Dr. Allison B. Simler-Williamson joined Boise State University in 2021 and is currently an Assistant Professor with the Department of Biological Sciences.  She earned a Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of California, Davis and both a B.A. in Biology and a B.A. in Studio Art from Duke University.  Dr. Simler-Williamson’s current research focuses on the interactions between abiotic and biotic disturbances (wildfire and an emerging forest disease, Sudden Oak Death) in mixed evergreen and redwood-tanoak forests, and subsequently to understand the impacts of fire behavior and climate change on future epidemiology in disturbed areas.  She is also interested in the physiology of forest sprouting, and the role that vegetative reproduction and hardwood components may play in the Western United States’ changing forests.