Michael Westphal
I am a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Gerber Lab. My areas of interest include: the application of decision theory/optimization methods to conservation biology, spatial ecological modeling, and ecological-economic modeling. I am currently working on a Packard Foundation-funded project evaluating the efficacy of marine reserves in the Gulf of California, Mexico and the development of a decision-support framework to explore management options and explicitly incorporate both the "currencies" of biological conservation and socioeconomics. I received a PhD in Environmental Science, Policy and Management from UC Berkeley in the Spring 2003, and my doctoral research involved metapopulation modeling and optimal habitat reconstruction for birds in the Mount Lofty Ranges, South Australia with Hugh Possingham at the University of Queensland (http://www.ecology.uq.edu.au/research/mwestphal.htm). I arrived at Arizona State University after a brief stint at UFZ - Centre for Environmental Research in Leipzig, Germany, where I was working on optimal mowing of butterfly meadows (www.oesa.ufz.de).

Jeff  Wielgus
My research focuses on the nexus between conservation  ecology and economics, specifically on how specific aspects of ecological change can be incorporated into socioeconomic decision-making. During my doctoral research, I conducted an ecological and economic assessment of anthropogenic degradation to coral reefs in the northern Red Sea, and proposed a system of charges for damages to the reef. I am currently studying the economic costs and benefits of protecting specific areas in the Gulf of California, and how the uncertainty of management alternatives may affect the choices made by individuals in stated preference valuation exercises. I am also studying the effectiveness of marine reserves on the recovery of fish populations and their benefits to local communities.

Julie Young
I am interested in spatial and behavioral ecology of large mammals. I have recently joined the Gerber lab and hope to examine territorial male behavior, behavioral effects of relatedness, and how human disturbance impacts stress levels in California sea lions. My doctoral research focused on spatial ecology of coyotes.  I specifically looked at how food dispersion affects coyote space use and territorial behavior. For my M.Sc., I evaluated territorial fidelity of male guanacos.  I also evaluated behavior of territorial males to determine if females use male behavioral traits in secondary mate choice selection.  

Manuela Gonzalez
Graduate Student
(2003 - 2008)
For my PhD I examined links between breeding habitat selection and population persistence on California sea lions (Zalophus californianus californianus) in the Gulf of California. In particular, I developed new approaches to integrate behavioral information on habitat selection into commonly used population models, and I gathered behavioral information necessary to apply behaviorally-explicit models to California sea lions.
I defended my PhD on November 2008 and I am now in Paris, France for a one-year postdoctoral position working on physiologically structured population models with Dr. David Claessen at Ecole Normale Supérieure and Dr. Jean-François Le Galliard at Université Pierre and Marie Curie. After that I will be moving to Estación Biológica de Doñana in Sevilla, Spain to work with Dr. Eloy Revilla with funds from a Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship from the European Union. My work in Sevilla with explore the relationship between ecological, behavioral and life history traits and vulnerability to extinction.

Jen Rupnow
Graduate Student
Marine reserves are advocated as strategies to protect reef fish stocks and promote marine conservation. Reserves are potentially useful because they can conserve and guard the ecological integrity of the reserve site while involving the community, increasing understanding of the ecosystem, and allowing an opportunity for reef fish stocks to achieve their full potential. To date, most reserve design scenarios have been largely drive by political motivations, rather than biological and societal needs. I focus on the N. Gulf of California ecoregion as a case study to develop conservation approaches that account for ecological and societal needs. In particular, I focus on predatory reef fishes and the sport fisheries that target them.

The objective of my project is to gather and analyze information on grouper and giant sea bass reproductive and ecosystem ecology. This knowledge is necessary to implement effective conservation measures in the Northern Gulf of California ecoregion. Because current and increased levels of exploitation could negatively impact Gulf of California fisheries and ecosystem health, we must also identify current levels of recreational fishing activity, and the impact of this fishery on vulnerable fish species.

Andrew Keller
Graduate Student
My independent research focuses on the eastern North Pacific gray whale population and how drastic changes in its abundance relate to classification status under Endangered Species Act criteria. Abundance estimates from over twenty years of census counts are applied to a statistical probability model that projects possible growth rates of a given species, which can then be applied to ESA classification criteria for long-lived vertebrates.

Harriet Van Vleck
Lab Technician
I am currently researching management of several invasive species looking at both the effectiveness and cost of management efforts. This is part of a modeling project by Leah Gerber and John Sabo to determine the effectiveness of reducing variability of a population as a means of management.