People

Taylor L. Rubin is a PhD candidate in biology at Queens College, City University of New York. Taylor is a member of Dr. Joanna Coleman’s Urban Ecology Lab. For her PhD, she is researching scavengers that live in cities, especially Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus), and how their use of our food waste as a resource influences disease spread. Taylor is passionate about bringing more people into the research process in the hopes of de-mystifying scientific research and increasing science literacy. Her long-term career goal is to pursue ecological research while working alongside community members and policymakers to translate scientific knowledge into meaningful change. Taylor currently serves as the board secretary for Birdability, a nonprofit dedicated to making birding and the outdoors accessible for those with disabilities. Previously, she earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the College of William & Mary and a master’s degree in neuroscience & animal behavior from Emory University.

Photo credit: Alex Irklievski