Our Research Team
We are a group of conservation-minded individuals from diverse backgrounds in ecology, behavior, and information technology working to understand and protect bats and the ecosystems they inhabit.
Our team includes master’s and PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and collaborators who share a passion for applying innovative approaches to wildlife conservation.
Contact any of us for information about our work, or about the lab in general.
Dr. Joseph Johnson
Joe is the PI of the lab. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky in 2012, after which he completed his post-doctoral training at Bucknell University. Joe was an Assistant Professor of Vertebrate Biology at Ohio University from 2016 to 2022. Since 2022 Joe has served as an Assistant Professor of Information Technology at the University of Cincinnati. Originally trained as a mammal ecologist and a conservationist, Joe’s current work focus on the intersection of technology and ecology, seeking to create IT solutions for wildlife conservation.
Dr. Melissa Meierhofer
Melissa (Missy) is a Postdoctoral Researcher. She earned her Ph.D. from Texas A&M University in 2020 and conducted her Fulbright-EDUFI research at the Finnish Museum of Natural History, Finland, from 2019 to 2020. She continued there as a Postdoctoral Researcher from 2020 to 2024. She is a trained ecologist focusing on evidence-based conservation and management. She holds a sUAV (drone) license, which she uses to study and monitor bat populations in the field. Email Missy. Read her publications.
Mattea Lewis, Phd student
Mattea Lewis is in her final year of her PhD. She completed her M.S. in biology at Ohio University, studying bat ecology. Her current research focuses on the migration and habitat use of the state endangered little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus). Read her publications.
Janette Perez-Jimenez, PhD Student
Janette is in her final year of her PhD. She uses GIS to explore patterns in bat ecology, with research interests spanning landscape ecology, hibernation biology, subterranean environments.
Odunayo Adepoju, MSIT Student
Odunayo is wrapping up his MSIT! His research interests lie in the use of persuasive technologies to influence human attitudes and behaviors toward wildlife conservation.
Zoe Marczak, Masters Student
Zoe received her degree of Bachelor of Science in Wildlife and Fisheries Science from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2024. She recently started as a masters student and dove right into field work just across the Ohio River in the Daniel Boone National Forest of Kentucky. There, she has focused on understanding disturbance of bat roosts through the use of camera traps. Email Zoe.