Heidi Liere, PhD

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Biography

I hold a PhD in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Michigan (2011) specialized in insect community ecology and agroecology. I received my BS in Biology from the Universidad del Valle in Guatemala City.

My research investigates the factors that affect biodiversity in human-managed systems and how, in turn, biodiversity helps sustain vital ecosystem services in those systems. I have done agroecology-related research in subsistence agriculture (Guatemala), coffee (Mexico), soybeans and corn (US Midwest), and urban agricultural systems (California and the PNW). In my current project, my collaborators and I are investigating how the local management and the landscape composition of the surrounding areas, affect beneficial insects (pollinators and natural enemies), water conservation, and food access in urban community gardens in California. We are also examining how the socio-demographic characteristics of the gardeners affect their management decisions (e.g. what to plant, how to manage pests), as well as their gardening motivations and outcomes.