Biologist Elizabeth Carlen, a postdoctoral fellow with the Living Earth Collaborative at WashU, received a 2024 Spark Award from the Association for Women in Science (AWIS). The Spark Award highlights students or early-career leaders in science, technology, engineering and math who are visible and vocal advocates for diversity and inclusive scientific practices.
Carlen studies how urbanization and environmental racism drive the evolution of urban wildlife, including squirrels. Her work is community based, with the goal of creating cities that are more equitable and sustainable for humans and wildlife. As a mentor, Carlen helps marginalized students gain valuable hands-on research experience, the AWIS award committee said. Carlen has mentored more than two-dozen students during her career.
Carlen earned her PhD in biological sciences from Fordham University, where she studied how urbanization influences the evolution of feral pigeons. Her research has been featured on Saturday Night Live and written about in The New York Times, Wired magazine and multiple popular science books. Carlen is a co-founder and editor of the urban evolution blog “Life in the City: Evolution in an Urbanizing World.”
