Brittany Slabach ’09 is a terrestrial biologist whose research explores the relationships among landscapes, ecological disturbance, and vertebrate communities. A member of the College of the Atlantic faculty in terrestrial biology, Slabach’s work is broadly question-driven and spans a variety of taxa—including mammals, reptiles, and birds—with a particular interest in landscapes that support both ecological function and human recreation.

Before returning to COA, Slabach served as a lecturer and visiting assistant professor of biology at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, and as Preserve Manager and Conservation Coordinator for the Desert Tortoise Preserve Committee in Riverside, California. She earned a PhD in biology from the University of Kentucky, an MSc in biology from Tufts University, and a BA in human ecology from College of the Atlantic.

Slabach and her students use a wide range of field and laboratory methods, including live trapping, mist netting, wildlife cameras, vegetation mapping, molecular analysis, and disease screening to study the effects of disturbance on vertebrate communities. Current research projects are underway in Acadia National Park in Maine and Government Canyon State Natural Area in Texas.