• Nov 2007 - Nov 2009
• University of South Florida
• Post Doctoral Fellow
• Tampa FL

I worked with conservation biologists from the University of South Florida and other environmental agencies to conduct research on the life history and population ecology of the Florida Sand Skink (Plestiodon reynoldsi), a federally threatened species, for the South Florida Multi-Species Recovery Plan (USFWS, 1999).

Duties, accomplishments and related skills:

Conducted and coordinated a population monitoring program at Archbold Biological Station, a private wildlife preserve where biologists and land managers maintain large tracts of undisturbed Florida scrub habitat.

Repaired and maintained artificial enclosures and pitfall traps used for sampling Florida Sand Skinks and other reptile and amphibians.

Tracked changes in vegetation and abiotic environmental variables throughout the study area.

Used GIS software and GPS devices to plot spatial information from environmental and population data.

Used Program MARK to analyze survival and population abundance from the population monitoring program.

Used statistical software to test for relationships between environmental variables and the population density of sand skinks. Performed other tests related to the biology and behavior of Florida Sand Skinks.

Maintained a large database compiled of numerous biological variables such as the date of capture and morphological features of each individual Florida sand skink, as well as other reptiles and amphibians captured during our research.

Routinely took part in prescribed fires, burning up to 240 acres of the Florida scrub in central Florida.

Attended annual national meetings to present the findings of our research.

Supervised and mentored numerous field assistants and provided intellectual support for independent research projects conducted by field assistants.

Wrote monthly reports detailing the progress of population monitoring and overall research.

• 2002 - 2007
• University of Calfornia, Irvine
• Irvine CA

Designed and executed research projects suitable for publication in peer reviewed biology journals.

Obtained and used scientific collecting permits from the California Department of Fish and Game to collect three species and four sub-species of garter snakes (genus Thamnophis) in northern California.

Used bomb calorimetry and respirometry methods to study the energetics of digestion in garter snakes.

Used data acquisition software such as BIOPAC to conduct experiments involving bomb calorimetry and the measurement of metabolic rate in garter snakes and Burmese Pythons (Python molurus).

Maintained large numbers of garter snakes and Burmese pythons in laboratory conditions and complied with University IACUC (Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee) regulations.

Attended weekly meetings with faculty and other researchers to discuss the activities in the Center for Comparative and Evolutionary Physiology. I also led several of these meetings by presenting my own research to the group.

Attended annual national meetings to present the findings of my research.

Supervised and mentored numerous undergraduate laboratory assistants and technicians, and provided intellectual support for their independent research projects.

Completed a training course in molecular biology techniques. Carried out carefully designed experiments that included DNA extraction, construction of cDNA and plasmid vector libraries, sequencing reactions and microarrays.

• 2000 - 2002
• University of California, Davis
• Davis CA

Responsible for maintaining a captive population of tiger salamanders during the summer of 2002.

Conducted a large scale research experiment using numerous molecular methods: PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction), RFLP (Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism), DNA gel electrophoresis and DNA sequencing, to study the effect of pond hydration period and larval development on the genetic integration in a hybrid zone between two salamander species.

Assisted with field collections of tiger salamanders in ephemeral and permanent ponds throughout central California.

Contributed toward the completion of a published research report (Fitzpatrick, B.M. and H.B. Shaffer, 2004. Environment-dependent admixture dynamics in a tiger salamander hybrid zone. Evolution 58:1282-1293).