Jonah Wafula-Card
Jonah is the Director of this documentary. He is a storyteller who focuses on stories often overlooked, using film as a tool for witnessing, memory, and truth. Jonah is deeply committed to amplifying human and more-than-human voices and believes storytelling can foster empathy, connection, and care.
Storytelling Team
Samuel Kidoguchi
Samuel is the Producer of this documentary. He supports the project from development through production, coordinating logistics and shaping the film’s narrative. Samuel is dedicated to creating thoughtful, impact-driven films that make complex ideas accessible to broad audiences.
KJ Kent
KJ is the Editor and Assistant Producer of this documentary. He shapes the film’s narrative through editing while supporting production across the project, with a focus on clear, emotionally resonant storytelling that honors both the science and the people behind it.
Dr. Anderson Feijó
Anderson is the Assistant Curator of Mammals at the Field Museum and the project manager for this expedition. He studies how mammals evolve and adapt in mountain ecosystems and is dedicated to using science to support conservation. Anderson is also passionate about public outreach and inspiring people to care about the natural world.
Beatriz Dybas da Natividade
Beatriz Natividade is a Ph.D. student and a member of the research team. She studies how nectar-feeding bats evolve and how their relationships with the plants they feed on change over time, focusing on the special adaptations that allow these bats to thrive.
Research Team
Dr. Amanda Grunwald
Amanda is a postdoctoral researcher at the Field Museum and the project lead, studying how bat populations in the Tropical Andes are responding to climate change. She is committed to inclusive, student-centered teaching and equitable research practices, and her work emphasizes science communication and public outreach, often in collaboration with artists and community partners.
Jiale Zhang
Jiale Zhang is a Ph.D. student and a member of the research team. She studies how small mammals adapt to extreme and rapidly changing environments, using tools like genomics, morphology, and high-resolution CT scans to understand how evolution helps species survive environmental stress.
Sienna Cenere
Sienna Cenere is a scientific artist joining the expedition as an expert in science communication. Her signature style, Numberism, uses thousands of hand-written numbers and equations to create data-driven illustrations that bridge art and science. She has shared her work through multidisciplinary lectures and exhibited in galleries across the U.S.
Emily Malkauskas
Emily is a Ph.D. student and a member of the research team. She is joining the expedition to study the neurobehavior and social communication of bats. Emily is passionate about wildlife conservation and has spent the past decade working with at-risk species across mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and birds.