Graduate Student Directory

Research Statement: My research interests are in using remote sensing data and quantitative modeling to inform wildlife management. My current research at Virginia Tech is using remote sensing acquired data to create predictive models for the occurrence of Bachman’s sparrow (Peucaea aestivalis) and other at-risk avian species with the hope of better informing their management (Advisor: Dr. Elizabeth Hunter).

Research Interests: am broadly interested in fish behavior and interspecific interactions among stream fish communities. Currently, I am applying selfish-herd theory to a nest building fish, the bluehead chub, by studying the feeding and vigilance behaviors of the chub and its associated species (Advisor: Emmanuel Frimpong).

Research Interest: I am interested in climate change effects on Amazon fish catch. My research focuses on how climate changes affect hydrological aspects, fish traits and future potential changes over river-floodplain fisheries along the Amazon River (Advisor: Dr. Leandro Castello).

Research Interests: Broadly, I am interested in coastal ecosystems and wildlife management. My research is part of the Long-Term Ecological Research program in the Virginia Coast Reserve, which is dedicated to understanding how short- and long-term drivers such as storms and sea-level rise impact ecosystem state changes on the Virginia coastal barrier system. I am studying the factors that drive American Oystercatcher and Piping Plover breeding success on Virginia’s barrier islands and how geomorphic changes on the islands affect their populations (Advisor: Karpanty).

Research Interests: My research focuses on the conservation and management of imperiled freshwater mussels and fishes, with an emphasis on assessing species distributions and population dynamics, monitoring T&E and non-game species, evaluating population restoration techniques and sampling designs, and conservation genetics (Advisors: Hallerman and Ford).

Research Interests: I am interested in the influence of anthropogenic activity on the health of wildlife populations, specifically amphibian reproductive biology. I am studying the reproductive physiology and paternity of Eastern hellbender giant salamanders across a habitat quality gradient (Advisor: Hopkins).

Research Interests: I am interested in using science to inform on the ground conservation and management actions for rare reptiles and amphibians, particularly in the southeastern United States. My research focuses on filling in gaps in our natural history knowledge of rare species, long-term monitoring of important populations, and identifying current threats and how populations will respond to them. At Virginia Tech, my research will focus on the effects of climate change on the breeding activity of flatwoods salamanders and the breeding wetlands that they depend on. I will examine how viable the remaining populations are to future changes in climate (Advisor: Haas).

Research interest: I am interested in the intersection between reproductive ecology, evolutionary ecology, fisheries, and conservation. I hope to expand on our understanding of the reproductive physiology and life history characteristics of commercially important fish species in a way that will improve the accuracy of fisheries models by looking at "the female perspective" of fish reproduction (Advisor: Dr. Kindsvater).

Research Interests: My research focuses on the fisheries impacts, gear selectivity and the community-wide trophic ecology of the marine resources inhabiting the Samana Bay (Dominican Republic) and its surroundings (Advisor: Castello).

Research Interests: My research project involves monitoring the piping plover population on Fire Island, NY as it responds to increased habitat from Hurricane Sandy to better understand demographic trends as it approaches carrying capacity and beyond (Advisor: Jim Fraser).

Research Statement: My research interests center around how forest management impacts salamanders. Certain land use activities such as timber harvesting are often criticized for their impact on wildlife, but timber is a valuable commodity and is the basis for many local economies. I would like to develop methods to mitigate the negative impacts of harvest on salamanders so that people can continue to extract valuable timber while also conserving salamanders (Advisors: Dr. Carola Haas, Dr. Nick Caruso).

Research Interests: I am fascinated with the natural history, ecology, and behavior of bats. My research interests focus on understanding these mysterious and cryptic creatures, always with a link back to conservation and effective wildlife management (Advisor: Ford).

Research Interests: My current dissertation project is assessing the distribution, abundance, and genetic diversity of three species of freshwater mussels. These species are the Tennessee heelsplitter (Lasmigona holstonia), the Cumberland moccasinshell (Medionidus conradicus),and the Fluted kidneyshell (Ptychobranchus subtentus). The Fluted kidneyshell is currently listed as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA), and the other two species are both candidates for listing. The goal of my research is to provide information on the need for listing the Tennessee heelsplitter and the Cumberland moccasinshell as endangered under the ESA, and to determine if our current management efforts for the Fluted kidneyshell are appropriate (Advisors: Hallerman & Jones).

Research Interests:Occupancy, density, and co-occurence of a number of predators and prey in Bale National Park in Ethiopia (Advisor: Kelly).

I am interested in endangered species management and conservation. For my research I will be documenting presence, status and viability of roost networks of reproductive northern long-eared bats (Myotis septentrionalis) at two northeastern National Park Service sites (Advisor: Ford).

Research Interests: My research focuses on the human dimensions of conservation on private lands. I'll be working with private landowners and citizen scientists in order to better understand the variables that drive private landowners’ perceptions of and engagement in conservation behaviors (Advisor: Dayer).

My broad interests involve land management and associated wildlife-habitat interactions regarding small mammals. Specifically, my current research will involve evaluating the efficacy of nest-boxes and remote cameras to monitor southeastern fox squirrel populations at MTC Fort Pickett and Big Woods Wildlife Management Area and Piney Grove Preservation in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain of Virginia (Advisor: Ford).

Research Interests: My interests revolve around wildlife conservation and management, specifically with in coastal ecosystems. My research explores the demography, breeding dispersal, and site fidelity of shorebirds, specifically Dunlin (Calidris alpina arcticola) within the Alaskan Arctic and Austral-Asian Flyway. I am also interested in using citizen science and outreach to connect people with their local ecosystems on a scientific level (Advisors: Karpanty, Catlin, Fraser).

Research Interests: I am interested in behavioral ecology and how animals utilize the landscape. My research will analyze the behavior of black bears in Virginia Appalachian Mountains, likely focusing on feeding ecology and species space use. Additionally, I hope to incorporate education through the mentoring of undergraduate students and public outreach (Advisor: Kelly).

Research Interests: Overall, I'm interested in the variation of life-history traits of salamanders along elevational gradients. My current research aims to determine how environmental conditions at early life stages influence the growth of the Northern two-lined salamander (Advisor: Kindsvater).

Research Interests: My research is focused on the complex community level interactions of stream fishes. I study the reproductive phenology of bluehead chubs and their nest associates and am interested in the impacts of climate change on the phenology of spawning (Advisor: Frimpong).

Research Interests: My research revolves around the human dimensions of support and engagement with state agencies. I work with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' Nongame Wildlife Program (NWP) to determine who supports them and why, as well as how the NWP can support their constituents, especially those who are historically underrepresented in community science and outdoor recreation (Advisors: Dr. Ashley Dayer and Dr. Willandia Chaves).

Research Interests: By combining citizen science, big data, and elasmobranch macroecology, my research attempts to structure large clouds of unstructured data. As part of the web application sharkPulse, my research focusses on developing shark population indices by using machine learning and data science routes. I am looking at social medias such as Instagram and how to extract viable shark sightings from them (Advisor: Ferretti).

Research Interests: My primary research interests are wildlife ecology and conservation with focus on mammals. I am currently studying bats in Virginia in response to the impacts of the disease white-nose syndrome and have specific interest in northern long-eared (Myotis septentrionalis) and eastern small-footed bats (Myotis leibii) (Advisor: Ford).

I am broadly interested in endangered species conservation and management. For my research, I will be looking at the post-white nose syndrome populations of bats on state and federal lands in Maryland. I am also interested in effective outreach and engagement that is beneficial to conservation efforts. (Advisor: Ford)

Research statement: I am interested in all things fish and fisheries ecology and my current research is focused on characterizing early growth and maturation of Blueline Tilefish. We hope to improve future Blueline Tilefish stock assessments and examine the effects of using early life history information from other species on stock assessments (current Blueline Tilefish stock assessments use early life history information from similar species). Advisor: Yan Jiao

Research Interests: Hello, everyone, I am in Dr. Marcella Kelly’s lab. I have worked in Belize, Central America conducting field work since 2016 leading me to research the beautiful pumas in the area. I will focus this research on the population dynamics of pumas by estimating occupancy and puma density using spatially explicit modeling techniques from remote camera data and then linking these parameters to habitat features, prey, and potential competition with jaguars! (Advisor: Kelly)

Research Interest: My research focuses on the ecology and conservation of stream ecosystems. Currently, I am studying the efficacy of agricultural conservation practices for protecting aquatic species via the reduction of sediment and nutrient loads to streams (Advisors: Angermeier & Ciparis).

Research Interests: Continuing the long term study of Jaguars in Belize through the use of camera traps(Advisor: Kelly).

Research Interests: I study jaguars and other Neotropical felids in Central America. My research interests include carnivore ecology, parameter estimation, community ecology, and international conservation. I am also interested in creative pedagogy and helping students get the most out of their learning opportunities, both inside and outside the classroom (Advisor: Kelly).

Research Interests: I am broadly interested in the human dimensions of conservation and using animal behavior research to inform conservation. My dissertation focuses on the social and ecological aspects of hellbender conservation (Advisors: Hopkins & Dayer).

Research Interests: My research involves determining if environmental DNA can be used to monitor spawning behavior in freshwater mussels, and the genetic analysis of two similar freshwater mussel species (Advisor: Jones).

Research Interests: My research focuses on establishing new survey methods to evaluate population dynamics and herd demographics for the restored elk herd in southwest Virginia. My broader research interests include large mammal ecology, habitat use, population dynamics, and predator-prey interactions (Advisors: Ford & Cherry).

Research Interests: My research interests are primarily focused on estimating population sizes of wild cats. These animals are usually very secretive by nature and often times very difficult to study. This type of research is being done though population modeling incorporating non-invasive camera-trapping techniques with a mark-recapture framework (Advisors: Kelly & Cherry).

Research Statement: I am interested in the human dimensions of natural resources. My project at Virginia Tech focuses on understanding wildlife viewers and their relationships with state fish and wildlife agencies (Advisor: Dayer) .

Research Interests: Research I am broadly interested in how anthropogenic factors influence reptiles and amphibians as well as their physiological response. My current research is investigating the red blood cell stress response in Hellbenders in regards to seasonal variation and parasitic infection. (Advisor: Hopkins)

Research Interests:My research interests generally center around the ecological role of sharks, particularly risk effects and predator-prey dynamics, and investigating the ecosystem consequences of removing large sharks from the ocean. I’m also very interested in large marine protected areas and evaluating their benefit to global shark populations. My research incorporates mechanistic, field-based experiments with big data and environmental synthesis approaches (Advisor: Dr. Ferretti).

Research Interests: My dissertation research focus is modeling local and statewide bat population distributions using remote sensing and geostatistical frameworks. I am also a full-time senior research associate at the college’s Conservation Management Institute where my research involves all manner of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems (Advisor: Ford).

Research Interests: In general, my research interests include disease ecology and genetics, specifically the field of comparative transcriptomics. For my master’s degree, I study Mycobacterium mungi, a novel strain of tuberculosis found only in the banded mongoose (Mungos mungo). My research will consist of testing biomarkers in banded mongoose blood using both blood transcriptome signatures as well as an interferon gamma test for the identification of M. mungi infection. My study area is located in the Chobe District of northern Botswana (Advisor: Alexander).

Research Interests: I'm interested in population and community ecology, especially urban wildlife like bats and mesopredators (Advisor: Ford).

Research Interests: I am studying the effects of microplastics, specifically microfibers, on the growth and condition of rainbow trout. My interests also include sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, stakeholder engagement, and environmental education (Advisors: Kindsvater & Ovissipour).

Research interest: I'm specifically interested in the migratory behavior of eastern red bats (Lasiurus borealis) and other migratory tree bats as it relates to time, weather, and topography along the mid-Atlantic coast. More broadly, I'm interested in migration and movement ecology, ecological statistics and modeling, and threatened and endangered species conservation and management (Advisor: Ford).