Title: Department Head and Professor MSU Ecology Dept.
Institution: Montana State University
Address: Ecology Dept. 310 Lewis Hall, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana 59717
Email: diane.debinski@montana.edu
Phone: (406) 994-2949
Visit Diane’s Research Website
Research Interests: biodiversity, grassland management, butterflies, floral resources, pollinators, eDNA, montane meadows, species of greatest conservation need
Biographical Sketch:
Dr. Debinski is the Department Head for Montana State University’s Ecology Department. She pursues research and teaching in the fields of conservation biology, landscape ecology, and restoration ecology. Some of the topics of her research include biodiversity preservation, effects of habitat fragmentation, and aridification. In grasslands, her research has focused on evaluating the use of fire and grazing in the context of managing for plant, bird, and pollinator (mostly butterfly, sometimes bee) communities. In montane meadows she has been conducting both observational and experimental studies of plant and insect community responses to drought and environmental variation. Most recently, she has tested the combination of traditional surveys vs. eDNA approaches in assessing biodiversity of insects such as butterflies. She has also conducted research and taught a course focused on the recruitment and retention of women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).
Education:
Ph.D. in Biology from Montana State University, granted 1991
M.S. in Resource Policy, Economics and Management from University of Michigan, granted 1986
B.A. in Biology and Environmental Studies from University of Maryland, granted 1984