Sue Fairbanks

Sue Fairbanks is an Associate Professor in the Department of Natural Resource Ecology & Management at Oklahoma State University (OSU), where she has served since 2019. Her expertise spans wildlife ecology, conservation biology, and population dynamics.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Ecology, University of Kansas (1992)
• M.Sc. in Wildlife Biology, Colorado State University (1985)
• B.Sc. in Biology, Nebraska Wesleyan University (1982)

Research Interests: Focuses on ungulate ecology, predator-prey interactions, and wildlife population dynamics. Active in projects involving pronghorn, bobcats, black bears, and white-tailed deer. Her work emphasizes non-invasive monitoring techniques, spatial ecology, and human-wildlife conflict mitigation.

Grants & Projects: Lead investigator on grants studying pronghorn demography, black bear recolonization, and bobcat population health in Oklahoma. Notable grants include 'Movements and Population Demography of Pronghorn in Western Oklahoma' and 'Spatial Ecology of Black Bears.'

Teaching: Instructs courses such as Wildlife Law Enforcement, Principles of Wildlife Ecology, and Applied Wildlife Behavior. Supervises graduate students through doctoral dissertations and thesis reports.

Labs/Teams: Collaborates with OSU’s wildlife research teams and state agencies on field projects. Engages students in community science initiatives to monitor wildlife populations.