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Program in Ecology

Transdisciplinary Program

Debbie Swierczek, Program Coordinator

School of Graduate Education
Knight Hall 247

Phone: 307-766-4128

Email: ecology@uwyo.edu

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Program in Ecology and Evolution Alumni

Program in Ecology and evolution

      

Ellen AikensProgram in Ecology alumnus Ellen Aikens

Positions after graduation: Postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Germany

Program in Ecology PhD, 2015-2019

PhD advisor: Matt Kauffman & Kevin Monteith
PhD department:
Zoology & Physiology

PiE Dissertation title: Surfing Green Waves of Forage: Evaluating the Causes and Consequences of Ungulate Migration

 


Abdullahi AliAbdullahi H. Ali

Positions after graduation: Founder and Executive Director of Hirola Conservation Programme, Kenya

Program in Ecology PhD, 2010-2016

PhD advisor: Jake Goheen
PhD department: Zoology & Physiology

PiE dissertation title: Range Collapse, Demography and Conservation of the Critically Endangered Hirola Antelope in Kenya

 

 


Lauren Azevedo-Schmidtlauren azevedo-schmidt photo

Positions after graduation:

PhD advisor: Ellen Currano

PhD Home Department: Botany

I study plant and insect interactions using leaf pseudofossils (leaves deposited in sediment) from modern temperate and tropical ecosystems. By studying pseudofossil assemblages we can better understand how leaves are preserved in the fossil record and aid in our calibration of the fossil record. Understanding fossil assemblages more clearly can allows us to better interpret how modern climate change will influence our plant and insect communities.

 

 


Jesse Alston

Program in Ecology alumnus, Jesse Alston

Positions after graduation: Postdoctoral researcher at the Center for Advanced Systems Understanding (CASUS), Germany

Program in Ecology PhD, 2017-2021

PhD advisor: Jake Goheen & Douglas Keinath
PhD department:
Zoology & Physiology

PiE Dissertation title: Energetic drivers of behavior and body size in bats

 

 


Julia Angstmann

Julia Angstmann, alumna of the UW Program in EcologyPositions after graduation 1) Post-doctoral researcher, University of Cape Town, South Africa; 2) Proposal Writer/Editor, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)

Program in Ecology PhD, 2005-2009

PhD advisor: Brent Ewers
PhD department: Botany

PiE dissertation title: Spatial and Temporal Variability of Tree Transpiration and its Drivers Along a Soil Drainage Gradient in the Boreal Black Spruce Forest

 


Otgonsuren AvirmedOtgonsuren Avirmed, Unviersity of Wyoming Program in Ecology alumna

Positions after graduation: Ecologist/Coordinator, Wildlife Conservation Society Mongolia

Program in Ecology, 2009-2013

PhD advisor: Indy Burke
PhD department: Botany

PiE dissertation title: Energy development and recovery in South Central Wyoming: soils, vegetation and productivity

 


Adi Barocas

Adi Barocas

Positions after graduationPostdoctoral research fellow, San Diego Zoo's Institute for Conservation Research & WildCRU, University of Oxford

Program in Ecology, 2011-2016

PhD advisor: Merav Ben-David
PhD department:
Zoology & Physiology

PiE dissertation title: Coastal river otter sociality and demography in a changing environment

 

 

 


Lisa BarrettPiE alumnus Lisa Barrett

Positions after graduation: Postdoctoral Fellow in Animal Behavior, Oklahoma City Zoo

Program in Ecology, 2014-2020

PhD advisor: Sarah Benson-Amram
PhD department:
Zoology & Physiology

PiE dissertation title: Personality, problem solving, and social learning: Individual variation in behavior in Asian elephants and zebra finches

 


Shawn Billerman

Shawn Billerman

Positions after graduation: NSF postdoctoral fellow, Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Program in Ecology, 2011-2016

PhD AdvisorMatt Carling

PhD department: Zoology & Physiology

PiE dissertation title: An Integrative Approach to Understanding Hybrid Zone Movement and Introgression in Sphyrapicus Woodpeckers

 

 

 



Sara BrownSara Brown, alumna of the UW Program in Ecology

Positions after graduation: Assistant professor of nature resource management, New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, NM

Program in Ecology, 2008-2011

PhD advisor: Indy Burke
PhD department: Botany

PiE dissertation title: The Impact of Wildland Fire and Fire Mitigation on Forest Carbon Storage

 


Clay Buchanan, University of Wyoming Program in Ecology alumnusClay Buchanan

Positions after graduation: Grant biologist, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Division

Program in Ecology, 2010-2015

PhD advisor: Jeff Beck
PhD department: Ecosystem Science and Management

PiE dissertation title: Elk response to disturbance from development of a coal bed natural gas field in northeast Wyoming

 


William CalderWilliam "John" Calder

Positions after graduation: Postdoctoral researcher, University of Wyoming Department of Botany

Program in Ecology: 2010-2016

PhD advisor: Bryan Shuman
PhD department: Geology and Geophysics

PiE dissertation title:

 


Jason CarlisleJason Carlisle

Positions after graduation: Research Biometrician, Western Ecosystems Technology

Program in Ecology PhD, 2011-2017

PhD advisor: Anna Chalfoun
PhD department: Zoology and Physiology

PiE dissertation title: The effect of sage-grouse conservation on wildlife species of concern: implications for the umbrella species concept



Samuel Case sam case photo

Positions after graduation:

PhD advisor: Corey Tarwater

PhD Home Department: Zoology & Physiology

Broadly, my research interests concern the impacts of bird behavior on ecological communities. For my PhD, I’m studying the role of introduced game birds in seed dispersal networks of Hawaiian forests. Two non-native game bird species, the Kalij Pheasant and Erckel’s Francolin, are well established in forest habitat of Oahu, where all native seed dispersers are extinct. To evaluate the potential for these birds to contribute to conservation objectives, I’m studying their diet, foraging behavior, and effects of gut passage on seed condition. I also aim to understand how mechanisms of movement ecology and sociality affect seed deposition patterns. My work is a part of the Hawaii VINE Project, a larger investigation of seed dispersal networks in novel ecosystems of Hawaii.


Janet ChenJanet Chen, Program in Ecology alumna

Positions after graduation: 1) Post-doctoral researcher, University of New Hampshire Earth Systems Research Center, Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans and Space, 2) Visiting Scientist at Luke, Sweden, 3) Postdoctoral researcher, International Atomic Energy Agency, Austria

Program in Ecology: 2008-2013

PhD advisor: Dave Williams
PhD department: Botany

PiE dissertation title: Soil amino acids and plant use in a semiarid grassland exposed to elevated atmospheric CO2 and warming

 


Morgan ChurchillMorgan Churchill, UW Program in Ecology alumnus

Positions after graduation: Postdoctoral research fellow, New York Institute of Technology

Program in Ecology: 2007-2014

PhD advisor: Mark Clementz
PhD department: Geology and Geophysics

PiE dissertation title: The evolution and paleoecology of seals and walruses (Carnivora: Pinnipedia)

 


Christa Cooper Sumner, University of Wyoming Program in Ecology alumnaChrista Cooper Sumner

Positions after graduation: Adjunct faculty of natural science, Southern New Hampshire University

Program in Ecology: 2011-2015

PhD advisor: Jeff Lockwood
PhD department: Philosophy

PiE dissertation title: Perceptions of bark beetle impacted forests in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado: A mixed-methods study

 


Paige Copenhaver Parry, University of Wyoming Program in Ecology alumnaPaige Copenhaver Parry

Positions after graduation: Assistant Professor of Biology, Department of Biology and Chemistry, George Fox University

Program in Ecology: 2010-2016

PhD advisor: Dan Tinker
PhD department: Botany

PiE dissertation title: Scale-dependent contributions of abiotic and biotic factors to tree species composition patterns in the US Rocky Mountains


 Jamie CraitJamie Crait, University of Wyoming Program in Ecology alumnus 

Positions after graduation: Director of the Wyoming Research Scholars Program, University of Wyoming

Program in Ecology: 2005-2013

PhD advisor: Merav Ben-David
PhD department:
Zoology & Physiology

PiE dissertation title: The impact of nonnative species on river otters and aquatic-terrestrial linkages in Yellowstone National Park

 

 


Michael CurranPiE alumnus Michael Curran

Positions after graduation

PhD advisor: Peter Stahl
PhD department: 
Ecosystem Science and Management

PiE dissertation title: 

 

 

 


Gordon Custercustergordon_200x200.jpg

Positions after graduationPostdoctoral Scholar of Plant Microbe Interactions at Penn State University

Program in Ecology PhD, 2017-2021

PhD advisor: Linda van Diepen
PhD department: 
Ecosystem Science and Management

PiE dissertation title: Soil properties and microbial dynamics associated with invasive plants and chemical control of unwanted weedy species  

 

 


Reilly Dibner, University of Wyoming Program in Ecology alumnaReilly Dibner

Positions after graduation: Postdoctoral research fellow, University of Wyoming Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources and Wyoming Natural Diversity Database

Program in Ecology: 2010-2015

PhD advisor: Dan Doak
PhD department:
Zoology & Physiology

PiE dissertation title: Ecological patterns vary across spatial scales for greater short-horned lizards and ants



Emiliano Donadio

Emiliano Donadio, program in ecology, university of wyoming

Position after graduation: Assistant Researcher at the Argentine Council Research (CONICET)

Program in Ecology, 2006 - 2012

PhD advisor: Steve Buskirk
PhD department: Zoology/Physiology

PiE dissertation title: The Interaction among pumas, wild camelids and grasses in the high plateaus of the Andes, Argentina

 


Paul Dougherty paul dougherty photo

Positions after graduation:

PiE Student Co-President (2021-2022)

PhD Advisor: Matt Carling

PhD Home Department: Zoology & Physiology

My research aims to improve our understanding of the evolutionary processes that generate and maintain biodiversity, particularly in birds. I am currently focusing on the avian hybrid zones of the Great Plains, which feature dramatic differences in molt and migratory behavior between parental taxa. By characterizing patterns of introgression and hybrid phenotypes, I hope to identify the most important mechanisms of reproductive isolation in these systems. In addition to evaluating their role in mediating introgression, I am investigating how a taxon’s molt and migratory behaviors influence its response to anthropogenic landscape and climate change.


Courtney DuchardtProgram in Ecology alumnus, Courtney Duchardt

Positions after graduation: Assistant Profesor, Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University

Program in Ecology, 2015-2019

PhD advisor: Jeff Beck
PhD department: Ecosystem Science and Management

PiE Dissertation titleEffects of disturbance on avian diversity at a grassland-sagebrush ecotone

 


Carolyn Eckrich, University of Wyoming Program in Ecology alumnaCarolyn Eckrich

Positions after graduation:

Program in Ecology, 2013 - 2016

PhD advisor: Merav Ben-David
PhD department: Zoology/Physiology

PiE dissertation title: The role of bottom-up and top-down processes in the dynamics of small mammal populations in Southeast Alaska

 


Jason Edwards

jason edwards

Positions after graduation:

Program in Ecology, 2009 - 2016

PhD advisor: Bill Reiners
PhD department: Botany

PiE dissertation title: Soil Transport as a Metric for the Resistance of an Ethiopian Agroecosystem to Changes in Government Policy and Climate

 

 

 

 

 


John FrankJohn Frank

Positions after graduation: Electrical engineer, US Forest Service

Program in Ecology, 2010 - 2016

PhD advisor: Brent Ewers
PhD department: Botany

PiE dissertation title: An eddy covariance study of a spruce beetle outbreak on summertime evapotranspiration and ecosystem CO2 exchange and winter sublimation dynamics


Charlotte GabrielsenCharlotte Gabrielsen

Google Scholar Profile

Position after graduation: post-doctoral researcher, Institute for Arctic Biology, University of Alaska-Fairbanks

Program in Ecology PhD, 2012-2017

PhD advisor: Melanie Murphy
PhD department: Ecosystem Science and Management

PiE dissertation title: Assessing climatic influences to wetland ephemerality and the effect of variability on wetland-dependent species diversity


  Caley Gasch

Caley Gasch, University of Wyoming Program in Ecology alumnaPosition after graduation: Post-doctoral researcher, Washington State University in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences

Program in Ecology PhD, 2008-2013

PhD advisor: Pete Stahl
PhD department: Ecosystem Science and Management

PiE dissertation title: Recovery of soil properties, sagebrush steppe community structure, and environmental heterogeneity following drastic disturbance and reclamation

 


Daniel Gibson-ReinemerDaniel Gibson-Reinemer, University of Wyoming Program in Ecology alumnus

Google Scholar Profile

Position after graduation: Post-doctoral researcher, Illinois Natural History Survey

Program in Ecology PhD, 2000-2014

PhD advisor: Frank Rahel
PhD department: Zoology/Physiology

PiE dissertation title: Range shifts from climate change: evaluating effects on species and assemblages

 


Susma Giri, University of Wyoming Program in Ecology alumnaSusma Giri

Positions after graduation: Scientist, Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences

Program in Ecology PhD, 2012-2016

PhD advisor: Michael Dillon
PhD department: Zoology/Physiology

PiE dissertation title:


 

Jimena Golcher-BenavidesJimena Golcher-Benavides, University of Wyoming Program in Ecology alumnus

Website

Positions after graduation: Visiting assistant professor, Lees McRae College

Program in Ecology PhD, 2015-2021

PhD advisor: Katie Wagner
PhD department: Botany

PiE dissertation title: Eco-evolutionary drivers of diversity in East African cichlid fishes

 


 

Zach GompertZach Gomert, University of Wyoming Program in Ecology alumnus

Google Scholar Profile

Positions after graduation: 1) Post-doctoral research associate, Texas State University; 2) Assistant Professor, Utah State University

Program in Ecology PhD, 2008-2012

PhD advisor: Alex Buerkle
PhD department: Botany

PiE dissertation title: The genetics of adaptation and speciation in populations


Kristin GuntherProgram in Ecology alumnus, Kristin Gunther

Positions after graduation: Conservation Advocate, Wyoming Outdoor Council

Program in Ecology PhD, 2012-2017

PhD advisor: Ann Hild
PhD department: Ecosystem Science and Management

PiE dissertation titleBridging the communication gap: the effects of priming language on reception of technical scientific information by ecosystem stakeholder audiences

 


Katherine Gura katherine gura photo

Positions after graduation:

PhD Advisor: Anna Chalfoun

PhD Home Department: Zoology & Physiology

My research evaluates the mechanisms underlying variation in movements and demography by irruptive, facultative-migrant species using the Great Gray Owl (Strix nebulosa) as a model system. Specifically, I am assessing how variation in prey abundance and climatic conditions influence the seasonal movements, habitat selection, productivity, and survival of this understudied forest raptor. My research can lead to improved understanding and management of species that either rely on or must respond to variable resources and environmental conditions, which are becoming more extreme with changing climate.

 


Embere HallEmbere Hall

Website

Positions after graduation: Postdoctoral Research Scientist, Wyoming Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit

Program in Ecology PhD, 2012-2017

PhD advisor: Anna Chalfoun
PhD department: Zoology and Physiology

PiE dissertation title: Behavioral plasticity and resilience of a montane mammal in a changing climate

 

 

 

 

 

 


Eriek HansenEriek Hansen, University of Wyoming Program in Ecology alumnus 

Positions after graduation: Assistant Professor of Biology, Colorado Mesa University, website

Program in Ecology PhD, 2007-2012

PhD advisor: Frank Rahel
PhD department: Zoology and Physiology

PiE dissertation title: Temporal Variations in Riverine Fish Habitat and the Potential Responses of Fish

 


Kristina Harkins Kristina Harkins Photo

Positions after graduation:

PhD Advisor: Merav Ben-David

PhD Home Department: Zoology & Physiology

My broad research interests include community ecology, niche partitioning, and habitat relationships. I am currently investigating small mammal and plant community assemblages by exploring the inter-species relations and their relative importance as drivers of species reliance on different habitats. The small mammal communities of Wyoming’s basins present a good model system to study habitat relationships and biodiversity because they contain a mix of common, generalist species and rare, specialist species that co-occur over a large landscape composed of a broad range of vegetation and habitat types that are both intact and fragmented.

 


Monia HaselhorstMonia Haselhorst

Positions after graduation: Instructor of Biological Sciences, Northwest College

Program in Ecology PhD, 2008-2017

PhD advisor: Alex Buerkle
PhD department: Botany

PiE dissertation title: Geographic and environmental context of variation in the sprices of western North America

 

 


Abby Hoffman Abby Hoffman Photo

Positions after graduation:

PhD Advisor: Dave Williams

PhD Home Department: Botany

I am broadly interested in understanding nutrient cycling and anthropogenic alterations to nutrient cycling across a range of ecosystems and scales. My dissertation research focuses quantifying microbial assemblages and activity in seasonal and perennial snow in Wyoming. In particular, I aim to understand how microbes in the snow pack transform atmospheric nitrogen deposition and whether microbial activity in the snow alter C and N inputs to downstream terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. I use a broad range of approaches including DNA sequencing, stable isotopes and modeling to answer questions about microbial processes and nutrient cycling at different spatial and temporal scales.

 


Erin HotchkissErin Hotchkiss, University of Wyoming Program in Ecology alumna

Google Scholar Profile

Positions after graduation: 1) Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden; 2) Assistant Professor, Virginia Tech University

Website

Program in Ecology PhD, 2007-2012

PhD advisor: Bob Hall
PhD department: Zoology and Physiology

PiE dissertation title: Patterns and drivers of carbon cycling in streams and rivers

 


Charley HubbardProgram in Ecology alumnus, Charley Hubbard

Positions after graduation: Scientist at Indigo Ag

Program in Ecology PhD, 2014-2018

PhD advisor: Cynthia Weinig
PhD department: Botany

PiE dissertation title

 


Brett JesmerProgram in Ecology alumnus, Brett Jesmer

Positions after graduation: 1) Postdoctoral Associate, Max Planck-Yale Center for Biodiversity, Movement, and Global Change within the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Yale University; 2) Assistant Professor in the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech

Program in Ecology PhD, 2014-2018 

PhD advisor: Jake Goheen and Matt Kauffman
PhD department: Zoology/Physiology

PiE dissertation titleBehavioral, Physiological, and demographic consequences of resource limitation for large herbivores

 


Rachel A. JonesRachel A. Jones, University of Wyoming Program in Ecology alumna

Positions after graduation: Assistant Professor of Biology, University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma

Program in Ecology PhD, 2010-2014

PhD advisor: Steve Jackson
PhD department: Botany

PiE dissertation title: The role of Native American fire regimes in the maintenance of longleaf pine savanna


 


Mark Kirk

Positions after graduation: 

Program in Ecology PhD, 2020

PhD advisor: Frank Rahel
PhD department: Zoology & Physiology

PiE dissertation title: The Implications of Climate Change for Fish Assemblage Structure along the Great Plains - Rocky Mountain Continuum

 


Ben KochBen Koch, UW Program in Ecology alumnus

Positions after graduation: 1) Post-doc, University of Maryland, Center for Environmental Science; 2) Post-doc, Northern Arizona University, Center for Ecosystem Science and Societ

Program in Ecology PhD, 2005-2011

PhD advisor: Bob Hall
PhD department: Zoology and Physiology

PiE dissertation title: Estimating the Strength of Consumptive and Nonconsumptive Interactions between Trout and Mayflies

 



Lisa KunzaLisa Kunza, UW Program in Ecology alumna

Positions after graduation: 1) Post-doc, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology; 2) Assistant Professor, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology

Program in Ecology PhD, 2006-2012

PhD advisor: Bob Hall
PhD department: Zoology and Physiology

PiE dissertation title: Fluxes and Controls of the Contribution of N2-fixation to the N budget in Streams

 


Melanie LaCava

Program in Ecology alumnus, Melanie LaCava

Website

Positions after graduation: Postdoctoral researcher in the Genomic Variation Lab at University of California, Davis

Program in Ecology PhD, 2015-2021

PhD advisor: Holly Ernest
PhD department: Veterinary Sciences

PiE dissertation titleGenetic connectivity and infectious disease ecology in two Wyoming ungulates

 

 


Michele LarsonProgram in Ecology alumnus, Michele Larson

Positions after graduation:  Lab coordinator and instructor, Life Sciences Program, University of Wyoming

Program in Ecology PhD, 2013-2018

PhD advisor: Amy Krist
PhD department: Zoology and Physiology

PiE dissertation titleFactors mediating the invasion success and impacts of the non-native freshwater snail, Potamopyrgus antipodarum, on native mollusks

 


Tayler LaSharr Tayler LaSharr Photo

Positions after graduation:

PhD Advisor: Kevin Monteith

PhD Home Department: Zoology & Physiology

Broadly, my research interests are focused on how animal nutrition and life-history interact to influence individual behaviors, and how that ultimately scales up to affect populations. My current research is focused on the effects of severe winter conditions on mule deer, and the potential carryover effects of nutritional stress on behavior and reproduction later in life.


Mark LesserMark Lesser, University of Wyoming Program in Ecology alumnus

Positions after graduation: 1) Post-doc, Syracuse University; 2) Research Assistant Professor, Syracuse University; 3) Assistant Professor, Shepherd University

Program in Ecology PhD, 2005-2011

PhD advisor: Steve Jackson
PhD department: Botany

PiE dissertation title: Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Tree Migration: An Integrated Study of Ponderosa Pine Colonization and Expansion

 


Yao Liu

Position after graduation: Postdoctoral research fellow, University of Arizona

Program in Ecology, 2009 - 2015

PhD advisor: Steve Jackson
PhD department: Botany

PiE dissertation title: Integrating fossil pollen data into ecological modeling to study long-term ecology: From sampling to inference to hypothesis testing


Ariuntsetseg (Ariuna) Lkhagva

Ariuntsetseg Lkhagva, University of Wyoming Program in Ecology alumna

Google Scholar Profile

Positions after graduation: Lecturer, Department of Ecology at National University of Mongolia

Program in Ecology PhD, 2010-2013

PhD Advisor: William Lauenroth
PhD Department: Botany

PiE dissertation title: Dynamics of aboveground net primary production of boreal steppe of Northern Mongolia

 

 

 


Liana Boggs LynchProgram in Ecology alumnus, Liana Lynch

Positions after graduation: Adjunct Instructor at Walla Walla Community College, Postdoctoral Research in the Department of Ecoystem Science and Managment, University of Wyoming

Program in Ecology PhD, 2016-2020

PhD advisor: Urzula Norton & Linda van Diepen
PhD department: Ecosystem Science and Management

PiE dissertation title:Legacy Effects of Bark Beetle on Biogeochemical Transformations, Microbial Communities, and Tree Regeneration One Decade Post Infestation 

 


Hilary MadingerProgram in Ecology alumnus, Hilary Madinger

Positions after graduation: Assistant Professor of Environmental Science, Concordia University Wisconsin

Program in Ecology PhD, 2013-2018

PhD advisor: Bob Hall
PhD department: Zoology/Physiology

PiE dissertation titleCoupled nitrogen and metabolism fluxes of western streams

 


Bryan Maitland

PiE alumnus Bryan Maitland

Positions after graduation: Water Resources Science-Policy Fellow, University of Wisconsin-Madison and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Program in Ecology PhD, 2015-2020

PhD advisor: Frank Rahel
PhD department: Zoology/Physiology

PiE dissertation title: Isotopic ecology of aquatic communities along the Rocky Mountains–Great Plains ecotone

 


Liz Mandeville

Liz Mandeville, University of Wyoming Program in Ecology alumna

Website

Positions after graduation: Postdoctoral researcher, University of Wyoming; Assistant Professor, Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph

Program in Ecology PhD, 2011-2016

PhD advisor: Alex Buerkle
PhD department: Botany

PiE dissertation title: Hybridization and species cohesion in Catastomus fishes


Chloe Mattilio Chloe Mattilio Photo

PiE Student Co-President (2021-2022)

Positions after graduation:

PhD Advisor: Urszula Norton

PhD Home Department: Plant Sciences

Non-indigenous invasive plants threaten the native vegetation, fauna, and human pursuits in western lands, and impacts and management goals vary based on the invasion status. My projects include using UAS remote sensing for the early detection of invasive plants in rangelands in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and in Wyoming forage fields, satellite remote sensing for invasive plant mapping in the Yampa River watershed in Colorado, and developing a prioritization tool for invasive plant population management for Fremont County, Wyoming.

 

 


Dave McKenzieDave McKenzie, University of Wyoming Program in Ecology alumnus

Positions after graduation: 1) Post-doc researcher at the Silviculture and Applied Forest Ecology Lab at the University of Minnesota; 2) Lecturer, Botany, University of Oklahoma

Program in Ecology PhD, 2006-2012

PhD advisor: Dan Tinker
PhD department: Botany

PiE dissertation title: Postfire Species Shifts, and the Growth and Regeneration of Western Red Cedar (Thuja picata), a Range Margin Species, in Glacier National Park, Montana 



Arthur MiddletonArthur Middleton, University of Wyoming Program in Ecology alumnus

Positions after graduation: 1) Gaylord donnelly postdoctoral fellow, Yale Insitute for Biospheric Studies; 2) Assistant Professor, University of California Berkeley

Program in Ecology PhD, 2007-2012

PhD advisors: Steve Buskirk and Matt Kauffman
PhD departments:
Zoology and Physiology and the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit 

PiE dissertation title: The Influence of large carnivore recovery and summer conditions on the migratory elk of Wyoming's Absaroka Mountains

 



Francisco Molina Francisco Molina Photo

Positions after graduation:

PhD Advisor: Jake Goheen

PhD Home Department: Zoology & Physiology

My research is centered on large mammal predator-prey interactions. I seek to improve our understanding of the environmental factors that affect the responses of herbivores to predation risk and how this, in turn, influences the indirect impact that carnivores have on vegetation (i.e., behaviorally-mediated trophic cascades). My study system involves pumas (Puma concolor) and guanacos (Lama guanicoe) in the Patagonian Steppe of Argentina.



Lynn Moore, University of Wyoming Program in Ecology alumna

Lynn Moore

Positions after graduation: 

Program in Ecology PhD, 2009-2014

PhD advisor: William Lauenroth
PhD departments:
Botany

PiE dissertation title: Phenology as an integrator of climate change in the shortgrass steppe

 


 Kusum NaithaniKusum Naithnai, University of Wyoming Program in Ecology alumna

Google Scholar Profile

Positions after graduation:  1) Post-doctoral researcher, Penn State University; 2) Research Assistant, Penn State University - website

Program in Ecology PhD, 2005-2009

PhD advisor: Brent Ewers
PhD department: Botany

PiE dissertation title: Spatial and Temporal Controls on Population and Flux Processes in Steppe Ecosystems

 


Kellen NelsonKellen Nelson

Website

Positions after graduation: Post-doctoral fellow, Environmental Science, Desert Research Institute

Program in Ecology: 2012-2017

PhD advisor: Dan Tinker
PhD department: Botany

PiE dissertation title: Drivers of Fuels, Flammability, and Fire Behavior in Young, Post-Fire Lodgepole Pine Forests

 


Christopher NorthProgram in Ecology alumnus, Chris North

Positions after graduation: Life Sciences Program Instructional Laboratory Coordinator, University of Wyoming

Program in Ecology PhD, xx-xx

PhD advisor: James R. Lovvorn
PhD department

PiE dissertation title

 


Anna Ortega Anna Ortega Photo

Positions after graduation:

PhD Advisor: Matt Kauffman

PhD Home Department: Zoology & Physiology

I'm studying a diversity of migratory strategies in a herd of mule deer sharing a common winter range in the Red Desert of south-central Wyoming. The Sublette Herd exhibits three migratory tactics, including long-distance migrants that travel 150 miles to Hoback Basin for the summer (the world’s longest mule deer migration), medium-distance migrants that migrate 70 miles to the southern Wind River Range for the summer, and short-distance migrants that either travel less than 30 miles north or remain year-round as residents in the Red Desert. The primary objective of my research is to evaluate the costs and benefits associated with the different migratory strategies. 


Kennan OyenProgram in Ecology alumnus, Kennan Oyen

Website

Positions after graduation: David H. Smith Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Cincinnati

Program in Ecology PhD, 2014-2019

PhD advisor: Michael Dillion
PhD department: Zoology/Physiology

PiE dissertation titleGeographic variation in thermal physiology and climate-driven redistribution of bumble bees

 


Jonathan Pauli, University of Wyoming Program in Ecology alumna

 Jonathan Pauli

Positions after graduation: Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin-Madison.  Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology: Website

Program in Ecology PhD, 2007-2010

PhD advisor: Steven Buskirk and Merav Ben-David
PhD department: Zoology/Physiology

PiE dissertation title: Ecological Studies of the American Marten

 


Cody PorterPiE alumnus Cody Porter

Website

Positions after graduation:

PhD advisor: Craig Benkman
PhD department: Zoology/Physiology

PiE dissertation title

 

 


Aaron PrattProgram in Ecology alumnus, Aaron Pratt

Positions after graduation:STCP/Hamerstrom Prairie Grouse Research Chair, George Miksch Sutton Avian Research Center

Program in Ecology PhD, 2011-2017

PhD advisor: Jeff Beck
PhD department: Ecosystem Science and Management

PiE dissertation titlePartial migration, habitat selection, and conservation of greater sage-Grouse in the Bighorn Basin of Montana and Wyoming

 

 


Eric Quallen Eric Quallen Photo

Positions after graduation:

PhD Advisor: Merav Ben-David

PhD Home Department: Zoology & Physiology

My research interests lie at the interface between animal behavior and population dynamics. Specifically, I study wild and captive least chipmunks (Tamias minimus) to see how individual behavior and learning mechanisms (e.g. social learning, trial and error) impact population-level success in small mammals. Understanding how animal behavior influences the fitness of large groups of individuals can help managers better conserve and protect these species by accounting for population dynamics that result from changes in knowledge transfer rather than, or in addition to, environmental factors.


David Reed, University of Wyoming Program in Ecology alumnusDavid Reed

Positions after graduation: 1) Visiting Assistant Professor of Physics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dickinson College; 2) NSF Postdoctoral Fellow, UW-Madison

Program in Ecology PhD, 2009-2014

PhD advisor: Bob Kelly and Brent Ewers
PhD department: Botany

PiE dissertation title: Observing and diagnosing biological fluxes and canopy mechanisms with implications for climate change and ecosystem disturbance


Jessica RickJessica Rick

Positions after graduation: NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Biology at Cornell University

Program in Ecology PhD, 2016-2022

PhD advisor: Katie Wagner
PhD department: Botany

PiE dissertation title: Population and phylogenomic investigations into Lake Tanganyika’s pelagic fishes


Macy Ricketts Macy Ricketts Photo

Positions after graduation:

PhD Advisor: Naomi Ward

PhD Home Department:

My research explores how temporal structure and spatial heterogeneity influence microbial community dynamics and stability in archaeological soils. I am currently utilizing microbial biomarkers and high throughput sequencing to develop a high-resolution paleoclimate reconstruction of archaeology sites throughout Wyoming.


Cait Rottler, University of Wyoming Program in Ecology alumnaCait Rottler

Positions after graduation: Climate Hub Fellowship, United States Department of Agriculture

Program in Ecology PhD, 2013-2016

PhD advisor: Indy Burke
PhD department: Botany

PiE dissertation title:


Matthew Rubin, University of Wyoming Program in Ecology alumnusMatthew Rubin

Positions after graduation: Postdoctoral research fellow, Syracuse University

Program in Ecology PhD, 2008-2015

PhD advisor: Cynthia Weinig
PhD department: Botany

PiE dissertation title: Genetic architecture and fitness consequences of quantitative variation in the circadian clock

 


Ramesh SapkotaProgram in Ecology alumnus, Ramesh Sapkota

Positions after graduation: Assistant Professor, Central Department of Environmental Science, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

Program in Ecology PhD, 2014-2018

PhD advisor: Peter Stahl
PhD department: Ecosystem Science and Management

PiE dissertation title: Diversity, Disturbance and Restoration of Forests in Terai and Siwalik of Central Nepal

 


Kurt SmithKurt Smith

Google Scholar Profile

Position after graduation: Research Biologist, Western EcoSystems Techology Inc.

Program in Ecology PhD, 2011-2016

PhD advisor: Jeff Beck
PhD department: Ecosystem Science and Management

PiE dissertation title: Identifying habitat quality and population response of greater sage-grouse to treated Wyoming big sagebrush habitats

 

 


Heather Speckman

Positions after graduation:

PhD Advisor: Brent Ewers
PhD department: Botany

PiE disseratation title:

 


Lauren StantonPiE alumnus Lauren Stanton

Website

Positions after graduation:

PhD advisor: Sarah Benson-Amram
PhD department: Zoology/Physiology

PiE dissertation titleExperimental Investigations of Cognition in Highly Adaptable Species

 

 


Alice Stears Alice Stears Photo

Positions after graduation:

PhD Advisor: Daniel Laughlin

PhD Home Department: Botany

I am broadly interested in how variation in the physical environment across time and space impacts individual plant growth, survival and reproduction, and in turn, alters plant populations and communities. An improved understanding of these processes helps inform our predictions of how ecosystems will respond to a changing climate. My work focuses specifically on identifying plant functional traits (i.e. phenotypes) in western grassland plants that increase a species' ability to survive and grow in drought years.


Mikey TabakMikey Tabak, University of Wyoming Program in Ecology alumnus

Google Scholar Profile

Positions after graduation: Data Scientist (Artifical Intelligence), Western EcoSystems Technologies; Postdoctoral researcher, USDA APHIS Center for Epidemiology and Animal Health

Program in Ecology PhD, 2009-2015

PhD Advisor: Carlos Martinez del Rio
PhD department: Zoology and Physiology

PiE dissertation title: Eradication of invasive rats (Rattus norvegicus) in the Falkland Islands:effects and strategy

 


Matt TallutoMatt Talluto, University of Wyoming Program in Ecology alumnus

Google Scholar Profile

Positions after graduation: Postdoctoral associate, Département de biologie, Université du Québec à Rimouski. 

Program in Ecology PhD, 2009-2013

PhD Advisor: Craig Benkman
PhD department: Zoology and Physiology

PiE dissertation title: The evolution of landscape structure: Eco-evolutionary dynamics drive spatial variation in serotiny in lodgepole pine 

 


 

Colin TuckerColin Tucker, alumnus of the Program in Ecology at the University of Wyoming

Google Scholar Profile

Positions after graduation: 1) Postdoctoral Research Scientist,University of Alaska; 2) Postdoctoral ecologist, Canyonlands Research Station, United States Geological Survey

Program in Ecology PhD, 2008-2013

PhD Advisor: Elise Pendall
PhD department: Botany

PiE dissertation title: Winter soil respiration in southeast Wyoming

 


 

Amber UlsethAmber Ulseth, University of Wyoming Program in Ecology alumna

Positions after graduation: 1) Post-doctoral researcher, University of Vienna, Department of Limnology; 2) Scientist, Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland

Program in Ecology PhD, 2006-2012

PhD advisor: Bob Hall
PhD department: Zoology and Physiology

PiE dissertation title: Sources, fates, and export of organic carbon in the Colorado River Basin

 

 


Rebecca UpjohnProgram in Ecology alumnus, Rebecca Upjohn

Positions after graduation

Program in Ecology PhD, 2020

PhD advisor: Tim Collier & Brian Mealor
PhD department: Ecosystem Science and Management

PiE dissertation titleFunctional trait variation in response to nitrogen and phosphorus: Implications for Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia) invasion, removal, and native species restoration


Jordan Von Eggers Jordan Von Eggers

Positions after graduation

PhD Advisors: Bryan Shuman and Amy Krist

PhD Home Department: Geology & Geophysics

Alpine lakes are transforming rapidly due to the introduction on non-native trout, atmospheric nutrient pollution, and climate change. My research uses the DNA stored in the bottom of lake sediments to track how these human-induced stressors have influenced aquatic biodiversity patterns of microbial and plankton communities across the western United States in the past 500 years.


Richard WalkerProgram in Ecology alumnus, Rich Walker

Positions after graduation: Adjunct Faculty, American University (Washington DC); Postdoctoral Researcher, Virginia Tech

Program in Ecology PhD, 2014-2019

PhD advisor: Annika Walters
PhD department: Zoology and Physiology

PiE dissertation title: Ecological responses to multiple stressors in headwater streams

 


John WhitemanJohn Whiteman, University of Wyoming Program in Ecology alumnus

Positions after graduation: 1) Research Associate (Independent), Institute for Conservation Research, San Diego Zoo Global; 2) Post-doctoral Researcher, University of Wyoming and University of New Mexico (supported  by the North Pacific Research Board).

Program in Ecology PhD, 2008-2015

PhD Advisor: Merav Ben-David
PhD department: Zoology and Physiology

PiE dissertation title: Physiological ecology of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in Alaska during summer

Google Scholar Profile

 


Rebecca WilcoxPrevious PiE student Rebecca Wilcox

Google Scholar Profile

Positions after graduation: Postdoctoral researcher, University of Wyoming

Program in Ecology PhD, 2015-2020

PhD advisor: Corey Tarwater
PhD department: Zoology and Physiology

PiE dissertation titleSpatiotemporal Variation in Animal Behavior, Species Interactions, and Their Impacts on Seed Dispersal Potential in a Novel Ecosystem

 


 Mark Williams

Mark Williams, UW Program in Ecology alumnus

Program in Ecology PhD, 2006-2010

Positions after graduation:

PhD advisor: Bill Baker
PhD department: Geography

PiE dissertation title: Landscape Reconstruction and Analysis of Historical Structure and Disturbances in Dry Western Forests Using General Land Office Survey Data

 


Yulia YarkhunovaYulia Yarkhunova

Website

Positions after graduation:

Program in Ecology PhD, 2012-2017

PhD advisor: Cynthia Weinig
PhD department: Botany

PiE dissertation title: Phenotypic diversification of crops involves the evolution of complex circadian, morphological, and physiological associations

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Contact Us

Program in Ecology

Transdisciplinary Program

Debbie Swierczek, Program Coordinator

School of Graduate Education
Knight Hall 247

Phone: 307-766-4128

Email: ecology@uwyo.edu

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