Research Opportunities

The diversity of thesis research undertaken by students in Wildlife Ecology and Management is best demonstrated through recent thesis topics. The breadth of professional expertise available to graduate students in the form of thesis advisers is best described in the section on individual faculty members.

The Wildlife Ecology and Management graduate program combines basic biology and ecology with other academic areas, and with applied problem solving in natural resource management and conservation. The main specializations are:

  • animal behavior
  • animal physiology
  • animal population dynamics
  • habitat ecology and management
  • human dimensions of natural resource management
  • integrated resource management
  • plant-animal interactions
  • population genetics and conservation
  • population modeling and management
  • wildlife ecology

Critical to your choice of research topics are our ties with organizations that support research within and beyond the University. We are closely linked to the Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station, a facility supported by state and federal funds to carry out applied studies related to agriculture and natural resources. Within the department, the Minnesota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit consists of a group of U.S. Geological Survey-Biological Resources Division scientists who serve on the graduate faculties. For students interested in natural resource communication and education, departmental faculty affiliated with the University of Minnesota Extension Service provide advising expertise.

All faculty have close working relations with one or more of the following: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Minnesota Zoo, U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. Nongovernment organizations with which faculty are involved include the Nature Conservancy, Ruffed Grouse Society, Minnesota Deer Hunters Association, Ducks Unlimited, Trout Unlimited, and others. In addition, several faculty have strong affiliations with organizations working at the international level, such as the Smithsonian Institution and the International Union for Conservancy of Nature. All of these ties, from local to international, are important in creating research opportunities for you in the broadest range of natural resource situations.

Minnesota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit

The Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program was established to facilitate cooperation among the U.S. Department of the Interior (formerly through the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and now through the US Geological Survey-Biological Resources Division), universities, state fish and wildlife agencies, and private organizations. The cooperatives conduct programs of research and education related to fish and wildlife resource management.

The Minnesota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit emphasizes research on impacts of human activities on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems that are of state, regional, and national significance. The research program addresses not only the biological, but also social and economic aspects of both game and nongame fisheries and wildlife management in the context of maintenance of biological diversity, and integrity and sustainability of ecosystems. Faculty and graduate students associated with the co-op unit are fully integrated into all department activities and programs.