People

Dr. Jacquelyn Grace

Assistant Professor, Texas A&M University

Dept. of Ecology and Conservation Biology, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Interdisciplinary Program

Fyssen Foundation Postodoctoral Fellow, Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chize, France, 2014-2016

Ph.D. Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, 2014

B.A. Willamette University, Salem, OR, 2007

Dr. Grace is originally from Ahuimanu, Hawai'i and joined the faculty of Texas A&M in 2016. Her research integrates endocrinology, behavior, and ecology to investigate the effects of stressors on birds. When not out in the field or lab, she enjoys spending time with her husband, three daughters, and dog.

Elena Duran

PhD Student, Texas A&M University, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology

M.S. Conservation Medicine, Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University

B.S. Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida

Elena joined the lab in the Fall of 2020 after completing several prestigious internships in wildlife endocrinology and health.  Her research focuses on the health of Texas waterbirds, and especially interactions between environmental contaminants, parental care, and offspring health. She started field work with black skimmers in summer of 2021 and has recieved a Texas Sea Grant Grant-in-Aid of Graduate Research to evaluate potential health hazards for black skimmers nesting on the Texas coast. Her work on mercury in black skimmers is funded by the Morris Animal Foundation.

Keith Andringa

PhD Student, Texas A&M University, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology

B.S. Wildlife and Fisheries Science, Texas A&M University

Keith joined the lab as a PhD student in the Fall of 2021 after several years working as an undergraduate researcher in the Grace Lab. During that time he also worked as a field researcher for Texas A&M University and Rio Brazos Audubon Society. His dissertation investigates microplastic consumption in marshbirds and songbirds, and includes determination of best methods for quantifying ingested microplastics, comparisons of ingestion rates across species, and implications of microplastics and mercury contamination for avian health.

Viridiana Martinez

Ph.D. Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, Applied Biodiversity Sciences, 2023

B.S. Biology, Westminster College

Viridiana's dissertation focused on the interactions between avian "stress"  hormones and immune responses in wild birds.  As a PhD student recieved the Senator Phil Gramm Doctoral Fellowship and Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award in honor of her contributions to research and teaching at Texas A&M. Viridiana is currently a postdoctoral scholar at Colorado State University Pueblo.

Michael McCloy

Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Texas A&M University, 2023

B.S. Natural Resources Conservation and Management, Western Carolina University

Michale's dissertation investigated the impact of acute (e.g., hurricane) and chronic disturbance (e.g., drought) on avian community structure, abundance, and productivity in the coastal plains and hill country of Texas. He was supported by a Welder Wildlife Foundation Fellowship while at Texas A&M, and recieved an Emerging Public Policy Award from the American Institute of Biological Sciences, and a Graduate Student Policy Award from the Ecological Society of America. He is currently working as an Associate at McKinsey and Company in Washington D.C.

Allison Guggenheimer

M.Sc. Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, 2020

B.S. Zoology, Ohio State University

Allison's thesis investigated the effects of land and water management on the body condition of hunted ducks in central coastal Texas. She is currently the Invasive Species Program Outreach Coordinator in the College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Life Sciences at Clemson University.