Megan Milligan, PhD

I grew up in southern New Mexico and, like many, found my way to the field of wildlife biology through my love of the outdoors. I've been lucky enough to conduct research across the globe, from interviewing Maasai pastoralists about human-wildlife conflict in East Africa to monitoring threatened species in New Zealand, and these experiences have helped shape my perspective as a biologist. 

Given the current biodiversity crisis facing our planet, we cannot rely simply on fortress conservation and protecting species in national parks. Instead, we must also incorporate people in the process. I conducted fieldwork for my PhD in eastern Montana and western North Dakota primarily on privately-owned rangelands. These are lands that don't fit the classic mold of areas that warrant protection, but they support a huge range of species and a prairie ecosystem that is increasingly being lost. While it can be easy to fall into the trap that conservation can only happen in official protected areas, the ranchers that I got to know in this part of the world cared deeply about their land and worked to be good stewards of these landscapes. Conservation isn't only about protecting individual species but about protecting intact ecosystems and landscapes that can support both wildlife and human populations. The sharp-tailed grouse that I was studying need intact grasslands, but the ranchers also relied on healthy ecosystems for their livelihoods.  

There is also a huge range of competing demands that are placed on our natural resources and, as scientists, I believe it is important to find the best way to balance those competing needs. Prior to joining the Alaska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, I worked for the USGS Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center and the Western Ecological Research Center, where a lot of my research focused on guiding best management practices. As just one example, while in Montana, I evaluated the effects of wind-energy development on pronghorn migration. Wind energy represents an important renewable energy resource, but like any type of development, it has the potential to negatively affect wildlife populations. By studying those effects, we can better locate turbines to balance our needs for this renewable resource while working to minimize effects on other animals. Wind energy is just one example of the many different demands placed on our environment that are not always compatible but can be balanced. I believe that research to balance these competing needs (such as having renewable energy and healthy wildlife populations) will only become more important as more pressures are placed on our environment. 

More broadly, I love spending time in the field, but I'm also a data nerd. I love playing with datasets and working through puzzles in code. I strongly believe that both field and analytical skills are valuable to develop as a wildlife biologist. Datasets have continued to grow with improvements in technology, such as GPS collars and remote sensing. These large datasets can provide valuable insights into ecological processes, but they come with significant challenges, including data processing and increased model complexity. I've worked hard to bring these two skillsets together, to combine field-based insights with data to support conclusions. In my free time, I love exploring the outdoors, whether that's hiking, birding, skiing, hunting, or through photography.  

My mentoring philosophy

My goals as a teacher are 1) to spark curiosity and interest in my students so that they are self-motivated to continue the learning process on their own, and 2) to help them develop the fundamental skills, particularly related to research, communication and critical thinking, that will allow them to be successful professionals in our field. I believe that focusing on the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of learning is important to foster creativity and help students achieve success beyond a specific class or research project. My ultimate goal in student mentorship is to teach students fundamental skills and empower them to be successful professionals in our field.

While my research is centered on my skillset as a spatial and population ecologist, my training is more broadly founded upon a liberal arts education in the biological sciences. I believe this has helped foster in me an appreciation for diverse perspectives and alternative approaches, which is something I hope to further both in the classroom and my lab.

Based on my experience, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to student mentorship, so I tailor my approach on a student-by-student basis. I work with each student during regular individual meetings to understand their interests, goals, and background to adapt my approach and cater the student experience (e.g., coursework, conferences, networking) to best set them up for success. The needs of a student also vary through time and, by checking in regularly, I adapt my approach based on what they need at that point in their program.

I also firmly believe that this support should extend beyond a student’s project. Being a graduate student can be very challenging and I want to create a supportive and nurturing environment that can help students through the highs and lows of the student experience. I think this can be facilitated both by providing an open environment where students feel like they can discuss any challenges they are facing inside and outside of the classroom and by providing social opportunities for the lab to interact outside of structured lab meetings, such as through group hikes or seasonal cookie decorating. My hope is to create bonds outside of the classroom, not only between myself and students but among the students, so that they feel like they are part of a supportive community. Ideally, this provides multiple avenues not only for learning but also for support outside of the classroom.