He received his M.Sc. in Zoology from Oxford University, and Ph.D. in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management from the University of California, Berkeley. Since 2002, his published research has centered at the intersection of bird distributions and community dynamics with global change ecology. His work is primarily focused on bird communities along temperate elevational gradients, including the Appalachians, the Sierra Nevada of California, and the Himalaya, and how these communities are impacted by anthropogenic change. In 2012, he was awarded the Young Professional Award by the Cooper Ornithological Society, and in 2014 he was awarded a "Wings Across America" conservation award from the USDA Forest Service. A lifelong birder, Tingley has seen over 25% of the world's bird species; just don't ask him about his Connecticut list!