B.A. English and Environmental Science, Oregon State University, 2016
M.S. Wildlife Science, Oregon State University, 2021
Graduate Certificate in GIS Science, Oregon State University, 2021

Leila is an ecologist and spatial analyst with INR's Forest Program and Ecological Modeling Team. Her current projects focus on mapping plant communities along broad environmental gradients by linking satellite imagery to on-the-ground plot data, and then using Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS) and statistical tools in ArcGIS and R to summarize management-relevant indicators. Her past research has looked at carbon dynamics in forested coastal wetlands and the impacts of land-use change on global emissions. Leila has worked on landscape carbon assessment projects in Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and the United States. She completed her graduate work in the Kauffman Laboratory at Oregon State University (OSU), where she led field data collection and laboratory analysis for the Pacific Northwest Blue Carbon Project, a multi-year collaborative research effort quantifying carbon stocks in coastal regions of Western US. As a two-year Coastal Climate Resiliency Fellow with Counterpart International, Leila also worked with the Dominican Department of Natural Resources and partners to lead the implementation of a nationwide mangrove carbon inventory in the Dominican Republic. From 2018-2020, she served on the scientific advisory panel for the Blue Forests Project, a Global Environment Facility-funded project to advance coastal watershed conservation in developing nations. Leila has taught classes in conservation at OSU, and leads workshops as a mentoring scientist for the Dominican Environmental Education Program (DEEP). Further information on Leila’s research and publications can be found on ResearchGate.