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Background and Post-Doc Project
Background and Post-Doc Project
My name is Adrian Figueroa and I am a first-generation Cuban-American from Hialeah, FL. I received my Ph.D. at Florida International University in Miami, FL, where I studied individual diet specialization, frugivory, and seed dispersal by the state-threatened gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) at the southeastern reaches of the species' geographic range. I performed this work in collaboration with Zoo Miami's Conservation and Research Department where I worked as a Gopher Tortoise Ecology Graduate Research Assistant.
My long-term career aspirations are to continue working on Everglades restoration efforts for a federal agency such as the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) or the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). In graduate school, I participated in the USFWS Directorate Fellows Program at the Division of International Conservation. This was an eye-opening experience that solidified my desire to work for a federal agency long-term and earned me Direct Hire Authority for employment in any Department of the Interior Agency until December 2025.
In my post-doc project, I am working with fellow post-doc Luke Evans, FIEL PI Christina Romagosa, and USGS Fishery Biologist Wes Daniel to develop an R Shiny app that systematically creates a nonnative species prioritization list across all major taxonomic groups that could impede Everglades restoration efforts. This project is a component of the Water Resources Development Act 2020 and is being fulfilled through coordination with the Office of Everglades Restoration Initiatives.
On my spare time, I like to go camping, fishing, and traveling. I am a big Miami Heat fan and happen to be an identical twin!
Contact Information
e-mail: adrian721@ufl.edu or adr.fig.phd@gmail.com
Twitter: @AdrianEcology
Research Interests
Frugivory, Seed dispersal, Invasion ecology, Conservation biology, Restoration ecology
Education
Ph.D. in Earth Systems Science: Natural Resources Science and Management, Florida International University, 2023
M.S. in Environmental Studies, Florida International University, 2022
B.S. in (1) Environmental Studies: Natural Resources Sciences and (2) Interdisciplinary Studies with a minor in Biological Sciences, Florida International University, 2019
A.A. in Engineering Science, Miami-Dade College, 2016
Publications
Whitfield, S. M., Scholl, J., Frazier, E., Hendrickson, K., Figueroa, A., Melanson, L., Schneider, R., Rothberg, O., Ghenassia, J., Moore, J. in review. Status, Distribution, and Habitat Associations of Gopher Tortoises in Southeast Florida. Southeastern Naturalist.
Figueroa, A., J. T. Heinen, F. N. Ridgley, S. M. Whitfield, and H. Liu. 2023. Management of a Globally Imperiled and Fire-Dependent Ecosystem in the Urban Matrix of Miami–Dade County, Florida: A Case Study of the Richmond Tract Pine Rocklands. Diversity 15:426.
Whitfield, S. M., D. Valle, A. Figueroa, B. Chin, H. Bravo-Gallegos, and F. Leone. 2022. Burrow Characteristics and Habitat Associations of Gopher Tortoises in Urban Pine Rockland Reserves (Miami, Florida, USA). Ichthyology & Herpetology 110:22-32.
Figueroa, A., Lange, J., and Whitfield, S. M. 2021. Seed Consumption by Gopher Tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) in the Globally Imperiled Pine Rockland Ecosystem of Southern Florida, USA. Chelonian Conservation and Biology, 20(1), 27-34, 28.
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