Aubry Lab Population Ecology in a Changing World

Quantitative Ecology

Lise Aubry, Associate Professor 
Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology at CSU & Graduate Program in Ecology

I am originally from Southern France and received a BS and MSc degrees from the Universite Paul Sabatier (France). I conducted my dissertation work at the Max Plank Institute for demographic research (Germany) where I studied life history trade-offs and senescence in vertebrates. I then moved to Utah State University to pursue postdoctoral research with a focus on wildlife management and human-wildlife conflicts. I was appointed Assistant Professor in 2015 and expanded my research program to include climate change impacts on wildlife. I moved to Colorado State University in 2017 to join the Fish Wildlife & Conservation Biology department.

Shelley Spear, PhD student

Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology at CSU 

& Graduate Degree Program in Ecology. 

[email protected]


Originally from Texas, I came to Colorado to pursue a BS in Wildlife Biology from CSU and graduated in 2011. I recently finished my master’s degree at CSU and had the opportunity to conduct research on identifying fine-scale factors affecting habitat selection by white-tailed ptarmigan in Colorado’s gorgeous alpine. 

I have been lucky to have a variety of careers outside of the field of wildlife in law, finance, oil and gas, and environmental positions. However, my love for wildlife and ecology kept calling me back! My current research will focus on the dynamics, interactions, and conflicts between humans and black bears (see research section).


Support: CSU graduate research fellowship

Rachel Kanaziz, MS student

Co-advisor: Dr. Kate Huyvaert

Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology at CSU

& Graduate Degree Program in Ecology 


I recently completed my undergraduate studies at Adrian College with a BA in Biology, Environmental Science, and English. I have conducted soil research at NCSU and habitat research at Adrian. I also worked as a Wildlife Assistant for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Now, I am pursuing my MS here at CSU where I have a research project focused on the life strategies of small mammals. 


                                                                   Support: NSF GRFP

Ryan Black, Undergraduate Research Fellow


Originally from Southern California, I came to Colorado State University in 2018 to pursue a B.S. in Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology. I am currently interning for Dr. Aubry to analyze the impacts of a large Colorado wildfire on golden mantled and Wyoming ground squirrel’s behavior and demography. I am interested in pursuing a career in wildlife ecology and studying and mitigating human-wildlife interactions around the world. I am intending on pursuing this career through graduate school while gaining technical skills domestically and internationally.


Hannah Caracalas, Undergraduate Research Fellow

CSU-SEEDS Chapter

I am an undergraduate student from Dallas, Texas who came to Colorado State University in 2017 to pursue a B.S. in Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology. I am currently the Vice President of the Northern Colorado Herpetological Society where I help with education and outreach programs, as well as our reptile rescue operations. I was a Field Technician for the Colorado Checkered Whiptail project during the summer of 2019, and currently working with Lise for my Honors Thesis project. My plans for my future are to work in the fields of ecology, conservation, herpetology, and do some education work along the way!"
Samuel Hudgens, Undergraduate Research Fellow


I am originally from Albuquerque New Mexico and moved to Fort Collins in 2016 to pursue a BS in Ecosystem Science and Sustainability at Colorado State University. I’m interested in conservation and carrying out research in the field. I aim to attain a graduate degree in ecology or a related science. Currently, I am assisting Shelley on a research project examining human-black bear conflicts using data from New Jersey Fish and Wildlife.
Douglas Eifler, Research Scientist
Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology at CSU

Doug is a behavioral biologist with close to 30 years experience working with reptiles. He has graduate degrees in wildlife ecology (MS, University of Florida) and organismal biology (PhD, Harvard University). He is currently leading all field efforts on the Colorado checkered whiptail project, advising undergraduate studentS, wildlife technicians and volunteers in the field, helping them develop research projects on the behavioral ecology of whiptails. 


More Undergraduate Research Fellows!


(left to right)


Catherine Staley

Karina Kusaka

Rachael Pederson


Currently enrolled at CSU in our fish and wildlife program. They have been involved in our Colorado Checkered Whiptail monitoring project since spring 2018. More on their research coming up!



Alumni

Caylee Falvo, MS student

Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology at CSU 

& Graduate Degree Program in Ecology 

[email protected]


I'm currently studying the effects of climate change on the physiology, demography, and phenology of Uinta ground squirrels. I use a combination of lab and field work to look at differences in life history strategies among populations that live at different elevations, in distinct climatic niches. I am particularly interested in life history trade-offs that involve immune function and fitness components, and how those are shaped by climate change. I received my undergraduate degrees at the University of California, Berkeley in Molecular Toxicology and Molecular Environmental Biology, and I'm broadly interested in the way wildlife populations and communities respond to anthropogenic change.

Curriculum Vitae

Support: USU Ecology Center, CSU grad research fellowship, Audubon Apacheria Fellowship.



Jarod Raithel, PhD  


Department of Wildland Resources and the Ecology Center at USU

Email: [email protected]

Webpage: http://beartrust.org/jarod-raithel


Research: Integrating black bear behavior, spatial ecology, and population dynamics along an anthropogenic gradient: Implications for human-black bear conflicts


Support: USU presidential fellowship, Bear Trust International, New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife


Current position: Assistant Professor, Estrella Mountain Community College, AZ

Kaera Utsumi, Undergraduate Research Fellow



Kaera completed her undergraduate degree at UC Berkeley and his about to join graduate school completed her B.S. in Molecular Environmental Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, USA. She has been working as a Field Technician on the Colorado Checkered Whiptail monitoring project since spring 2018. She will be joining the graduate degree program at Kansas State University, Manhattan, USA, in the fall of 2019. (Photographed by Maria Eifler). She is herp-obsessed and is particular fond of snakes. 


Liz McAlpine-Bellis  


Field Technician 

[email protected]



Liz graduated from UC Berkeley in May (evolutionary biology) and plans to pursue a research career that will take her to lots of amazing places and let her study lots of interesting animals. Her research focuses on marine invertebrate response to climate change as well as aggression and territoriality in fish, lizards, and mantis shrimp. She likes fierce creatures and hopes to continue this research for a PhD.

Janine Rose Klein


Field Technician 

[email protected]


I recently graduated from UC Davis with degrees in Wildlife Conservation Biology and Evolutionary Anthropology with an emphasis in primatology. Most of the research I participated in during my undergraduate career involved the behavior and movement of different species of lizards. I hope to soon pursue graduate work in this or a related field. My research interests include behavioral ecology, conservation biology, social networks in group-living species, and behavioral syndromes.

Rebecca John


Field Technician 

[email protected]


I am an ecologist and herpetologist at heart. I earned my undergrad degree in Environmental Science and Biology from University of California, Santa Cruz and my master’s degree in Wildlife Sciences from Auburn University. I have been lucky enough to have travelled around the US (and beyond) working with tortoise, lizards, salamanders, bats, small mammals, fish, and more. My research interests are extensive and include natural history, behavior, ecology, biogeography, and movements.



Haylie Hill


Field Technician 

Haylie is part of the field crew that helps Caylee collect phenological, demographic, physiological and genetic information on Uinta ground squirrels at different elevations, in Logan Canyon Utah (see Research page for additional information).


Support: USU 


Kari Norman, Undergraduate Quinney Fellow


Research: A hibernator’s response to climate change: ecological drivers of persistence in the Uinta ground squirrel.


Support: URCO (Undergraduate Research Creative Opportunity), 

National Geographic Explorer grant (to PI, Lise Aubry)


Current position: Kari moved to Berkeley to start a PhD position in the Boettiger Lab supported by an NSF graduate fellowship.



Lucas Henzler, Undergraduate Research Fellow


Lucas helps collect phenological, demographic, physiological and genetic information on Uinta ground squirrels at three different elevations representative of three different climate niches. His contribution eventually evolved into an undergraduate research project where Lucas .... 


Location: Logan Canyon, UT


Support: USU-URCO (Undergraduate Research Creative Opportunity) recipient.






Annalisa Crow, Undergraduate technician


Annalisa assisted graduate student Caylee Falvo in collecting phenological, demographic, physiological and genetic information on Uinta ground squirrels at different elevations in Logan Canyon Utah (see Research page for additional information).


Support: USU