Faculty Profile
Joshua Drew

Assistant Professor

Department of Environmental Biology
343 Illick Hall

jadrew@esf.edu
315-470-6579

Research Interests

I am an aquatic conservation ecologist working at the intersection of human and natural systems, and draws from a variety of disciplines including community ecology, biogeography, political ecology and historical ecology. Much of my work takes place in the tropical Pacific, particularly in Fiji, but I also have projects throughout New York State. For more information see the lab website www.labroides.org

Student Projects

As part of his Anthropocene Conservation class, Drew Lab studetns Kate Henderson and Megan Hazlett along with EB grad student IIlana Zeitzer published a paper called "The Geography of Publishing in the Anthropocene" in the jouranl Conservation Science and Practice. Graduate student Katy Lawson and undergraduate student Haleigh Letendre and myself have published a paper called "Historical Maps provide insight into a century and a half of habitat change in Fijian coasts" which explores how mangroves and corals habitat have ebbed and flowed over 150 years in two Fijian cities. In addition to publishing this in an open access framework, we have worked with the editors of the journal to publish an additional version of this paper in Fijian to ensure that those who are most impacted by the research have fewer barriers to obtaining this information. Additional projects are coming out so please stay tuned!

The lab

I am building a lab here at ESF and am looking to recruit students at the undergraduate, Masters and Ph.D. level to work on multiple questions involving conservation biology. I have active research projects in New York and Fiji around which I hope interested students can develop their own research questions.  Our lab uses a variety of techniques including collections based research, community interviews, fuzzy cognitive mental modeling and both aerial and underwater drones to understand how biodiversity and stakeholders' perceptions vary. Ultimately the goal is to provide research that can lead to tangible conservation outcomes.