Krishna Pacifici

Krishna Pacifici is an Associate Professor in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources at North Carolina State University, affiliated with the College of Natural Resources and the Center for Geospatial Analytics. His research focuses on quantitative ecology, wildlife ecology, and structured decision making under uncertainty. He holds a Ph.D. in Forest Resources from the University of Georgia and advanced degrees in Statistics, Wildlife Ecology, and Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences from NC State.

Education includes:

• Ph.D., Forest Resources, University of Georgia (2011)
• M.S., Statistics, University of Georgia (2012)
• M.S., Wildlife Ecology, North Carolina State University (2007)
• B.S., Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, North Carolina State University (2003)

Research emphasizes understanding ecological responses to environmental stressors and developing quantitative methods for conservation decision making. Key areas include spatio-temporal modeling, disease ecology, and adaptive management. Over 20 grants totaling millions of dollars fund projects on topics like red snapper abundance estimation, alligator ecology, and climate vulnerability assessments for wild turkeys.

Grants include major NSF-funded work on North American mammal distribution models and a USGS study on Neuse River waterdogs. Collaborations span federal agencies, NGOs, and international partners. Teaching includes FW 453/553 Principles of Wildlife Science.

Labs/Teams: Leads projects through the Southeast Climate Science Center and collaborates with USGS, NOAA, and state wildlife agencies. Active in developing geospatial tools for conservation decision support systems.