Ecology

I was born and raised on the Ft. Peck Sioux and Assiniboine Reservation of rural northeastern Montana. After graduating, I received my A.S. from Dawson Community College in Glendive Montana, and then my B.S. and M.S. in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana in 2009 and 2012, respectively. My M.S. focused on the conservation implications of bison reintroduction in central Montana and southern Saskatchewan. I obtained my Ph.D. in Ecology (2019) from Utah State University where I examined the behavioral response of elk to wolf and cougar predation risk in Yellowstone National Park.

• Hometown: Augusta, Georgia

I am broadly interested in the effects of climate change and other stressors on wetland ecology. My research emphasizes the response of tidal marshes to climate change, especially sea-level rise and salt-water intrusion through field measurements, greenhouse experiments, and outdoor laboratory and field manipulations. My overall goal is to better understand the complex feedbacks between plants, animals, and changing physical environments that will ultimately determine marsh resilience to climate change.

Prior Positions:

Assistant/Associate Research Scientist, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia. 2008-2017. 

Research Professional, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, University of Georgia. 2005-2008.
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory. 2003-2005.
Visiting Professor, Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick, Canada. 1998-1999.
Assistant/Associate Professor, Nanjing Forestry University, China. 1989-1998.

Dr. John Maerz is Josiah Meigs Distinguished Professor and Professor of Vertebrate Ecology in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and Adjunct Professor in the Odum School of Ecology at the University of Georgia.  He is an affiliated faculty with the Center for Integrative Conservation’s ICON Program and the Animal Behavior Integrative Life Sciences Group. Dr. Maerz joined the University of Georgia faculty in 2005 after 4 years as a Research Associate in the Department of Natural Resources at Cornell University. He received his B.Sc.