Qμe[st] research

Quantitative Ecology in Space and Time

‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ Plethodon kentucki

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J Alex Baecher
J Alex Baecher

Postdoctoral Researcher

Utah State University

About Me

Serious bits:

I'm a spatial ecologist dedicated to understanding the processes that determine the distribution of biodiversity. My research interests include:

  • macroecology

  • biogeography

  • population ecology

  • conservation

  • spatiotemporal modeling

  • herp natural history

  • transparent science

Good bits:

I'm an Arkansas native (Ozark Mountains) based out of Gainesville Florida, a stereotypical girl dad (soon to be 2x), proud union member, and lover of:

  • swimming

  • hiking

  • biking

  • canoeing

  • herping

  • home DIY

  • wood working

Education

Ph.D., Interdisciplinary Ecology | University of Florida (2024)

  • Fellowship: Doctoral Preeminence Research Fellowship
  • Scheffers lab (Dept. Wildlife Ecology and Conservation)

M.Sc., Biology | Eastern Kentucky University (2017)

  • Teaching Assistant: Human Anatomy
  • Richter lab (Dept. Biology)

B.Sc., Biology | University of Arkansas (2014)

Experience

  1. Postdoctoral Research Fellow

    Utah State University

    Clark-Wolf lab (Dept. Wildland Resources) & Stuber lab (USGS)

    Fellowship: USGS: Climate Adaptation Postdoctoral Fellowship

  2. Postdoctoral Research Associate

    University of Florida
    Campbell lab (Florida Medical Entomology Lab) & Guralnick lab (Florida Natural History Museum)

  3. Conservation and Research Technician

    Memphis Zoo
    Dept. Conservation and Research

  4. Research Assistant

    University of Arkansas
    Dept. Biology
Research
Forecasting ecological dynamics and disease
Forecasting ecological dynamics and disease

Understanding the pattern and process behind ecological phenomena, including population changes, invasive species, and vector-borne disease.

Mar 15, 2025
Integrated population modeling
Integrated population modeling

Integrated field data with semi-structured citizen science data to model population dynamics

Feb 15, 2025
Spatiotemporal statistics
Spatiotemporal statistics

Developing spatial and spatiotemporal models using stochastic partial differential equations

Feb 15, 2024
Landscape connectivity
Landscape connectivity

Estimating how the landscape influences movement

Mar 15, 2023
Biodiversity redistribution
Biodiversity redistribution

Understanding the ecology of climate-induced range shifts

Jan 15, 2023
See all projects →
Publications (since 2024)
J Alex Baecher, V a Askshay, Robert Guralnick, Amy M Bauer, Yasmin N Tavares, Yesenia Sánchez, James T Thorson, Lindsay P Campbell (2025). Toward Ecological Forecasting of West Nile Virus in Florida: Insights from Two Decades of Surveillance. EcoEvoRxiv.
Preprint PDF Cite Code Project DOI
Luke J. Evans, J Alex Baecher, Brett R. Scheffers (2024). Invasion risk posed by the pet trade. As a Research Communication in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.
PDF Cite DOI Project
J Alex Baecher (2024). The environmental filtering paradigm and non-filtering community assembly processes. Journal of Biogeography.
PDF Cite DOI Slides Project Supplimental Figure
David H. Klinges, J Alex Baecher, Jonas J. Lembrechts, Ilya M. D. Maclean, Jonathan Lenoir, Caroline Greiser, Michael Ashcroft, Luke J. Evans, Michael R. Kearney, Juha Aalto, Isabel C. Barrio, Pieter De Frenne, Joannès Guillemot, Kristoffer Hylander, Tommaso Jucker, Martin Kopecký, Miska Luoto, Martin Macek, Ivan Nijs, Josef Urban, Liesbeth Van Den Brink, Pieter Vangansbeke, Jonathan Von Oppen, Jan Wild, Julia Boike, Rafaella Canessa, Marcelo Nosetto, Alexey Rubtsov, Jhonatan Sallo-Bravo, Brett R. Scheffers (2024). Proximal microclimate: Moving beyond spatiotemporalresolution improves ecological predictions. Global Ecology and Biogeography.
PDF Cite Code Dataset DOI David Klinges Supplimental Info
Jake A. Lawlor, Lise Comte, Gaël Grenouillet, Jonathan Lenoir, J Alex Baecher, R.M.W.J. Bandara, Romain Bertrand, I-Ching Chen, Sarah E. Diamond, Lesley T. Lancaster, Nikki Moore, Jerome Murienne, Brunno F. Oliveira, Gretta T. Pecl, Malin L. Pinsky, Jonathan Rolland, Madeleine Rubenstein, Brett R. Scheffers, Laura M. Thompson, Brit Van Amerom, Fabricio Villalobos, Sarah R. Weiskopf, Jennifer Sunday (2024). Mechanisms, detection and impacts of species redistribution under climate change. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment.
PDF Cite DOI Project Jake Lawlor
Lise Comte, Romain Bertrand, Sarah Diamond, Lesley T. Lancaster, Malin L. Pinsky, Brett R. Scheffers, J Alex Baecher, R. M. W. J. Bandara, I- Ching Chen, Jake A. Lawlor, Nikki A. Moore, Brunno F. Oliveira, Jerome Murienne, Jonathan Rolland, Madeleine A. Rubenstein, Jennifer Sunday, Laura M. Thompson, Fabricio Villalobos, Sarah R. Weiskopf, Jonathan Lenoir (2024). Bringing traits back into the equation, A roadmap to understand species redistribution. Global Change Biology.
PDF Cite Code Dataset DOI Project Lise Comte Supplimental Info
See all publications →
Select talks
Expanding the scope of connectivity modeling with Markov chains: perspectives and applications in R
Expanding the scope of connectivity modeling with Markov chains: perspectives and applications in R

Associated with the International Association of Landscape Ecologists (IALE) meeting

Dec 19, 2023
Informing Species Range-shifts with (preliminary) Global Connectivity
Informing Species Range-shifts with (preliminary) Global Connectivity

3rd Species On The Move conference, 2023

May 17, 2023
Towards Global Connectivity, applications for BIOSHIFTS
Towards Global Connectivity, applications for BIOSHIFTS

Modeling global ecological connectivity using biologically relevant data to understand expected patterns of species range shifts

Nov 17, 2022
See all talks →
R sandbox: 📊 Coding Tutorials
Intro to R (part 1): The basics
Intro to R (part 1): The basics

A tutorial for base R usage and functions

Aug 12, 2022
Intro to R (part 2): investigating carbon emmissions
Intro to R (part 2): investigating carbon emmissions

A tutorial for intermediate usage with Gapminder and human population demographics

Aug 12, 2022
See all tutorials →
Teaching & Mentoring

Whether in a classroom or lab, teaching must be student-centered, holistic, and equitable. By fostering a supportive, engaging environment and recognizing all of students’ needs (educational, emotional, and biological), I empower students to demonstrate mastery or seek additional support as needed—an approach known to increase success and enhance well-being.

Teaching Philosophy:

Evidence-based strategies:

  • inquiry-based learning through real-world problem-solving

  • hands-on, experiential activities (in the classroom, lab, or field)

  • active learning exercises (e.g., case studies and debates)

Mentoring Philosophy:

Key practices:

  • align students’ academic progress with personal goals and well-being

  • foster independent problem-solving by providing space to explore and reflect

  • encourage outside collaboration and/or mentorship

Student Outcomes

My students have gone on to pursue careers in academia, state/federal agencies, and the private sector:

  • Career progression: 7 students pursued or completed MS (5) and PhD (2) programs and credit my mentorship in shaping their career trajectory
  • Academic output: 15 conference presentations, 2 undergraduate theses, and 4 peer-reviewed publications

Recent courses

Environmental Science | University of Florida

Senior-level course | 2022 – 2024 EVS 3000L collage

A course covering population ecology, habitat management, and conservation strategies for wildlife species. Students learn to apply quantitative methods to real conservation problems.

  • Topics: Land management, Climate science, social-ecological systems, environmental justice, sustainability, invasive species
  • Methods: R programming, GIS analysis, field techniques, technical writing, science communication
  • Enrollment: 12 students

Syllabus (PDF) | Teaching R: pt 1 & pt 2

Landscape Connectivity Modeling | Professional workshop

Intensive workshop | Spring 2024

Hands-on workshop teaching cutting-edge methods for modeling animal movement and landscape connectivity using circuit theory and spatial absorbing Markov chains.

  • Software: R, Circuitscape, SAMC package
  • Participants: 40 researchers from 15 institutions
  • Focus: Theory, implementation, and interpretation

Workshop Materials | Video Lectures | Practice Datasets

Select Guest Lectures & Workshops

  • Salamander Conservation in the Southeastern USA - University of Florida (Spring 2020)
  • Connectivity for Species Redistribution - University of Florida (Spring 2020)
  • Expert Elicitation for Invasive Species Management - University of Florida (2023)
  • SAMC Connectivity Modeling - Species on the Move Conference (2023)

Resources:

See my R sandbox for a 2-part tutorial on R coding:

  • Part 1:
    • Using functions
    • Help functions
    • Vectors
    • Sequences
    • Data frames
  • Part 2:
    • read data from a csv file
    • manipulate a data set
    • join multiple data sets
    • plot data
    • animate figures
    • create for loops