Assistant Professor

Petrie 200

Contact Info

Institution: University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Phone: (702) 895-5844

Address: 5405 Maryland Pkwy, Las Vegas, Nevada 89154, US

Website: https://unlv-ecohydrology.mystrikingly.com/

Research Disciplines

  • Ecology

  • Ecosystem Services

  • Forest Management

  • Ecology/Landscape

  • Plant Communities

  • Ruminant Nutrition

  • Rangeland Ecology

  • Remote Sensing

  • Climate Change

  • Soil Resources

  • Water Resources

  • Wildland Fire

  • Modeling and Simulation

Research Interests

The goals of my research program are to elucidate the dominant physical mechanisms shaping semiarid ecosystems, to identify and predict ecologically meaningful conditions and responses across local and regional areas, and to enhance planning for the 21st century through better understanding of climate and ecohydrological dynamics. My research integrates techniques including field data, manipulative experiments, remote sensing, and computational modeling.

Projects

PIs: Petrie MD, Bradford JB, Hubbard RM. US Geological Survey, Southwest Adaptation Climate Science Center. 2020-2023. Can management actions support forest regeneration across the diverse landscapes and climate change futures of the southwestern US?

PIs: Hubbard RM, Bradford JB, Petrie MD. USDA Forest Service, Western Wildlands Threat Assessment Center. 2020-2022. Regeneration failures may decrease ecosystem resilience and erode habitat quality in Intermountain west ponderosa pine forests in the 21st century.

Biography

I am an Assistant Professor at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, and was previously research faculty at New Mexico State University. I have also done stints at Northern Arizona University, the University of New Mexico, and the University of Kansas. My research tends to focus on the ecosystems that comprise my surroundings, which to date includes desert and Great Plains grasslands, desert shrublands, and coniferous forests and woodlands.

Education

  • Ph.D., Biology, University of New Mexico, 2014
  • M.A., Geography, University of Kansas, 2010
  • B.S., Environmental Studies, University of Kansas, 2008