Benjamin freeman - PI

Why do species live where they do? How are species responding to climate change and other major environmental challenges in the Anthropocene? Ben pursues these fundamental and applied questions as an Assistant Professor and Elizabeth Smithgall-Watts Endowed Faculty in the College of Biological Sciences at Georgia Tech. For more information, contact Ben directly at bfreeman47@gatech.edu.

CV (August 2023)

Pranav Gokhale - Graduate student

Pranav is a naturalist who is fascinated by the incredible diversity of species around us, and studies the eco-evolutionary mechanisms that create and maintain species diversity in space and time. He conducts rigorous fieldwork, combined with historical and citizen science data, to study species distributions, especially on tropical mountain slopes (the hottest biodiversity hotspots on Earth!). When not doing research, Pranav spends a lot of time on wildlife photography, trekking; catch him singing Ghazals (at home!) and listening to Indian Classical music in his free time. Shoot Pranav an email if you want to chat about birds, mountains, and the impacts of climate change on biodiversity.

Lily Gowens - UnderGraduate student

Lily is an evolutionary ecologist interested in how an organism’s traits influence how they perceive, interact with, and ultimately survive in their environment, especially in the face of climate change. She is currently investigating the response of montane avian species to climate disruption in the Colorado Rockies. In her free time, Lily enjoys crocheting sweaters, mountain biking, leading community bird walks around Georgia Tech campus, and sketching the natural world around her (she has a job as a scientific illustrator!)

shreyas arashanapalli - UnderGraduate student

Shreyas mainly specializes in evolutionary biology and ecology, specifically looking at the intersection of territoriality and sexual selection in birds. They are currently exploring patterns of territoriality across latitudes, understanding if songbirds are more likely to defend territory in pairs/ familial units at certain latitudes or if they will defend territory by their lonesome. Outside of research, Shreyas likes to delve into the horror and science fiction genres in literature and film, play around with music production, and crochet.