David Ocampo

Ph.D. Candidate | Stoddard Lab | Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Princeton University

What drives the evolution of egg and nest diversity in birds?

I aim to understand the natural forces that drive diversity and adaptation in reproduction, the first crucial life stages for the survival and persistence of any organism. My dissertation integrates evolutionary ecology, functional morphology, and materials science to examine how birds protect their embryos, with a particular focus on functional diversity and adaptations in nests and eggs.

ABOUT ME (see my full CV here)

I'm a Colombian birdwatcher, ornithologist, and evolutionary biologist with broad interests in natural history, behavioral ecology, and the evolution of birds' life histories.

2021–2022 Master's in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Princeton University (USA)2018–2021 Curator of Birds and Eggs Museum Collections, Instituto Humboldt (Col)2017 Researcher, Birds of Caldas by the Sociedad Caldense Ornitología (Col)2016 Researcher, fieldwork assistant in the Usambara Mountains, UF (Tanzania)2016 Researcher, fieldwork, Neotropical Flyways Project, Fund. Selva (Col)2014 Predoctoral Fellow, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (USA)2013–2015 Master's in Biological Sciences Evolvert, Universidad de los Andes (Col)2012 Station Manager, The Manu Project, UF & UBC (Peru)2011 Bachelor's in Biology Universidad de Antioquia (Col)

ResearchGate | Google Scholar

MY RESEARCH INTEGRATES

Natural History | Trait Evolution | Behavioral Ecology

Fieldwork

My research is grounded in extensive fieldwork across the Americas and Africa, spanning tropical forests, savannas, and coastal systems. Field sites include Mpala Research Centre (Kenya), Shoals Marine Laboratory (USA), and Isla Escondida (Colombia).

Lab work

Leveraging the unique resources of the Stoddard Lab and Princeton’s Imaging and Analysis Center (IAC), I integrate advanced imaging, optical and spectral techniques, surface analysis, material characterization, and genomic microbiome approaches to reveal how biological structures evolve and perform in diverse environments.

And I also take advantage of ornithological collections

I have devoted an important part of my time and energy to strengthening existing collaborations and fostering new ones across Colombia and Latin America

Mentorship

Throughout my PhD, I have also served as an academic advisor to an informal “lab” of Colombian undergraduate students from Universidad de Caldas, Universidad de los Andes, Universidad del Quindío, and Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Tunja.

Photo: Participation in the Colombian Ornithology Conference (Cali, 2025). Form left to right: Esteban Tamayo, Laura Zuleta, Jonathan Rocha, David Ocampo, Jonathan Orozco, María Elisa Mendiwelso, Andrés Sierra, Sarah Chávez.