SAFS) at UW and the USGS Washington Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit. My current project is to facilitate a structured decision-making process to determine the next step of the conservation plan for the endangered Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit in eastern Washington state.
I recently completed an MS degree in the Quantitative Ecology & Resource Management (QERM) program at the UW in June 2022, advised by Dr. Mark Scheuerell in the Applied Ecology lab. My master’s thesis work focused on comparing modeling methods used to manage groundfish stocks in the Gulf of Alaska in partnership with colleagues at NOAA Fisheries.
Outside the lab, I have worked since 2017 as a community organizer with organizations like the Seattle chapter of 500 Women Scientists and UAW 4121. I am particularly committed to increasing justice, equity, diversity and inclusion in science. I am also a trained facilitator and science communicator, with experience speaking on a number of topics to audiences of all types.
In my spare time, I am an artist, working primarily in fiber art mediums, a dancer and a poet. I am originally from Anchorage, Alaska, and will always be Alaskan at heart, but I am also privileged to continue adding new places to call home. Beginning in 2011, I spent 12 years living in Seattle, half of which were spent living on various boats in the heart of the city (I'm always happy to talk about the pros and cons of boat life with the curious). More recently, I moved further north once again, and I am now discovering the charms of Bellingham, just south of the Canadian border. With me on these adventures are my partner Jayml, and our pets, Maia the labrador-mix dog and Mars (full name Mars Black), the black cat.
CV available here
Visual version of career & education path
