Community ecologist joins Texas A&M Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology

Ian Ausprey, Ph.D., joined the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology as an assistant professor. He specializes in community ecology and biodiversity conservation, focusing on how bird populations adapt to dynamic ecosystems.  

Ausprey expressed excitement about joining the department with scientists and faculty representing a broad spectrum of ecology and conservation expertise. He emphasized the collaborative opportunities available, particularly through the department’s world-class teaching collections.

“I’m very fortunate to have a position at one of the country’s largest and most influential research-intensive universities,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to work at a land-grant institution because I believe strongly in science for the public good.”

Applied science and student engagement

Ausprey’s research will continue to explore conservation challenges at the global scale, working within study systems that he has established in agricultural landscapes of the Peruvian Andes and Swiss Alps. He will also engage stakeholders in Texas to address regional ecological needs by focusing on the state’s unique ecoregions, dynamic habitats and bird populations, both native and migratory.

“Texas is interesting as an applied ecologist because the state is mostly privately owned lands, so our research at Texas A&M has the potential to be a product of collaboration with stakeholders, including landowners, and inform private land management,” he said. “That ties perfectly into the land-grant mission.”

Beyond research, Ausprey will contribute to educating the next generation of ecologists. He will teach graduate and undergraduate courses, providing students with the foundational knowledge and applied skills necessary for careers in ecology and related professions.

He will begin teaching in the fall, starting with a graduate course focusing on core and high-level ecological principles and their application in conservation and management practices. In the spring, Ausprey will add an undergraduate course in conservation biology.

More about Ausprey

Ausprey has a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies and conservation biology from Middlebury College, a master’s degree in environment and natural resources from Ohio State University and a doctorate in biology from the University of Florida.

Prior to joining Texas A&M, Ausprey conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Bern, Switzerland, where he analyzed long-term changes in avian communities related to land-use changes and studied avian mortality in vineyards. In 2024, he was awarded the Rising Star Award from the Society for Conservation Biology for the best student publication in conservation biology.