Julie Murphree

Dr. Julie Murphree is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the School of Applied Sciences and Arts at Arizona State University, where she teaches and develops courses in wildlife management, animal nutrition, captive-animal behaviour, and ethical/policy issues in biology. Her research and mentoring activities focus on free-roaming horse ecology, animal behaviour and cognition, and the human-animal bond, embracing a One-Welfare framework that balances conservation objectives with animal well-being.

Education:

• Ph.D. Biology (Biology and Society) – Arizona State University
• M.S. Applied Biological Sciences (Animal Nutrition & Natural Resource Management) – Arizona State University
• M.Ed. Secondary Education (Curriculum Development & Biology Teacher Certification) – Arizona State University
• B.S. Wildlife Conservation Biology – Arizona State University (Summa cum laude)

Research & Teaching Interests:

Murphree’s scholarship integrates wildlife nutrition, foraging ecology, and behaviour to inform management of free-roaming equids on western U.S. public lands. She uses controlled feeding trials and DNA/microhistological diet analyses, often with pygmy goats as models, to refine non-invasive techniques for wild ruminant dietary assessment. In the classroom she emphasises experiential learning, leading field projects that immerse undergraduates—especially Barrett Honors students—in real-world conservation and animal-welfare challenges spanning captive exotics, companion animals, and wild populations.

Her courses repeatedly address the ethical dimensions of wildlife policy, conservation conflict, and captive-animal management, encouraging students to weigh societal values, animal cognition, and ecological outcomes when designing species-specific interventions. Community partnerships and service-learning components extend student impact to local shelters, BLM holding facilities, and citizen-science initiatives.

Advising & Student Opportunities:

Murphree mentors pre-veterinary, wildlife, and honours students through directed research (ABS 492/592, BIO 492), honours theses (ABS 493), and applied projects (ABS 593). She provides field experiences assessing riparian habitat use by Salt River horses, evaluating enrichment protocols for shelter animals, and analysing public-land grazing impacts. These projects routinely feed into student presentations, theses, and career placement in wildlife agencies, veterinary schools, and conservation NGOs.

Labs & Field Programmes:

While no formal laboratory name is specified, Murphree conducts collaborative fieldwork across Arizona (Salt River, Heber Wild Horse Territory, Apache-Sitgreaves NF) and Colorado (Sand Wash Basin), partnering with federal agencies, wild-horse advocacy groups, and citizen scientists to monitor population dynamics, habitat utilisation, and body condition of free-roaming equids.