CV

Education

• Ph.D. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Advisor: Dr. S.E. Russo (http://russolab.unl.edu/). University of Nebraska-Lincoln 2022
• M.SC, University of Nebraska-Lincoln 2017
• A.B. Biology, with Honors; Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco, Perú 2011

Professional Appoitments

2025-present Associate Research Scientist, Yale University. Faculty Mentor: Dr. Liza Comita

2024- 2025 Brown Postdoctoral Fellowship, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Yale School of the Environment, Yale University Faculty Mentor: Dr. Liza Comita

2022-2024 Gaylord Donnelley Fellowship, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies,
Yale University

Spring 2022 NASA Develop program Internship

2017-2021 Teaching Assistant, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Selected Publications

For a full publication list, see Google Scholar.

• Huanca-Nunez, N., Browne, L., Hulsmann, L., Dent, D. H., Ruger, N., & Comita, L. S. (2026). "Integrated demographic strategies are more strongly associated with variation in conspecific density dependence than single traits." Journal of Ecology. 114(2):e70262. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.70262
• Toro, L., Werden, L. K., Addo-Danso, S., Andersen, K., Batterman, S., Bradford, M., Bragadini, M., Choksi, P., Cole, R. J., Comita, L., Cusack, D., Dent, D. H., Dietterich, L., Fisher, J. B., Fleischer, K., Flores, M., Fuchslueger, L., Huanca-Nunez, N., Lienau, J. R., ... Wong, M. (2025). "Integrating belowground recovery into tropical forest restoration design and monitoring." BioScience. 75(7):689-701. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biaf097
• LaManna, J. A., Hartig, F., Myers, J. A., Freckleton, R. P., Detto, M., Surendra, A., Doolittle, C. J., Bachelot, B., Bagchi, R., Comita, L. S., DeFilippis, D. M., Huanca-Nunez, N., Hulsmann, L., Jevon, F. V., Johnson, D. J., Krishnadas, M., Magee, L. J., Mangan, S. A., Milici, V. R., Murengera, A. L. B., Schnitzer, S. A., Smith, D. J. B., Stein, C., Sullivan, M. K., Torres, E., Umana, M. N., Delavaux, C. S. (2024). "Consequences of Local Conspecific Density Effects for Plant Diversity and Community Dynamics." Ecology Letters. 27(9):e14506. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.14506
• Huanca-Nunez, N., Chazdon, R., Russo, S. E. (2023). "Effects of large mammal exclusion on seedling communities depend on plant species traits and landscape protection in human-modified Costa Rican forests." Journal of Applied Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.14531
• Huanca-Nunez, N., Chazdon, R., Russo, S. E. (2021). "Seed-rain-successional feedbacks in wet tropical forests." Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3362
• Terborgh, J., Huanca-Nunez, N., Alvarez-Loayza, P., Cornejo-Valverde, F. (2017). "Gaps contribute tree diversity to a tropical floodplain forest." Ecology. 98:2895-2903. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.1991