Mali was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and attended Pennsylvania State University where she received her Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in Statistics. Mali earned her Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Tennessee under the guidance of Dr. Mona Papes. During this time, she researched the individual and interactive effects of wildfire and urbanization on understory plant communities. 

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Her research interests include: disturbance ecology, fire ecology, invasive species prevention, plant community ecology, plant succession, STEM education, and general wildlife conservation .

 

Just like most field scientists, Mali loves spending her time outside. Her current research takes her through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and there's no other place she'd rather be.

 

When she's not conducting her research she loves to cook, read, binge watch Netflix, and spend time with her husband Dalton, her son Wesley, and their two dogs. 

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