Biography
Dr. Zachary Mitchell is an aquatic ecologist whose research tests ecological theory to better understand the patterns and processes shaping species distributions and community structure in freshwater and estuarine ecosystems. His lab investigates how individual, population, and community-level responses vary across spatial and temporal scales, with the ultimate goal of informing effective conservation and management strategies.
Research Areas
Research in the Mitchell Lab uses a variety of approaches—including field surveys, lab experiments, ecological modeling, and meta-analyses—to explore a wide variety of topics such as:
- Fisheries management
- Drought impacts on fish survival
- Thermal tolerance of native species
- Freshwater inflow effects on estuarine recruitment
- Freshwater mussel ecology
- Distribution and habitat needs of data-deficient crayfish in Texas
Mentorship & Student Opportunities
Dr. Mitchell actively mentors undergraduate and graduate students in applied ecological research that connects science to real-world environmental challenges. Students in his lab gain hands-on experience in field and lab-based techniques, data analysis, and ecological communication—skills highly sought in careers in conservation, research, and environmental consulting.
