Dr. Laura C. GigliottiLaura is an Assistant Unit Leader in the USGS West Virginia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and an Assistant Professor in the Division of Forestry and Natural Resources at West Virginia University. She uses a combination of long-term datasets, targeted field studies, and spatial and demographic modelling to answer ecologically- and management-relevant questions. In particular, she conducts research related to species interactions, predator-prey ecology, wildlife responses to habitat management and anthropogenic disturbance, and linkages between habitat use and demography. She studies a variety of mammalian species both nationally and internationally (in South Africa), with a particular focus on carnivores and large game species.
B.A. Colby College M.S. Pennsylvania State University PhD Clemson University Contact: laura.gigliotti[at]mail.wvu.edu |
Laurel Glover, MS StudentLaurel grew up in Ellicott City, Maryland and went to Bridgewater College in Virginia where she fell in love with Appalachia and completed a B.S. in Biology with a wildlife concentration. Over the last couple of years, she has worked as a seasonal technician for the National Park Service as well as graduate students and state entities. For her MS, she is researching river otter survival and spatial ecology here in WV.
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Alexandra (Sandy) Lawrence, Project AssistantSandy is a wildlife ecologist and biogeographer whose research focuses on species movement, biodiversity conservation, habitat fragmentation, and climate change. She has worked on international projects using big data applications to analyze anthropogenic pressures on protected areas worldwide. She also has experience designing localized field studies to investigate vectors of zoonotic diseases in California. She has a BSc from Ludwig-Maximilians University, an MSc from San Francisco State University, and a PhD from University of Bayreuth in Germany. Currently, she is working with the West Virginia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit on a project tracking population dynamics of wild turkeys in West Virginia.
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Kirstin Palumbo, MS StudentKirstin is from Plum, Pennsylvania, a suburb just outside of Pittsburgh. She earned her B.S. in Environmental Studies with a Fisheries and Wildlife Biology concentration from California University of Pennsylvania. She has worked seasonal positions with the Forest Service, local governments, and other graduate students doing a variety of wildlife and botany related surveys. Kirstin joined the lab in 2023 and her M.S. research at WVU is focused on wild turkey nesting and survival across West Virginia.
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