Assistant professor

Michael studies how drought and other flow regime disturbances interact with species' dispersal abilities to shape biodiversity in streams. He previously was a David H. Smith Conservation Research Fellow at University of California Berkeley with Prof. Stephanie Carlson and did his graduate research at Oregon State University with Prof. David Lytle.  Follow him on Twitter @mtbogan and Instagram @deserth2o for lots of nerdy natural history and academia-related issues.

--Michael's Google Scholar page

Postdoctoral research associate

Brian studies ecological and evolutionary aspects of the diversity, distributions, and interactions of species. For his PhD at Colorado State University, he explored differences in the evolution of mountain stream insects in the Colorado Rocky Mountains and the Ecuadorian Andes. As a postdoc at Brown University, he studied interactions between megaherbivores (giraffe, rhinocerous, and elephants) and the plants they eat in Kenya. At the University of Arizona, he is working on StreamCLIMES and other projects with the goal of understanding the impacts of hydrology on biological communities.

--Brian's Google Scholar page

--Brian's website

PhD student

Susan studies ecosystem functioning and aquatic biodiversity in isolated temporary waterbodies of the Sonoran Desert. She was awarded an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship for her doctoral research. Before coming to UA, Susan earned a Master's degree from Utah State University studying beavers and food web dynamics in montane streams with Prof. Trisha Atwood. 

--Susan's Google Scholar page

--Susan's website

PhD student

Miguel studies dispersal and habitat use dynamics of vertebrates in the Sonoran Desert. His focal species include charismatic endemics such as the endangered Sonoran pronghorn and threatened Sonoyta mud turtle. Miguel was awarded a 4-year CONACyT Graduate Fellowship for his doctoral research at UA. Prior to coming to UA, Miguel was a biologist at El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar Biosphere Reserve and earned a Master's degree from Sul Ross State University. Follow Miguel on Instagram @mikegrageda.

--Miguel's wildlife photography website

Master's student

Pablo studies avian ecology in effluent dependent urban riparian areas in Tucson, AZ. Prior to attending university to study wildlife conservation, Pablo spent 8 years working in the hospitality industry in North Carolina, New York, and California. As an undergraduate researcher in our lab, Pablo was awarded the Barry Goldwater Research Scholarship, studied avian ecology, and mentored a group of freshman and sophomore undergraduate students in designing and implementing a herpetology research study. Pablo earned his Bachelors in wildlife conservation and management with honors at UA and has worked for several research projects through the University and environmental consulting firms. Follow Pablo on Instagram @desertbirddude.

Master's student

Katerina studies community composition and functional traits of riparian vegetation along the Santa Cruz River in southern Arizona. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Arizona and has interned with government entities and non-profits in the natural resource industry in Tucson. Katerina is co-advised by Professor Rachel Mitchell in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Arizona. Katerina also is a Sloan Scholar. 

PhD student

Deandra studies black bear ecology on the Navajo Nation in northern Arizona. She will be incorporating the traditional knowledge of the black bear in Navajo culture for her dissertation. She calls the Navajo Nation home and is excited to give back to her community. Deandra completed her Master’s degree at the University of Arizona identifying and quantifying parasites in Mt. Graham red squirrel and Abert’s squirrels. Follow Deandra on Instagram @deandraaaj3. Deandra is co-advised by Professor Javan Bauder in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Arizona and the USGS Arizona Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. Deandra also is a Sloan Scholar. 

PhD student

Rocío studies how wildlife populations and communities are affected by disturbances in their ecological interactions. Her main areas of research focus are dragonflies and damselflies of the Sonoran Desert, especially in urban habitats. She earned her Master's degree from Instituto de Biología at UNAM studying an endangered population of a Rubyspot Damselfly in Mexico City.

-- Rocío's website: http://rociojgo.github.io/

Michael runs the University of Arizona branch of the national Doris Duke Conservation Scholars Program Collaborative. Several our lab's graduate students have served in the program to mentor undergraduates through research projects, internships, and professional development. 

Current and previous scholars in our lab include:

Britsy Rizo (2022-present)

Riley Gallagher (2022-present)

Karen Ornelas (2021-2022)

Nadira Mitchell (2021-2022)

Nikhil Nayee (2020-2021)

Jesus Bustamante (2020-2021)

Jazmyn Winters (2019-2020)

Stephanie Ibarra (2019-2020)

Sterling Stokes (2018-2019)

Francisco Montijo (2018-2019)

Noel Hamideh (2017-2018)

Rezwana Islam (2017-2018)

Madison Lutes (2023-present)

Malacya Morales (2022-present)

Madison Diaz (2021-present)

Tim Burns (2022-2023)

Matt Murphy (2021-2022)

Anna Kittle (2021-2022)

Madison Bigham (2020-2021)

Pablo Rocha (2019-2020)

Brandon Enger (2019-2020)

Marisol Ortiz (2019-2020)

Charlie Landa (2018-2020)

Bailey Dilgard (2018-2019)

Anton Ebenal (2018-2019)

Cody Walsh (2018-2019)

Andrew Corrales (2017-2018)

Betsy Allen (2017-2018)

Alex Klug (2017-2018)

Kelsey Hollien (2016-2017)

Nathan Dorff (2016-2017)

PhD graduate

Earyn studied how drought and stream drying affect riparian lizard species. She's also very invested in science communication and outreach. Earyn was awarded an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship for her doctoral research and was also an AAAS Mass Media fellow and an AAAS IF/THEN ambassador. She was previously an NSF Bridge-to-Doctorate Fellow and earned her Master's degree from UA in 2018. Follow Earyn on Twitter @Afro_Herper and on Instagram @afro_herper and help her #FindThatLizard.  Earyn is also the first member of our lab to have their own Wikipedia page! 

--Earyn's Google Scholar page

--Earyn's YouTube page

--Earyn's website

PhD graduate

Drew studied the benefits and challenges of using treated wastewater to support flow in desert rivers and focuses on the Santa Cruz River of southern Arizona.  His focal areas include aquatic macroinvertebrates, fish, and emerging contaminants, such as microplastics. He was a Babbitt Dissertation Fellow, which is awarded by the Babbitt Center for Land and Water Policy, and also a Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center graduate fellow. Before coming to UA, Drew earned a Master's degree from Arizona State University. Drew is currently a postdoctoral scholar studying fish population dynamics in the Grand Canyon. 

--Drew's Google Scholar page

PhD graduate

Hamdhani studied water quality dynamics in desert streams, with a strong interest in spatial and temporal dynamics downstream from wastewater treatment plants.  He was awarded a 4-year Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education fellowship to carry out his doctoral research. Before coming to UA, Hamdhani earned a Master's degree from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He is currently a professor in the Aquatic Resources Management Department at Mulawarman University in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Follow Hamdhani on Twitter @hamdhani_unmul.

-- Hamdhani's Google Scholar page

Master's graduate

Kelsey studied stream drying and aquatic biodiversity in streams in Arizona and Colorado as part of our new NSF-funded Macrosystems StreamCLIMES project. Previously, as an undergraduate and postbacc researcher in our lab, Kelsey studied food web dynamics in desert springs and aquatic invertebrate communities in effluent-dominated streams. Kelsey earned her Bachelors in Environmental Studies at UA and has worked for several natural resource agencies and environmental consulting firms. Kelsey is currently a staff biologist with an environmental consulting firm in Tucson.