people
The lab focuses on Master’s and undergraduate student research. See the opportunities page for details about joining the lab.
Dr. Oscar Johnson (Principal Investigator)
Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences
Dr. Johnson is interested in avian speciation, and how these processes scale to community-level patterns of biological diversity. He uses a variety of methods to understand these processes, spanning the fields of phylogenetics, systematics, macroevolution, biogeography, trait evolution, and taxonomy. His interest lie primarily in the biodiverse Neotropics and subtropics, where speciation is less well understood.
Dr. Johnson has a background in avian conservation and field biology, before he returned to academia to pursue a doctoral degree. He is a member of the American Ornithological Society, the Society of Systematic Biologists, and the Florida Ornithological Society. Dr. Johnson joined the faculty of FGCU in 2024.
ojohnson@fgcu.edu
Alexia Friedman (Master’s student)
Alexia, originally from South Florida, earned her bachelor’s degree in environmental studies with a concentration in Ecology and Environmental Assessment from Florida Gulf Coast University. She has a passion for wildlife and has gained experience in both wildlife rehabilitation and ecological fieldwork. Her research interests include avian speciation, conservation biology, avian population monitoring, environmental outreach and education, and raptor ecology.
Her thesis research focuses on the taxonomic relationship within the Buteo lineatus-ridgwayi complex, specifically investigating whether the western subspecies, B. l. elegans, warrants species-level recognition. See more information on the project page.
Travis Mangione (Master’s student)
Travis, originally from Michigan, completed his undergraduate degree in Environmental Biology at Cornerstone University in 2017. He worked in a variety of ornithological technician positions, in Michigan, Texas, Wisconsin, and Louisiana. In late 2018, he started working for the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) working primarily with Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, Florida black bears, prescribed fire, and hunt management. With FWC, he was able to assist with projects around the state, monitoring a variety of listed wildlife species. In 2023, he became a wildlife biologist with the National Park Service in Big Cypress National Preserve. Research focus includes white-tailed deer, Florida panther, and Burmese pythons. In 2025, he started pursuing this master’s degree researching Eastern Black Rails to determine vocalization activity, occupancy, and distribution in Big Cypress.
Undergraduate researchers
Our lab strongly emphasizes undergraduate research, and at most times there are about 10 undergraduate students working in the lab as researchers, laboratory assistants, student workers, or volunteers. Below are profiles for the current and former undergraduate students in the lab.
Leslie Alfonso (Undergraduate student)
Leslie is starting her Senior thesis in Fall 2026. She has been with the lab since Fall 2024, as a student worker conducting wading bird surveys on restored wetlands in nearby Bonita Springs.
Aiden Barbour (Undergraduate student)
Aiden is working on the Red-shouldered Hawk speciation project, analyzing sound files and assisting with behavioral field trials.
Anthony (Ani) Dues, Jr. (Undergraduate Honors thesis student)
Ani’s Honors thesis focuses on monitoring nocturnal migrating songbirds, comparing sites with varying amounts of light pollution, which is known to affect these birds navigational abilities. He deployed autonomous recording units on the FGCU campus (high light pollution) and nearby CREW conservation lands (low light pollution) to test how campus is affecting migrating birds.
He is also heavily involved with monitoring and preventing bird window collisions on the FGCU campus.
Isabella Hardman (Undergraduate student)
Isabella is working on foraging ecology in the Great Blue Heron and Great Egrets, measuring how efficiently these species are able to capture prey.
Dylan Luu (Undergraduate student)
Dylan is working on the Red-shouldered Hawk speciation project, analyzing sound files and assisting with behavioral field trials.
Olivia Ringland (Undergraduate student)
Olivia is a volunteer in the lab, interested in ecology and conservation.
Malena Sellen (Undergraduate student)
Malena has been with the lab since Spring 2024. She is a 2024 Seidler Fellow, working on speciation in the Common and Antillean Nighthawks, analyzing sound recordings and conducting behavioral trials in southwest Florida and during summer field work in 2024 in the Florida Keys.
Past mentees and lab alumni
Undergraduates
Malia Tinsley (2026)
Delaney Harris (2025-2026)
Jay Wells (2025-2026)
Kayla Carter (2025-2026)
Annika Stafford (2025-2026)
Mercedes Roesler (2025-2026)
Bryce Rose (2025-2026)
Rachel Walker (2025-2026)
Ash Hernandez-Trochez (2025-2026)
Kassidy Braddick (2025)
Joseph Giraldi (2025)
Allison Locher (2025)
Abby Knepprath (2025)
Julitza Ramirez-Soriano (2025)
Brock Shiver (2025)
Blake Bello (2025)
Mi Kayla Vargas (2025)
Amelia Gumerova (2025)
Arline Martinez (2025)
Daelyn Parker (2024-2025)
Olivia Barcela (2024-2025)
Elizabeth Santos Lozano (2024-2025)
Olivier Cadet (2024-2025)
Kyle Cameron (2024)