lab members
Dr. Robert A. McCleerY
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Professor Dept. of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation University of Florida Contact 314 Newins-Zielger Hall (352) 846-0566 [email protected] |
The precipitous decline of the planet’s vertebrate diversity has created immense challenges for human well-being and the maintenance of ecological functionality on our rapidly changing planet. My lab's research program focuses on understanding the influence of large-scale anthropogenic changes to the environment (e.g., urbanization, intensive agriculture, shrub encroachment, defaunation, sea-level rise, invasive species) on wildlife populations and communities. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, we work to understand how anthropogenic drivers alter communities and ecological processes that are important to humans. We also work to understand how to recover endangered species and manage wildlife into human-dominated landscapes, such as agricultural and urban settings.
Postdoctoral associates
Maggie Jones
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Maggie is from Elkins, WV and finished her PhD with the McCleery lab in 2023. She completed her MS in Wildlife Ecology at Iowa State University, where she studied the effects of immunocontraception on feral horse behavior and physiology. Her PhD research centered around plant-herbivore interactions in African savannas. She is currently a postdoc in the lab, studying the invasive Burmese python in Florida and small mammal species of conservation concern in the state.
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graduate students
monica lasky
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Monica joined the McCleery Lab as a PhD student in fall 2022. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Zoology from NC State University and a Master's in Ecology from Colorado State University. Her research interests lie in wildlife ecology, with a focus on understanding the mechanisms that shape wildlife behavior and species interactions. Monica's PhD thesis explores the unique environmental impacts of megaherbivores, with a particular emphasis on intraguild interactions in the southern African savannas. | Website
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Coral Keegan
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Coral is from Long Island, NY, and joined the McCleery lab as a PhD student in 2024. She completed her BS in Foreign Service at Georgetown University and Master of Environmental Management at the Yale School of the Environment. Her thesis examined the potential for local ecological knowledge to inform conservation efforts for Sunda pangolins (Manis Javanica) in Thailand. She has since continued her work in pangolin conservation, serving as a research consultant for The Pangolin Project in Kenya, using camera traps to explore giant pangolin (Smutsia gigantea) movement ecology and resource selection. She is eager to continue working in Sub-Saharan Africa for her PhD research, examining how multiple-use landscapes can be optimized to support biodiversity conservation and human well-being.
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Bryce Messer
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I joined the McCleery lab as a PhD student in the fall of 2024. I'm originally from Atlanta, GA, I received my B.S. in biology from the University of Oklahoma and my Professional Science Masters from Southern Illinois University - Carbondale in Zoology. I worked on research projects involving tick presence in recreation areas and restoring prairie habitat in critical pronghorn ranges. I am broadly interested in studying how we can better manage landscapes to benefit wildlife and humans. My PhD research will be focused on how grazing can help sequester carbon and maximize wildlife diversity, especially in longleaf pine forests.
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Jose Torres
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I am originally from Yuma, Arizona, and joined the McCleery Lab as a Masters student in the Fall 2024. I have had the opportunity to track desert bighorn sheep in the Mojave Desert and Burmese pythons in the Everglades since I began my career as a wildlife biologist. I got my Bachelor's degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation from Oregon State University and started working for the USGS after graduating. My masters is focused on estimating mid-sized mammal distributions in Big Cypress National Preserve using game cameras and scat surveys. On my free time I enjoy wildlife photography, hiking, and reading. | USGS website | Honors thesis
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research associates
Storm miller
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Storm did his undergrad at Michigan State University obtaining a degree in Fisheries and Wildlife with a concentration in conservation biology. There, he studied a variety of subjects ranging from black bears population dynamics to Lyme disease ecology to human hunting modes. His masters research focuses on using different mammalians lures to increase detection and capture rates of invasive Burmese pythons in the Everglades. Further, he is interested in camera trap research and the applications of artificial intelligence in enhancing ecologist's ability to expedite photo review.
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Please contact lab members directly for inquiries about specific research or opportunities to help out on a project.
Click here to see McCleery Lab alumni
Click here to see McCleery Lab alumni
