Meet the Dr. Richard G. Snyder Wildlife Refuge & Field School Scientists
Researchers, Instructors, & Key Contributors
Dr. Willem van Leeuwen
Professor in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment (SNRE) and in the School of Geography, Development and Environment (SGDE).
Dr. Michael Bogan
Dr. Rachel E. Gallery
Professor in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment (SNRE) and the Thomas E. Lovejoy Endowed Chair in Biodiversity, Conservation Science, and Policy.
Dr. Heather Haeger
Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Policy Studies and Practice (EPSP) and the Research Director for the U of A STEM Learning Center.
Dr. Sara P. Chavarria
Assistant Dean of Research Development and Outreach in the College of Education and Assistant Director of the U of A STEM Learning Center.
Dr. Leigh Combrink
Assistant Professor with expertise in Wildlife Disease and Conservation. She focuses on eco-immunology, infectious disease dynamics, and invasive species.
Dr. Kevin Bonine
Professor with expertise in Evolutionary Physiology. He focuses on conservation biology, disease ecology, and reptiles & amphibians.
Dr. Jesse Alston
Assistant Professor with expertise in Conservation and Management of large mammals. He focuses on movement ecology, livestock-wildlife interaction, and large mammal conservation.
Dr. Bret Pasch
Associate Professor with expertise in Wildlife Conservation and Management. He focuses on animal behavior and communication, and sensory ecology.
Dr. Shakuntala Devi Gopal
Postdoctoral Research Associate with expertise in the Learning Sciences. She focuses on STEM education, culturally responsive education, and critical scientific literacy.
Dr. Scott A. Bonar
Associate Professor with expertise in Fisheries. He focuses on native-nonnative fish interactions and management, aquatic habitat conservation, and captive breeding of rare fishes.
Collaborating Labs
The Arizona Remote Sensing Center (ARSC) Lab
Addie Leimroth
Addie Leimroth is an undergraduate student studying Natural Resources with an emphasis on ecology, management, and restoration of rangelands in the School of Natural Resources and Environment. He hopes to use his knowledge of native plants and animals to help people make urban areas more friendly to wildlife. At Snyder, he supports building and repairing structures, surveying and documenting plant life, and installing plant species native to the Sonoran desert region. Addie has been a key team member in transforming the property into a more wildlife friendly area and a learning space for students and other visitors to learn about the local ecosystem.
The Alston Lab
Olivia Guswiler
Olivia Guswiler is a Research Scientist and M.S. student in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Arizona. Her research examines how outdoor recreation influences wildlife communities in the Altar Valley southwest of Tucson. Originally from Michigan, Olivia earned her B.S. in Zoology from Michigan State University, where she studied predator–prey interactions between southern grasshopper mice and Arizona bark scorpions. She previously worked with the National Ecological Observatory Network on the Santa Rita Experimental Range and served as a lab coordinator for a large neuroscience laboratory on campus, bringing a strong interdisciplinary background to her work in wildlife ecology.
Yekson Tabuni
Yekson Tabuni is pursuing a B.S. in Natural Resources with an emphasis in Ecology and Global Change Management at the University of Arizona. Passionate about working in natural environments, he is exploring career pathways that allow him to contribute meaningfully to related research. In the Alston Lab, Yekson assists with wildlife camera trap projects, supporting field deployment and data collection to better understand wildlife presence and activity across the region.
Joao Weisshaupt
Joao Weisshaupt is pursuing a B.S. in Natural Resource Management with an emphasis in Wildlife Conservation at the University of Arizona. She plans to pursue a master’s degree and build a career in wildlife conservation and management at the intersection of applied research and policy. Her interests include human–wildlife interactions, urban ecology, and science-based management strategies that balance ecological integrity with social considerations. In the Alston Lab, Joao contributes to an urban camera trap project in Tucson and has supported graduate research through VHF tracking of quail, amphibian surveys, and camera deployments. She also serves as a Teaching Assistant for Conservation Policy and Law, where she supports student engagement with environmental legislation.
Brian Sanchez-Fishback
Brian Sanchez-Fishback is an undergraduate researcher in the Alston Lab, where he works on projects documenting mammal movement across diverse landscapes, including urban areas, agricultural lands, recreational spaces, and international border regions. He has contributed to research on wildlife along the U.S.–Mexico border and studies examining mammal occupancy, abundance, and responses to anthropogenic disturbance. After graduation, Brian hopes to gain experience in tech positions that strengthen his skillset before pursuing a career as a wildlife biologist with a state or federal agency. Outside of research, he enjoys birdwatching, playing guitar, and watching western films.