Dr. Hillary Cooper is a postdoctoral scholar for NAU’s Center for Adaptable Western Landscapes. She works with Dr. Rebecca Best, NAU School of Earth and Sustainability, and the Cottonwood Ecology Group, NAU Department of Biological Sciences. Currently, Hillary is studying how riparian forests will fare under changing environmental conditions. Evolutionary ecology is her focus area, with a current emphasis on plant adaptation, phenotypic plasticity, and community consequences related to drought and climate change. Working with Dr. Thomas Whitham, she recently earned her Ph.D. in Biology from Northern Arizona University. Hillary helped co-author two successful National Science Foundation research proposals.