I obtained a B.Sc. in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from the Henderson State University in 2008, a M.Sc. in Wildlife Ecology from Texas State University-San Marcos in 2010, and a Ph.D. in Aquatic Resources from Texas State University in 2014. I am currently an Associate Professor at North Carolina State University.
Broadly, my research interest is wildlife conservation and management. I am interested in understanding how vertebrate communities (primarily herpetofauna) respond to various direct (e.g., harvest) and indirect (e.g., climate change, urbanization) anthropogenic pressures. Through intensive field sampling and various statistical approaches to data collected in the field, I aim to provide information that will aid in applying proper conservation actions for species of concern. Currently, I work on several Emydid turtles: spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata), Rio Grande cooter (Pseudemys gorzugi) and ornate box turtle (Terrapene ornata), and eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina). Apart from herpetofauna, my lab also works on understanding the prevalence of hantaviruses in small mammal communities.
My previous research has focused mainly on freshwater turtle conservation management and ecology. My research topics have included freshwater turtle reproductive ecology, testing field sampling assumptions and biases, movement ecology and developing new techniques for monitoring movement. But I have also sought to contribute more broadly to the global issues by evaluations of freshwater turtle sustainability under anthropogenic pressures such as road ecology, harvest, evaluation of management regimes in the Southeast US, and the efficacy of farming operations in order to decrease such pressures.
I also served as an Endangered Species Compliance Expert for the endangered Houston toad (Bufo houstonensis), specifically after the 2011 Bastrop Complex catastrophic wildfire. This work required collaboration with various agencies, including US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS), and Bastrop County, while conducting active Houston toad and other herpetofaunal searches during the wildfire recovery operations.
Broadly, my research interest is wildlife conservation and management. I am interested in understanding how vertebrate communities (primarily herpetofauna) respond to various direct (e.g., harvest) and indirect (e.g., climate change, urbanization) anthropogenic pressures. Through intensive field sampling and various statistical approaches to data collected in the field, I aim to provide information that will aid in applying proper conservation actions for species of concern. Currently, I work on several Emydid turtles: spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata), Rio Grande cooter (Pseudemys gorzugi) and ornate box turtle (Terrapene ornata), and eastern box turtle (Terrapene carolina). Apart from herpetofauna, my lab also works on understanding the prevalence of hantaviruses in small mammal communities.
My previous research has focused mainly on freshwater turtle conservation management and ecology. My research topics have included freshwater turtle reproductive ecology, testing field sampling assumptions and biases, movement ecology and developing new techniques for monitoring movement. But I have also sought to contribute more broadly to the global issues by evaluations of freshwater turtle sustainability under anthropogenic pressures such as road ecology, harvest, evaluation of management regimes in the Southeast US, and the efficacy of farming operations in order to decrease such pressures.
I also served as an Endangered Species Compliance Expert for the endangered Houston toad (Bufo houstonensis), specifically after the 2011 Bastrop Complex catastrophic wildfire. This work required collaboration with various agencies, including US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS), and Bastrop County, while conducting active Houston toad and other herpetofaunal searches during the wildfire recovery operations.