Dr. Andrew Haveles is an ecologist and earth scientist whose interdisciplinary research examines how ecological interactions shape biodiversity across spatial and temporal scales. His published work combines field ecology, natural history, geospatial analysis, biogeochemistry, and the fossil record to investigate how organisms respond to environmental change. His research ranges from modern small-mammal communities and resource partitioning to ecological and evolutionary patterns preserved in the fossil record.
Dr. Haveles is passionate about undergraduate teaching and mentorship across biology, ecology, geology, and environmental science. His teaching emphasizes experiential and inquiry-based learning, engaging students in authentic field research, quantitative analysis, scientific communication, and interdisciplinary problem-solving. He has mentored undergraduate research projects involving mammalogy, eDNA, fisheries, stable-isotope ecology, and paleoenvironmental reconstructions, with students presenting their work at professional and undergraduate research conferences.
His work is guided by a commitment to seeing students as people first and building a vibrant learning community that connects a relationship-rich classroom with scientific inquiry and meaningful educational experiences. Recent scholarly work includes leading efforts to develop place-based curricular materials designed to engage students in exploring the sensitivity of local ecosystems to climate variations since the Last Glacial Maximum. This work will also investigate the influence of place-based narratives and storytelling on STEM identity.