Page 14 - January 2026 Insider

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INSIDER January 2026

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Scholar Alumni – Where Are They Now?

Plants and birds are a passion for Sandy DeSimone, PhD (1995-
1997, SDSU), who did her doctoral research on coastal sage scrub,
a globally endangered shrubland. After receiving her PhD in 1997 in
Ecology through the SDSU/UC Davis Joint Doctoral Program, she
took on the role of Director of Research, Education, and Land
Management at the 4,000-acre Audubon Starr Ranch Sanctuary in
southeast Orange County, where she and husband, Starr Ranch
Manager Peter DeSimone, live in one of the historic buildings on the
Ranch. Dr. DeSimon’s programs, both land management and
education, are research-based.

In 1997, Dr. DeSimone initiated a series of experiments to test non-chemical methods for
controlling the highest priority upland weed on Starr Ranch, artichoke thistle. Seasonal staff,
recent college grads, are the heart of land management and do the hard work of non-chemical
weed control, vegetation and bird monitoring, and education programs. After several years of
research on biology and non-chemical control of artichoke thistle, the Starr Ranch field crew
comprised of a full-time field supervisor and four seasonal field assistants, started work. Since
1999, Starr Ranch has used an experimentally based method that has reduced artichoke thistle
cover by 95% in a work site after one season of non-chemical treatment. Land managers from
Ventura to San Diego Counties have visited Starr Ranch to hear about the research-based,
sustainable land management practices and visit the restoration sites.

Dr. DeSimone also developed the “Starr Ranch Field Ecology Programs,” an innovative approach
that integrated ecological research into education. People of all ages participate in the
programs, taught by biologists, and have a hands-on experience in simulated or actual field
research. Local and regional partnerships that focus on Southern California conservation issues
are also a critical aspect of Dr. DeSimone’s work, and she works closely with academic and
agency partners on tree pests, fire prevention, mountain lions, bird monitoring, and rare riparian
fish and macroinvertebrates.
To learn more about the work done at Starr Ranch Sanctuary, you can view this 5-minute video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqyCUlXxFQo&t=219s

Jeffrey Chao, PhD (2001-2005, Scripps Research) obtained his
PhD from Scripps Research in 2005, where he worked with James
Williamson on the structure and function of RNA-protein complexes. His
postdoctoral studies with Robert Singer at Albert Einstein College of
Medicine in Bronx, NY (2005-2012) focused on understanding RNA
localization and developing fluorescent microscopy techniques for
imaging single mRNAs.

In 2013, he established his own group at the Friedrich Miescher Institute
(FMI) for Biomedical Research in Basel, Switzerland. His group combines
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