Michael Koontz

Michael Koontz has an extensive work experience spanning over several years. Michael began their career as a Field Leader for the Hawksbill Turtle Recovery Project in 2007. Michael then worked as a Biological Research Technician for the Research Corporation of the University of Hawaii from 2009 to 2011. After that, they served as a Biological Research Technician at the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2011.

In 2012, Michael joined UC Merced as a Research Technician, where they collected seedling demography data for the Alpine-Treeline Warming Experiment. Michael conducted surveys at high altitude sites to study the impact of rising temperatures on seedling establishment for various tree species.

Michael later joined Colorado State University in 2012 as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. Their research focused on understanding the success of populations introduced into novel habitats.

In 2014, Michael began working at the University of California, Davis as a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow. Michael held this role until 2019.

From 2019, Michael has been associated with Earth Lab at the University of Colorado Boulder. Michael started as a Postdoctoral Research Associate and subsequently worked as a Research Scientist I and Research Scientist II. Their current role is not specified.

In 2022, Michael also joined Vibrant Planet as the Lead Scientist for Ecosystem Monitoring and Forecasting. Their tenure at this company is ongoing.

Overall, Michael Koontz has gained diverse experience in research and scientific roles, focusing on ecology and climate change studies.

Michael Koontz completed their education in a chronological manner. Michael started their academic journey at the University of Maryland from 2003 to 2005, where they pursued Environmental Economics. Following this, from 2007 to 2009, they attended the University of Hawai'i System and obtained a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology. Michael then pursued a Master's degree in Ecology at Colorado State University from 2012 to 2014.

Continuing their academic pursuits, Michael Koontz completed a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Ecology at the University of California, Davis, where they studied from 2014 to 2019. During their time at UC Davis, they specialized in the field of Ecology.

In addition to their formal education, Michael Koontz obtained two additional certifications. In January 2016, they earned a Data Carpentry Instructor Certification from The Carpentries, and in June 2017, they attained a Remote Pilot certification from the Federal Aviation Administration.