H. Bradley Shaffer
Director, UCLA La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science
Distinguished Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Institute of the Environment and Sustainability
La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science
Meet Our Team
At the La Kretz Center, our team works together to organize our activities and bring our results to the broadest possible user group. We receive input and guidance from our Advisory Board, a select group of individuals representing both UCLA and our partner organizations. Our Affiliates are a broader group of conservationists who help us recruit the best possible postdoctoral scholars, advise graduate student grants, and constitute the core interests and strengths in conservation science that define the Center.
Leadership
Senior Staff
Erin Toffelmier
Associate Director of the California Conservation Genomics Project
California Conservation Genomics Project
David Blake
Director's Assistant
UCLA La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science | Stunt Ranch Santa Monica Mountains Reserve
Postdoctoral Scholars
Sarah Helman
Postdoctoral Fellow
UCLA La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science
Zachary MacDonald
Postdoctoral Fellow
UCLA La Kretz Center for Conservation Science
Olivia Sanderfoot
Postdoctoral Fellow
UCLA La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science
Past Postdoctoral Scholars
Eric Abelson
Research Scientist
University of Texas, Austin
Joscha Beninde
Assistant Professor
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
John Benson
Assistant Professor of Vertebrate Ecology
University of Nebraska School of Natural Resources
Rachel Blakey
Assistant Professor
Cal Poly Pomona
Luke Browne
Postdoctoral Associate
Yale University
Gary Bucciarelli
Lassen Field Station Director
UC Davis
Samantha Catella
Adam Clause
Herpetology Collections Manager
San Diego Natural History Museum
Dave Daversa
Project Scientist
UCLA
Jesse Grismer
Assistant Professor
La Sierra University
Elizabeth Long
Alexandria Pivovaroff
Assistant Professor
Occidental College
Justin Valliere
Assistant Professor
UC Davis Cooperative Extension
Affiliates
Stepfanie Aguillon
Assistant Professor
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Richard Ambrose
Professor Emeritus
Department of Environmental Health Sciences
Paul Barber
Professor
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
John Benson
Assistant Professor of Vertebrate Ecology
University of Nebraska School of Natural Resources
Daniel Blumstein
Professor
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Luis Chiappe
VP of Research & Collections
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
Paul Edelman
Chief of Natural Resources and Planning, Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority
Deputy Director, Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy
Robert Espinoza
Professor of Biology, Curator of Amphibians and Reptiles, and Associate Dean of the College of Science and Mathematics
California State University, Northridge
Robert Fisher
Supervisory Research Biologist
U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center
Peggy Fong
Professor
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Thomas Gillespie
Co-Chair, Environmental Science and Engineering (D.Env.) Program; Professor
Department of Geography
Greg Grether
Professor
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Alex Hall
Professor
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
Ryan Harrigan
Associate Adjunct Professor, IoES; Associate Researcher, CTR
David Jacobs
Vice Chair of Outreach and Infrastructure, Marine Center; Professor
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Jon Keeley
Adjunct Professor
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Nathan Kraft
Associate Professor
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Jamie Lloyd-Smith
Professor
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Kirk Lohmueller
Professor
Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and Department of Human Genetics
Robert Lovich
Senior Natural Resource Specialist
Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) SW
Glen MacDonald
WMRC Director, John Muir Memorial Chair in Geography and Distinguished Professor, Founding Director, Water Resources Group
Department of Geography, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
James McWilliams
Professor
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
Sergey Nuzhdin
Professor
USC
Sophie Parker
Senior Scientist
The Nature Conservancy
Greg Pauly
Assistant Curator
LA County Museum of Natural History
Stephanie Pincetl
Founding Director and Professor
California Center for Sustainable Communities at UCLA; Chair, PhD in Environment and Sustainability;
Noa Pinter-Wollman
Professor
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Seth Riley
Wildlife Branch Chief; Adjunct Associate Professor
U.S. National Parks Service; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Philip Rundel
Professor Emeritus
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Lawren Sack
Professor
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Yongwei Sheng
Professor
Department of Geography
Thomas Smith
Founder and Co-Director, Center for Tropical Research; Founding Co-Director, Congo Basin Institute
Distinguished Research Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Institute of the Environment and Sustainability
Victoria Sork
Director, Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden; Professor
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Craig Stanford
Professor
University of Southern California
Morgan Tingley
Associate Professor
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Blaire Van Valkenburgh
Distinguished Research Professor
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Thomas Wake
Senior Museum Scientist and Director, Zooarchaeology Lab
UCLA Cotsen Institute of Archaeology
Larry Wan
Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority
Pamela Yeh
Assistant Professor
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Felipe Zapata
Co-director, Center for Tropical Research
Associate Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Advisors
Michael Alfaro
Professor and Chair
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Daniel Blumstein
Professor
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Dan Cooper
Deputy Executive Officer, Principal Conservation Biologist
The Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains
Damian K. Higgins
Research Manager
U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center
Nathan Kraft
Associate Professor
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Sophie Parker
Senior Scientist
The Nature Conservancy
Angela Picco
Threatened and Endangered Species Lead
US Fish & Wildlife Service
Marilyn Raphael
Director, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability
Professor, Department of Geography
Seth Riley
Wildlife Branch Chief; Adjunct Associate Professor
U.S. National Parks Service; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Victoria Sork
Director, Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden; Professor
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Jann Vendetti
Associate Curator of Malacology
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County