Welcome!
About me
I currently serve as a fish and wildlife biologist of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Listing and Recovery division of an Ecological Services program office in Ventura, California. In this new role, I review past and ongoing statuses of federally threatened and endangered species as well as implement conservation actions toward recovering such species that they may be down-listed or de-listed entirely from regulatory protection in the future. During summer 2021, I earned my dual Ph.D. from the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife and Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior Program at Michigan State University. During my degree program, I was primarily advised by the late Dr. Brian Maurer (2014-2016) and Dr. Gary Roloff (2017-2021) as well as secondarily advised by Drs. Kendra Cheruvelil, Phoebe Zarnetske, and Elise Zipkin. With respect to research, I am interested in species distributions, individual animal movements, group demography, and environmental factors, all of which shape wildlife community and population dynamics in aquatic and terrestrial systems. Toward the middle of my tenure at Michigan State, I also served as a statistical consultant for faculty, research staff, post-docs, and undergraduate and graduate students at the university's Center for Statistical Training and Consulting. In my free time, I enjoy getting outside and exploring the world around us. I also like to participate in sports such as hunting, fishing, hiking, football, volleyball, ultimate frisbee, basketball, and kayaking. For my next adventure, I will join the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a fish and wildlife biologist, helping recover federally threatened and endangered animals as part of the Listing and Recovery division of an Ecological Services program office in southern California. My pronouns are he/him/his, and please feel free to reach out to learn more about my research, interests, and career path. Let's connect!
Education and training
B.S. Zoology, with a minor in Environmental Studies, Southern Illinois University (2010)
M.S. Wildlife and Fisheries Resources, West Virginia University (2014)
Ph.D. Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University (2021)
Ph.D. Ecology, Evolutionary Biology, and Behavior, Michigan State University (2021)
Professional certifications
CPR and First Aid, American Heart Association (2011-2021)
Spatial Ecology, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University (2018)
Leadership for the Common Good, Great Lakes Leadership Academy, Michigan State University (2018)
Hiring eligibility
Visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's career portal for Directorate Resource Assistants Fellows* [URL]
*Webpage access is restricted to registered hiring managers.
Contact me
Email: dennhard@msu.edu
Google Scholar [URL]
ResearchGate [URL]
Academia.edu [URL]
LinkedIn [URL]
ORCID [URL]
The Golden Coast. Vantage point from a spotted owl call station in northern California, 2011. Photo credit: Andrew Dennhardt.
