I am a PhD student at the University of Florida working with Prof Brett Scheffers and coadvised by Prof David Edwards. I study the impacts of microclimates on species distributions of forest biodiversity under global change, using a combination of big data and field approaches. My computational work largely focuses on understanding how forest structure impacts microclimates on the ground as well as in three-dimensions within forest canopies through the use of mechanistic microclimate models. Using these data, I examine impacts of climates that represent the conditions actually experienced by organisms on patterns of biodiversity in multiple dimensions from local to global scales.
My field work focuses on understanding how three-dimensional microclimates impact trait variation in epiphytic bromeliad communities. While my current work is based in the Darien Province of Panama, I have conducted field work throughout the tropics, including Puerto Rico, Peru, and Australia.
Personal website: lydiasoifer.wordpress.com
