Nigel Golden

Nigel Golden is a wildlife ecologist and social justice activist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His research on ground squirrels has appeared in numerous media outlets.
Research
Golden's work in Denali National Park, Alaska, focuses on understanding how the Arctic ground squirrel (Urocitellus parryii) is responding to the rapidly-changing climate. Nigel's early research on these squirrels took place in Cherskii, Siberia as part of the Polaris Project, where he began to examine the role that these squirrels play in regulating greenhouse gas emission from thawing permafrost soils as they bury in the ground. His current research also combines geospatial analysis, occupancy modeling, and population genetics to track and predict the ecology of this keystone species, with the ultimate end-goal of helping resource managers in Alaska better track the squirrels .
Social Justice Activism
Nigel is one of the co-founders of the University of Massachusetts' BRIDGE program, which brings scholars from underrepresented groups to campus to present a research seminar, a journey through academia presentation, and a lunch with students.
Awards and Recognition
Nigel is the recipient of the National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship Program, the National Geographical Society's Explorer fellowship, and the Switzer fellowship. He was recently invited back to the Polaris Project to serve as a faculty advisor. His work has also appeared on the BBC, the Smithsonian Magazine.

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