Stephanie Manka (formerly Schuttler)
Wildlife Biologist and Science Communicator, Fancy Scientist LLC
I am a wildlife biologist and science communicator. My research lays at the intersection of mammal ecology, citizen science, and education. I founded and run FancyScientist.com, a site dedicated to connecting people to science and nature, breaking stereotypes of scientists, and empowering scientists. If you’re a scientist or scientist-to-be, you’ll find lots of resources to guide you through this career.
I am a conservation scientist focused on understanding the impacts of landscape-scale disturbance on tropical biodiversity. I’m particularly interested in how we can combine acoustic technologies and machine learning to quantitatively assess these impacts, as well as assess the effectiveness of conservation initiatives. I'm currently a postdoc researcher at the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, UW-Madison using soundscapes to assess the value of forest certification for wildlife in logged forests in Gabon. Previously, I completed my PhD at the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology focused on bats in Borneo.