Christian earned his Bachelor's Degree in Biological Sciences from Cornell University, where he began his work with birds through field work and specimen collection for local and migrant songbirds. After a high school teaching career, he obtained his Master's Degree at Plymouth State University, focusing mostly on ecology for his research. In particular, Christian studied population dynamics of the Canada Warbler (Cardellina canadensis), focusing on two separate aspects. On local populations, he developed a rapid assessment technique for population analysis, with the intent to limit time and labor for a species of conservation concern that may require annual monitoring. This also contributed to a 16-year-long longitudinal monitoring study on a population of these warblers in New Hampshire. The other aspect of Christian research used light-logger geolocators and analysis using R to record and reveal the paths that members of this population took during migration. This was part of a larger study on the migratory connectivity of this species, which is considered a symbol of Canadian biodiversity, and is threatened across its range in the United States and Canada.

Christian's personal research interests are in avian pigments and coloration, sexual selection, and broad phylogenetic trends. As a lab technician in Dr. Scott Edwards' lab at Harvard University, Christian's research will be examining the genomics of closely related thrush (Catharus) species, specifically focusing on differing numbers of transposons between two species, the Bicknell's (C. bicknelli) and gray-cheeked (C. minimus) thrushes.

Publication

Reitsma, L.R.R., Burns, C., and Sullivan, J. Poecile atricapillus (Black-capped Chickadee) Feeding Catharus guttatus (Hermit Thrush) Nestlings. 2019. Northeastern Naturalist Vol. 26 (2), N18.