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Ben Robb (’15) | Wildlife Biology | Laramie, WY

Hey! I’m a wildlife biologist at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, Wyoming. My interests center around wildlife research, GIS (geographic information systems), and data science. So honestly, I say “wildilfe biologist” to sound cool, but my work is generally behind a desk.

I received my BS in Biology at Wake Forest in 2015, with minors in Environmental Sciences and Chemistry (I completely forgot about that minor until writing this).

What I do: I’m awful at describing my job. But I love it. In general, I try to integrate data science to benefit wildlife. The focus of my work is on promoting private lands conservation. For instance, if a rancher has property that is also valuable habitat to migratory mule deer, can we protect that habitat while also preserving the rancher’s livelihood and stewardship? That’s what I help on. This means I work with collaborators
in the non-profit, state, and federal sectors to develop research and tools that will benefit their work. So I stand in a funny career position — one foot in the research camp and one foot in the software/app development camp.

How I ended up here: After I graduated from Wake, I moved out west for a field job. I quickly learned I wasn’t really cut out for the field job circuit, so I started to learn GIS. An internship at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute helped open doors for me in learning about GIS and data sciences. That internship and the mentorship I received there directly led to a job with the Wyoming Migration Initiative at the University of Wyoming. I then received my MS in Zoology at the University of Wyoming.

My career experience: My experience includes working in academia and federal government (US Geological Survey). I frequently collaborate with state, federal, and non-profit partners. At the research level, I’ve had the opportunity to study pronghorn, elk, mule deer, moose, greater sage-grouse, and giant pandas.

Happy to chat about careers in wildlife biology, careers in GIS, and graduate school! I’m also just happy to discuss moving out west and relocating to the western US. Looking forward to the conversation!
Cheers,
Ben

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