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Kimberly Rivera, M.S.

Department
Conservation & Science
Center
Urban Wildlife Institute
Title
Urban Wildlife Information Network Coordinator
Education
  • B.S. – Environmental Science, University of Delaware
  • M.S. –Biological and Ecosystem Science, University of Rhode Island

Areas of Expertise

  • Urban wildlife ecology and conservation
  • Human-wildlife interactions and mitigation
  • Ecological statistics and modeling

About

Originally from the suburbs of New York City, New York, Kimberly has been lucky to call many places home. Since graduating from the University of Delaware with a degree in Environmental Science, she has worked on a variety of conservation and research-based projects. From the deserts of the Mojave and the boreal forests of Minnesota to the rainforests of Madagascar and the streets of Chicago, she enjoys studying and conserving all the amazing ecosystems that exist on our planet.

Kimberly completed her M.Sc. at the University of Rhode Island conducting research in the Biological and Environmental Sciences program. She worked in the Applied Quantitative Ecology Lab under Brian Gerber, Ph.D., alongside international partners such as the Mad Dog Initiative and the Urban Wildlife Institute. Her research was focused on understanding the impacts of human disturbance on fossa in Madagascar and coyotes in Chicago. She also investigated people’s values regarding coyotes and interaction with these canines in Rhode Island through online surveys and quantitative analyses.

​More generally, Kimberly is interested in supporting biodiversity across all habitats, especially as that pertains to understanding and mitigating human-wildlife interactions and supporting sensitive/endangered species. She plans to continue studying and supporting these systems through research and outreach in Chicago and beyond.

An image captured by a motion-activated field camera of a fox staring into the distance
In the Wild, Helping People and Wildlife Coexist
Chicago Wildlife Watch
In the Wild, Helping People and Wildlife Coexist
Urban Ecology at Nature Boardwalk
A motion-activated field camera tied to a tree in Chicago
In the Wild, Helping People and Wildlife Coexist
Urban Wildlife Biodiversity Monitoring
Zoo scientist installing a motion-activated field camera in Chicago
In the Wild, Helping People and Wildlife Coexist
The Urban Wildlife Information Network

Publications

  • Rivera, K., Fidino, M., Farris, Z. J., Magle, S. B., Murphy, A., and Gerber, B. D. (2022). Rethinking habitat occupancy modeling and the role of diel activity in an anthropogenic world. American Naturalist. 
  • Rivera, K., Fidino, M., Farris, Z.J., Magle, S.B, Murphy, A., Gerber, B. (in press). Rethinking mammal habitat occupancy modeling and the role of diel activity in an anthropogenic world. BioRxiv. Preprint Available: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.06.30.450589
  • Rivera, K., Gerber, B.D., and Farris, Z.J. (in press). Eupleres goudotii, small-toothed civet, falanouc. In S.M. Goodman (Ed.) The new natural history of Madagascar. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
  • Buler, J., J. Smolinsky, & Rivera, K. (2016) Radar analysis and mapping of migratory bird stopover use in North Carolina. Cooperative Agreement WM-0293 Final Report. North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. https://www.ncwildlife.org/Portals/0/Conserving/documents/UD-NC-Final-Report-2016-08-29.pdf
  • Rivera, K. (2016). Analysis of land cover changes and the effects on migratory songbird stopover sites through weather radar systems. [Senior thesis, University of Delaware]. https://udspace.udel.edu/handle/19716/19616.

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