Lab Members
Dr. Benjamin M. Van Doren
Principal Investigator • Assistant Professor
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Benjamin is interested in all things related to animal migration. He is fascinated by how migratory birds respond to environmental change and how human-dominated landscapes are influencing migrants’ ecology and behavior. He is excited by computational tools that push ecology forward while facilitating opportunities for conservation action. Benjamin earned a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University and a PhD from Oxford University, and he has received achievement awards from the American Ornithological Society, Linnean Society of London, and Zoological Society of London. In his free time, he enjoys exploring forested landscapes, reading fantasy novels, baking bread, eating bread, playing piano, and spending time with good friends. His first sentence was “Hello, duck.”
Yangkang Chen
PhD Student (2024–)
Program in Ecology, Evolution & Conservation Biology
Yangkang is passionate about understanding the ecology and evolution of bird migration through data science approaches. By integrating diverse data sources and employing advanced statistical methods, Yangkang aims to unravel the factors that shape large-scale bird migration patterns and assess the potential impacts of global change on these dynamics. During his master’s study at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yangkang focused on phenological sensitivity and mismatches in the context of climate change by modeling global bird migration using citizen science and remote sensing data. Prior to this, Yangkang obtained a master’s degree in data science from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s degree in ecology from Sichuan University, China.
Beyond research, Yangkang enjoys hiking, reading, live band performances, coffee and coding.
Shu-Yueh (Winnie) Liao
Master’s Student (2024–)
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences
Winnie is dedicated to bird migration and conservation using evidence-based and innovative methods. She is particularly interested in applying diverse tools such as citizen science data, weather surveillance radars, satellite tracking, and acoustic recordings to gain a comprehensive understanding of bird biology in the context of human disturbances.
Winnie holds a Bachelor of Science from a dual degree program at Duke Kunshan University and Duke University. During her studies, she helped launch the first nationwide survey of bird-building collisions in China and completed an undergraduate thesis on the effects of artificial plantations on bird diversity in western China. She also served as a full-time research fellow on shorebird migration, participating in fieldwork across the East Asian-Australasian Flyway.
Outside of research, Winnie enjoys playing volleyball as a setter, indoor climbing, birdwatching, and reading novels.
Annika Abbott
PhD Student (2025–)
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences
Annika is interested in migratory bird ecology and conservation, particularly using broad scale tools such as citizen science and remote sensing data to understand how migratory birds interact with human-modified landscapes. She is passionate about using research to support sustainable coexistence of people and the natural world, engaging communities in the process. Annika holds a bachelor’s degree in wildlife biology from Colorado State University. During her time as an undergraduate, she studied the timing of migratory bird arrival along the Gulf of Mexico coast, using weather surveillance radar data to understand and forecast their movements. When not doing research, Annika can be found birdwatching, running, cooking, drinking a lot of coffee, and marveling at the clouds.
Mason Maron
MS Student (2025–)
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences
Mason is interested in studying migration, movement ecology, and avian responses to climate and landscape change using radar, participatory science, and bioacoustics. He aims to expand our understanding of shifts in bird biology across an ever-changing anthropogenic landscape. Mason received his Bachelor of Science in wildlife ecology from Washington State University, where he established the university’s first nocturnal flight call monitoring station. After graduating, he continued pursuing avian research, including a participatory science-based study of anthropogenic impacts on Lesser Goldfinch distribution. He is also a collaborator on a nocturnal flight call study in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. When not working on research, you can often find Mason out birding and photographing wildlife, or indoors drawing, baking, or playing video games with friends.
Dhruv Tomar
Undergraduate Researcher (2024–)
Dhruv is interested in the various applications of computer science to the field of biology. Growing up, Dhruv found himself captivated by the natural world, especially by birds, and so he aims to discover how various computational tools such as machine learning and data analysis can shed new light into various topics such as bird migration biology. Dhruv hopes to continue on to graduate school to further his knowledge of computational biology. He spends his free time playing the viola and guitar, hiking, and learning random trivia.
Ashley Huang
Undergraduate Researcher (2024–)
Ashley is passionate about using computational methods for avian migration monitoring. She explores migratory patterns through acoustic monitoring, citizen science, and remote sensing approaches. Ashley loves reimagining how existing datasets can reveal new insights, such as applying pattern recognition algorithms to historical data.
Ashley is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at the University of Illinois. She is also a member of the campus Bird Strike Survey, where she is a North Quad route walker. Her favorite taxa include penguins and weird ducks. Outside of research, Ashley is a mixed media artist.
Former lab members
Dr. Zach G. Gayk • Superior Bioacoustics Avian Research and Consulting
Postdoctoral Research Associate (2023–2024)
Shubhankar Unhale
Research Assistant (2024)
Carlene English
Undergraduate Researcher (2024–2025)