She is interested in the forces shaping biodiversity in time and space, including effects from human activities. Her research focuses on the evolution of species and trait diversity, and on how to conserve ecosystems today and into the future. Professor Dávalos is a 2013 Kavli Frontiers of Science Fellow for outstanding early career, a 2012 National Academies of Sciences Education Fellow in the Life Sciences, and has advised the United Nations Office of Drug and Crime on deforestation since 2007. She is a coauthor of the 2016 World Drug Report.