Mentor Profiles

Diego Juarez-Sanchez (he/him) - PhD - [email protected]
​​​Advisor: Dr. Christina Romagosa
Area of emphasis: Ecology
Work description: Riverine predators, invasive species, trophic ecology, Guatemala, Pythons, Everglades.
Webpage: https://diegojuarezsanchez.owlstown.net/
Species-specific Experience: 
  • Neotropical river otter
  • Morelt crocodiles
  • Jaguars
  • Margay
  • Mesoamerican river turtle
  • Fresh water fish
Countries/study abroad: Guatemala and the US
Education: UF M.Sc. 2017 Univeridad de San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC) Lic. 2008

​What I can advise you on: 
  • Graduate school
  • Applying for Jobs
  • Coursework
  • Volunteering
  • CV/Resume editing
  • Research
Potential Mentee Opportunities: 
  • Lab work (neotropical river otter diet samples processing, fish tissue processing)
  • Image gathering from reference specimens
  • Systematic literature review
  • Student independent research can be developed under my research
Affiliated with: ONCA a Guatemalan NGO (affiliate researcher), USAC Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (Courtesy Affiliate Research Professor)
Past affiliations: ONCA, USAC, Tikal National Park
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Christian Kammerer (he/him) – PhD - [email protected]
Advisor: Dr. Hance Ellington
Area of emphasis: Nematology, Small Mammal Ecology, Scavenger Ecology, Predatory-Prey Relationships
Work Description:​ Understanding Rodent Ecology in South Florida Sugercane Landscapes
Species-specific Experience:
  • Lar gibbon
  • Cottonmouth
  • Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake
  • Cotton Rat
  • Sandhill Crane
  • Various African hoofstock
Education: University of Wyoming- BS in Agroecology; University of Florida- MS in Nematology

What I can advise you on:
  • Graduate School
  • Applying for jobs
  • Coursework
  • Internships
Potential Mentee Opportunities
  • Fieldwork
Affiliated with: Extension agent at University of Florida supporting sustainable agriculture in Hendry and Glades Counties
Past affiliations: White Oak Conservation, Ashton Biological Preserve, Lar Gibbon Sanctuary
Monica Lasky (she/her) - PhD - [email protected]
Advisor:  Dr. Bob McCleery
Area of emphasis: ecology, behavior, community dynamics, species interactions
Work description: Large herbivore interactions in African savannas
Species-specific experience:  
  • Large African herbivores
  • Southeastern mammals
  • Burmese pythons
  • African elephants
  • Gopher tortoise
Education:  NC State University - B.S. in Zoology; Colorado State- M.S. in Wildlife and Conservation Biology

What I can advise you on: 
  • Graduate school
  • Coursework
  • Internships
  • Research Abroad
  • Camera Trap Research
Potential Mentee Opportunities:  
  • Camera trap photo identification
Affiliated with:  FWC
Past affiliations: Zoos and non-profits
Orlando Acevedo-Charry (he/him) - PhD - [email protected] 
Advisor: Dr. Miguel A. Acevedo & Dr. Scott K. Robinson
​Area of emphasis:  Ecology; Quantitative Analysis
Work description:  I am interested in understanding the functional mediation of biotic response to anthropic disturbances, ranging from global environmental change to small scale agricultural indigenous use. 
Species-specific experience: 
  • Tropical birds
Countries/study abroad:  Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Madagascar
Education:  Universidad Nacional de Colombia (Bogotá, Colombia); University of Puerto Rico – Río Piedras (San Juan, PR)-MSc

What I can advise you on:
  • Ecological research (Quantitative and Bioacoustics)
  • Career Navigation
  • Work-life Balance 
For more info check out this blog!
Potential Mentee Opportunities: 
  • Quantitative data analysis (Landscape ecology and bioacoustics)
  • Data entry
Affiliated with: UF Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, UF School of Natural Resources and Environment, UF Florida Museum of Natural History
Past affiliations:  Instituto Humboldt, Asociación Colombiana de Ornitología, ARBIMON
Kathleen Carey (she/her) - Research Associate - [email protected]
Previous Advisor:  Dr. Carolina Baruzzi
Area of emphasis:  Ecology
Work description: My current research focuses on small mammal interactions with restoration practices, small mammal microbiomes, the impacts of herbivory on plants, and longleaf pine savanna ecology. I also collaborate with Snapshot USA on a nationwide camera trap project and study the endangered Key Largo woodrat through live trapping! 
Species-specific experience: 
  • Small mammals
  • Waterbirds
  • Shorebirds
  • Rails
  • Waterfowl
Education:  University of Florida - M.S. In Wildlife Ecology and Conservation; Unity College - B.S. in Wildlife Biology; B.S. in Wildlife & Fisheries Management
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What I can advise you on: 
  • Graduate school
  • Applying for jobs
  • Coursework
  • CV/Resume writing
Potential Mentee Opportunities: 
  • Camera trap review and ID
  • Field work
  • Small mammal trapping
Jose Alberto Torres (he/him) - MS - [email protected]
Advisor:  Dr. Bob McCleery
Area of emphasis: Mammal distribution in South Florida
Work description: My research will be using game cameras to document the distribution of mesomammals in Big Cypress National Preserve and surrounding areas. I will be testing the efficiency of baiting and establishing replicable protocols for long-term monitoring.
Species-specific experience: ​
  • Desert Bighorn Sheep
  • Burmese Pythons
Education: Oregon State University, BS in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Science.
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What I can advise you on: 
  • Graduate school
  • Applying for jobs
  • Internships
Potential Mentee Opportunities: 
  • Lab work
Affiliated with: USGS, NPS
Past affiliations: USGS
Akshay Vinod Anand (he/him) - PhD - [email protected]
Advisor:  Dr. Rob Guralnick and Dr. Bette Loiselle
Area of emphasis: Migration, Phenology, Community Ecology, Data Science
Work description: I am interested in understanding the drivers that govern local, small scale movements of birds along elevational and resource gradients. My work falls at the intersection of field ecology and the data sciences and explores the themes of elevational migration, multi-trophic phenological mismatch, and resource tracking.
Species-specific experience: ​
  • Tropical birds
  • Forest Owlet
  • Western Ghats
Education: BS and MS in India
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What I can advise you on: 
  • Graduate school
  • Coursework
  • Research design
  • Data collection and curation
  • Data Analysis
Potential Mentee Opportunities: 
  • Field work
  • Lab work
  • Data entry
  • Data analysis
Affiliated with: SNRE, FLMNH
Levi Hoskins (they/them) - PhD - [email protected]
Advisor:  Dr. Corey Callaghan and Dr. Chang Zhao
Area of emphasis: Migration Ecology, Spatial Ecology, Data Analysis, Citizen Science
Work description:  I focus on how urban greenspaces impact migration pathways in migratory species. I have a keen focus on avian ecology, particularly the species-area relationships associated with urban patches during the full-annual cycle.
Countries/Study abroad:  Ecuador
Species-specific experience: 
  • Migratory passerines
  • Tropical birds
  • Ocelots
  • ​Pigs
Education: Tulane University - BS Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Environmental Studies
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What I can advise you on: 
  • Graduate school
  • Applying for jobs
  • Coursework
  • Internships
  • CV/Resume editing
  • Research
Past affiliations:  USGS, USDA, Fundación para la Conservación de los Andes Tropicales (FCAT)
WGSA is currently taking applications for Mentors! If you are interested in mentoring an undergraduate student, please fill out the form.
For more information please contact WGSA at [email protected].