CV
Education
- Ph.D in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, Boise State University, 2027 (expected)
- M.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 2021
- B.S. in Biology, Calvin University, 2019 (minors: data science, geography)
Teaching
Research
- 2022–present: Graduate Assistant
- Boise State University
- Researching ecosystem services provided by farmland and drivers of farmland loss in Idaho’s Snake River Plain using spatial models, remote sensing, optimization, and archetype analysis. Mentored undergradute-led research that resulted in three poster presentations.
- Supervisor: Dr. Jodi Brandt
- 2019–2021: Graduate Assistant
- University of Nevada, Las Vegas
- Completed two research projects on soil water dynamics and juvenile tree survival in the southwestern US and compiled them for a graduate thesis and two peer-reviewed publications.
- Supervisor: Dr. Matthew Petrie
- Summer 2018: Student Researcher
- Calvin University
- Collected plant samples from six different natural areas around Grand Rapids, identified, pressed, and preserved samples for the university herbarium, and assisted with peer-reviewed publication of findings.
- Supervisors: Dr. David Warners, Dr. Garrett Crow
- 2017–2019: Research Coordinator
- Calvin University
- Organized equipment and supplies for student labs, created and distributed outreach materials for the FYRES (First Year Research in Earth Science) research course, and organized and promoted events for the course.
- Supervisor: Dr. Deanna van Dijk
- 2016–2017: Research Mentor
- Calvin University
- Taught research techniques to first year undergraduate students in the FYRES (First Year Research in Earth Science) course, led students in designing and completing a research project, and compiled research results into a research report
- Supervisor: Dr. Deanna van Dijk
Grants
Preserving America’s Best Agricultural Land: Farmland Protection Planning Informed by Ecosystem Services. United States Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Total award: $118,288, 2026-2028. PI: Carolyn Koehn.
Service and Leadership
- 2023–present: Certified coding workshop instructor
- The Carpentries
- Co-teach workshops for coding and data science skills. I have taught two 2-day workshops for faculty focused on data skills in Python, one 3-hour workshop in R for students, and one full-day workshop in R for students and faculty. Learners reported gains in computing skills and confidence in writing programs to work with their data.
- 2025–present: Lesson Maintainer
- The Carpentries
- Maintain the Carpentries lesson titled “Data Analysis and Visualization in R for Ecologists” by monitoring the open source lesson repository on GitHub and ensuring pull requests and community contributions are addressed.
- 2023–2025: Leader for R Users Group
- Boise State University
- Hosted and coordinated R user group meetings, which provide support for graduate students using R for classwork and research.
Publications
Carbon stock protection and food production are key targets for conservation planning in a landscape of public and private lands
Koehn, C. R., Caughlin, T. T., Halperin, S., Hopping, K., Som Castellano, R., & Brandt, J. (2026). Carbon stock protection and food production are key targets for conservation planning in a landscape of public and private lands. Landscape Ecology, 41, 63.
Time series analysis to demonstrate restoration outcomes and system change from satellite data
Kolarik, N.E., Koehn, C., Nati-Johnson, E., Rojas Lucero, J.C., Martin, C., Caughlin, T.T., Iskin, E., Jochems, L., Neville, H., & Brandt, J. (2025). Time series analyses provide a low-cost and scalable way to assess restoration outcomes from satellite data. Restoration Ecology, e70184.
Conservation easements target high quality lands but do not increase their quality
Kolarik, N.E., Cattau, M., Koehn, C., Roopsind, A., Williamson, M., & Brandt, J. (2025). Conservation easements target high quality lands but do not increase their quality. Biological Conservation, 308, 111234.
Systematic conservation planning for private working lands: Identifying agricultural protection areas for climate solutions, biodiversity habitat, and ecosystem services
Halperin, S., Koehn, C.R., Johnson, K.K., & Brandt, J.S. (2024). Systematic conservation planning for private working lands: Identifying agricultural protection areas for climate solutions, biodiversity habitat, and ecosystem services. Biological Conservation, 297, 110735.
Not Only Severe Events: Moderate Dry Periods Impact the Hydraulic Functioning and Survival of Planted Ponderosa Pine Seedlings
Koehn, C.R., Petrie, M.D., & Hubbard, R.M. (2022). Not Only Severe Events: Moderate Dry Periods Impact the Hydraulic Functioning and Survival of Planted Ponderosa Pine Seedlings. Forests, 13, 370.
Botanical Assessments of High-Quality Southern Shrub-Carr and Hardwood Swamp Wetlands in the Undeveloped Lowell Regional Greenspace, Kent County, Michigan
Crow, G.E., Warners, D.P., Weesies, H.R., Walt, J.D., Hartwig, Z.E., & Koehn, C.R. (2022). Botanical Assessments of High-Quality Southern Shrub-Carr and Hardwood Swamp Wetlands in the Undeveloped Lowell Regional Greenspace, Kent County, Michigan. The Great Lakes Botanist, 61(1-2): 2, 2–34.
Seasonal Precipitation and Soil Moisture Relationships Across Forests and Woodlands in the Southwestern United States
Koehn, C.R., Petrie, M.D., Bradford, J.B., Litvak, M.E., & Strachan, S. (2021). Seasonal Precipitation and Soil Moisture Relationships Across Forests and Woodlands in the Southwestern United States. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 126(4), e2020JG005986.
Botanical Assessment of High-quality Woodland Parcels of the Undeveloped Lowell Regional Greenspace, Kent County, MI
Warners, D.P., Crow, G.E., Walt, J.D., Koehn, C.R., Hartwig, Z.E., & Clum, D. (2021). Botanical Assessment of High-quality Woodland Parcels of the Undeveloped Lowell Regional Greenspace, Kent County, MI. The Great Lakes Botanist, 60(3-4), 110.
Avian migrants encounter higher temperatures but continue to add mass at an inland stopover site in the Great Lakes region
VanTol, S.D., Koehn, C.R., Keith, R., Keith, B., & Proppe, D.S. (2021). Avian migrants encounter higher temperatures but continue to add mass at an inland stopover site in the Great Lakes region. Journal of Avian Biology, 52(4).