Aranya Iyer

MSc Student

Hello! My name is Aranya and I am a Masters student working on avian migration. I am really interested in studying long-distance migrants but my scope within this topic ranges from how to best understand them to how to best protect them. My undergraduate thesis focused on habitat changes at stopover sites in southwestern Ontario for aerial avian insectivores (ie., swallows, swifts, and flycatchers). I am excited about the real-world applications of GIS and am drawn to how we can use it as a problem-solving tool. I am also very invested in the “paper-to-policy” pipeline: my goal is to help science-based academia be as applicable and accessible to as many people as possible. In my spare time, I enjoy birding (obviously), reading political autobiographies, talking about my ever-growing collection of houseplants and watching home renovation shows. I love thought experiments and getting lost in my imagination.