Stephen G. Mech

Stephen G. Mech, Ph.D., is a Professor of Biology at Albright College in Reading, PA, where he has held roles including Department Chair (2011–2017) and Coordinator of Casa de Gratitude in Costa Rica (2015–present). His academic journey includes a Ph.D. in Zoology (Washington State University, 1999), M.S. in Statistics (WSU, 1998), and B.S. in Biology (Boise State University, 1992). He has also held postdoctoral fellowships and visiting professorships at institutions like the University of Memphis and Washington State University.

His research focuses on human impacts on ecosystems, particularly how animals adapt to climate change and urban-rural gradients. Key interests include small mammal ecology, population genetics, and conservation biology. He has organized symposiums like the 2019 PAS Symposium on science communication and led student projects on topics such as road-crossing behavior of small mammals and the effects of periodical cicadas on Peromyscus populations.

Dr. Mech has published extensively in journals like Conservation Genetics and Ecology Letters, with a focus on salamander conservation, bear morphology, and hybrid zones in birds. His work integrates field studies, genetic analysis, and behavioral experiments. He advises undergraduate researchers and collaborates on projects in managed forests, wildlife exclosures, and Costa Rican bat monitoring.

Outside academia, his hobbies include hiking, cycling, nature photography, and homebrewing beer.