My name is Dr. Philip Lavretsky, and I have been running the wildlife genetics lab at the University of Texas at El Paso since 2016. My research program is interdisciplinary where we use data from the field to the gene. By using genetics as the foundation to understand what makes wild species unique, we can better devise conservation initiatives. In short, while my team answers outstanding basic questions within evolutionary biology, we apply the same data towards conservation programs. Although, we work on all wildlife, my team is especially focused on waterfowl conservation. Most recently, partnered with Ducks Unlimited, Inc., we have rolled out the largest citizen-science initiative in the field coined duckDNA, where duck hunters become hunter-scientists!
