Dr. Quinn Asena | Habitat Preservation | Excellence in Research
Postdoctoral Research Associate at Habitat Preservation, UW-Madison, United States
Dr. Quinn Asena is currently working as a post-doctoral research associate, which means they have completed their doctoral degree (Ph.D.) and are now conducting research under the supervision of more experienced researchers. In this role, Dr. Asena is focusing on developing and applying new statistical methods to analyze palaeoecological data. Palaeoecology is the study of past ecosystems, which helps us understand how ecosystems have changed over time in response to environmental factors. The specific aim of Dr. Asena’s research is to understand how ecosystems respond to environmental change, particularly abrupt changes. They are working on a project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) called Abrupt Change in Ecosystems, which focuses on studying ecosystem responses to sudden environmental changes.
Professional Profiles:
Education:
Dr. Quinn Asena received their PhD from the University of Auckland, School of Environment in 2017. Their research focused on virtual ecological methods for generating pseudoproxy data to assess statistical inferences under data uncertainty. The PhD was supervised by George Perry and Janet Wilmshurst. Prior to their PhD, Dr. Asena completed an integrated Masters degree in Environmental Science at the University of York in 2012, where their research involved environmental monitoring using sensor networks and robotics. They achieved a first-class honors degree. Dr. Asena also has a background in music, having studied performance, composition, and musical theory at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where they received multiple competition awards. They are also a certified Carpentries instructor, able to host and assist in running workshops for the global digital skills community.
Professional Expereince:
Dr. Quinn Asena is currently a post-doctoral research associate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, working on an NSF grant project led by Jack Williams and Anthony Ives. The project involves developing state-space modeling methods to analyze paleoecological records for the Abrupt Change in Ecosystems project. Previously, in 2022 and 2021, Dr. Asena worked as a Research Assistant at the University of Auckland, conducting a bibliometric analysis on the topic of climate justice. They also worked as an Engagement Specialist at the Centre for e-Research in Auckland, engaging with researchers to provide advice and resources for their research compute needs, including technical skills for virtual machines (Linux, Bash, Slurm), high-performance computing, and version control.
Other Experience:
Dr. Quinn Asena has been an active member of the Neotoma Virtual Leadership Council, serving as the Early Career representative. In 2016, they contributed to literature review work for Associate Professor Andy Marshall in York, UK, although this work remains unpublished. In terms of volunteering, Dr. Asena has a diverse range of experiences. They volunteered as a NightSafe Volunteer at the University of York, participating in efforts to ensure student safety throughout the night in the City of York. Additionally, they were involved in science and outreach activities at the York Institute for Tropical Ecosystems, where they developed short films and interviews to showcase the institute’s work. Dr. Asena’s volunteering also extends to education, as they volunteered as an assistant in school teaching a range of sciences. They also completed a certified course in Flood Defences at the University of York, where their team won first place for designing a flood defence plan for the City of York. Furthermore, they have experience in media development, having filmed and edited a series of interviews of academics in the environment department at the University of York for open-day presentations.
Skills:
Dr. Quinn Asena possesses a range of skills including programming, high-performance computing, microscopy, ITRAX core scanning, and peat core preparation.
Publications:
- Guidelines for reporting and archiving 210Pb sediment chronologies to improve fidelity and extend data lifecycle
- Author: Quinn Asena
- Journal: Quaternary Geochronology
- Year: 2019
- DOI: 10.1016/j.quageo.2019.04.003
- Response to: Comment on “Peatland carbon stocks and burn history: Blanket bog peat core evidence highlights charcoal impacts on peat physical properties and long‐term carbon storage” by Evans et al.
- Author: Quinn Asena
- Journal: Geo: Geography and Environment
- Year: 2019
- DOI: 10.1002/geo2.78
- Assessing the links between resilience, disturbance and functional traits in paleoecological datasets
- Author: Quinn Asena
- Journal: Past Global Change Magazine
- Year: 2018
- DOI: 10.22498/pages.26.2.87
- Peatland carbon stocks and burn history: Blanket bog peat core evidence highlights charcoal impacts on peat physical properties and long-term carbon storage
- Author: Quinn Asena
- Journal: Geo: Geography and Environment
- Year: 2018
- DOI: 10.1002/geo2.63
- Population viability analyses in New Zealand: a review
- Author: Quinn Asena
- Journal: New Zealand Journal of Ecology
- Year: 2018
- DOI: 10.20417/nzjecol.42.32