Staff
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Michael F. Allen
Director, Professor of Plant Pathology and Biology
Phone: x4008
E-mail: michael.allen@ucr.edu
Office Locations: 1303 Webber Hall & 3207 Batchelor
My interests focus on the regulation of community and ecosystem processes by soil organisms with special emphasis on mycorrhizal fungi. My current research concentrates on global change dynamics and structure of undisturbed areas, and how that information can be utilized in the conservation and restoration of native ecosystems.
Please visit Dr. Allen's Soil Mycorrhizal Lab or the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology website for more information. -
Cameron Barrows
Research Ecologist
Phone: x 30934/6314
E-mail: cbarrows@ucr.edu
Office Location: Palm Desert Campus
I am currently an Assistant Research Ecologist coordinating the Center for Conservation Biology's Desert Studies Initiative.The focus of the Desert Studies Initiative has been to develop risk assessments for desert flora, fauna and natural communities relevant to the implementation of regional conservation programs. Specific research has examined the influence of suburban-natural area interfaces, minimum habitat sizes for population persistence along precipitation gradients, the influence of exotic species on natural community composition, drivers of population dynamics, and modeling current and historic species distributions to objectively measure habitat loss. We are also exploring programs to enhance the secondary level science education in surrounding schools.
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Kathleen D. Fleming
Field Biologist
Phone: x 30594 (fax: x30934)
E-mail: kathleen.fleming@ucr.edu
Office Location: Palm Desert Campus
I currently hold a position as a Laboratory Assistant at the CCB assisting with database management, administrative duties, and monitoring of sensitive species listed under the Coachella Valley and Western Riverside County MSHCP's. My research interests include how to increase conservation efforts for desert ecology through local environmental education initiatives, including identifying how to build on local knowledge and awareness of conservation issues. By doing so, I hope to optimize the design and function of integral issues of ecology within developing Habitat Conservation Plans and the surrounding communities. -
Cecelia Gonzalez
Administrative Assistant
Phone: x 5494 (fax: x2620)
E-mail: cecelias@ucr.edu
Office Location: 1303 Webber Hall
I have been an Administrative Assistant with the University of California, Riverside since 1996 and with the Center for Conservation Biology since 2006. My administrative duties include; scheduling the Director's calendar, coordinating various events for the Center, arranging and processing travel, purchasing, entertainment expenses, ledger review, and other administrative assignments. It is a pleasure to work with everyone in various departments that collaborate with the Center and to be a part of such an extraordinary work environment.
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Robert Johnson
Assistant Specialist
Phone: x4005
E-mail: robert.johnson@ucr.edu
Office Location: 3215 Batchelor Hall
I work with geographic information and provide geospatial analysis services in support of our research efforts. This is usually presented as various digital data products and visual media illustrating research findings. I also provide assistance and training to researchers in GIS software and methods. Much of my work pertains to the compilation of contemporary and past environmental information into a format appropriate for modeling habitat suitability. One of my interests is developing conversion methods from historic data formats to digital geospatial datasets.
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Andrea Kaus
Research Anthropologist, CCB & Director of Grant Programs, UCMEXUS
Phone: x 3586
E-mail: andrea.kaus@ucr.edu
Office Location: UCMEXUS
My principal research objective is to understand how sound conservation policy can be constructed and put into practice in populated areas. My doctoral dissertation focused on the establishment and management of the Mapimí Biosphere Reserve in Mexico, the relationships among the ranching and research communities there, and the consequent effect on land-use patterns by all stakeholders in the area. My research interests have expanded to include a broader examination of social relations and local participation in conservation programs and the conflicts between local and national/international land-use conserns. At present, I hold a joint appointment with the Center for Conservation Biology and the University of California Institute for Mexico and the United States (UCMEXUS). -
Kuni Kitajima
Staff Research Associate
Phone: x4004
E-mail: kunik@ucr.edu
Office Location: 3169 Batchelor Hall
I'm in charge of coordinating lab activities, maintaining equipment and organizing field data for easy access to researchers. My research interests include soil ecology, ecological modeling and mycology. -
Katie Lucero-Sickman
Website Manager/Office Assistant
Phone: x2621
E-mail: kluce001@student.ucr.edu
Office Location: 1303 Webber Hall
I have been working for the CCB since June 2009. I am a UCR graduate with my B.A. in Psychology. My duties include maintaining the CCB website, volunteering in current CCB field projects and office assistant duties.
Contact me if you would like anything posted or uploaded to the website.
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Kristine Preston
Research Ecologist
Phone: (951) 827-2621
E-mail: krisp@ucr.edu
Office Location: 1303 Webber Hall
Dr. Preston's research focuses on the responses of individuals, populations, species, and communities to environmental change resulting from natural and anthropogenic processes and applying these findings to conservation of sensitive species and natural communities. Key components of her research include habitat modeling, community ecology, behavioral ecology, and conservation biology. Her research is conducted primarily in natural communities of southern California and the Baja California Peninsula, Mexico.
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Rick Redak
Professor of Entomology, Chair of the CCB Steering Committee
Phone: x 7250
E-mail: richard.redak@ucr.edu
Office Location: 238 Entomology
Currently, my lab is involved in studies investigating 1) The use of whole insect communities to assess community recovery following fire or restoration, 2) The impact of land management practices on insect community structure and 3) The importance of insect community structure and biomass distribution in determining the habitat quality of endangered species of vertebrate insectivores.
Please visit the Department of Entomology for more information. -
Veronique Rorive
Assistant Director, Academic Coordinator
Phone: (951) 827-5494
E-mail: veronique.rorive@ucr.edu
Office Location: 1303 Webber Hall
I am responsible for the administration and coordination of the CCB projects, as well as the development of research initiatives in Mexico's two peninsulas: Yucatan and Baja California. A bachelor's degree in anthropology coupled with a master's thesis in environmental education, strengthened my interests on how conservation and management of biodiversity efforts successfully integrate and interact with local community development objectives. -
John Rotenberry
Associate Director, Professor of Biology, Director of UC Nature Reserves
Phone: x3953
E-mail: john.rotenberry@ucr.edu
Office Location: 3372 Spieth Hall
My laboratory studies community ecology and conservation biology, particularly how environmental factors interact to determine species diversity and community composition, and how the relative importance of those factors varies. My research has focused on communities in semi-arid shrubsteppe habitat, with emphasis on birds, shrubs, and arthropods; annual plants and their pollinators in old-field ecosystems; and conservation biology of vertebrates from a landscape ecological perspective.
Please visit the Department of Biology website for more information. -
Thomas Scott
Associate Director Cooperative Extension
Phone: x5115
E-mail: thomas.scott@ucr.edu
Office Location: 420 Geology
My interests are biogeography, conservation biology, wildlife management. Some of my recent projects are wildlife conservation in fragmented and altered landscapes, including studies of wildlife movement, habitat use, and population biology in oak woodland, sage scrub, and riparian habitats; behavioral changes and adjustments in habitat use of woodland bird species in response to human activities; the conservation and management of island bird species through captive propagation, predator control, and habitat restoration.
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Mike Taggart
Senior Development Engineer
Phone: x 6837
E-mail: mike.taggart@jamesreserve.edu
Address: James Reserve
My primary focus is designing, developing, testing and evaluating new sensor and network technologies. Due to the nature of my work, I am based at the James San Jacinto Mountain Reserve. Prior to working for the UC, I was a private engineering consultant specializing in environmental sensor design primarily associated with pipeline location and leak detection. I was also a founder and served as the executive vice-president of MicroSim Corporation (PSpice) and started my career as the Computer Operations Manager for Silicon System, Inc., a custom IC design and manufacturing house. I spend my spare time as a reserve ranger for the US Forest Service educating the public on wilderness use and am president of the Forest Service Volunteer Association. -
Christopher True
Field Biologist
Phone: x2856
E-mail: christopher.true@ucr.edu
Office Location: 2210 Batchelor
As a field biologist, my role on the CCB team is to accompany expeditions into the wildlands of Southern California, and assist UCR researchers and graduate students in collecting biological field data for experiments and theses. -
Thomas Unwin