Meet Our Staff

Adrian Macedo is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Science at Heritage University. Adrian earned his AA in General Studies-Natural Resources at Mendocino College then finished his BS in Wildlife with a minor in Botany at the Cal Poly Humboldt in northern California. Adrian then completed his Master’s of Science degree in Biology at Cal Poly Humboldt in which he studied the life history variation of the Coastal Tailed Frog across an elevational range gradient. Adrian is currently finishing his PhD in Zoology at Southern Illinois University where he studied Cottonmouth hibernation physiology and Fish, Amphibian, and Reptile community ecology in Cypress-Tupelo Swamps. After his PhD, he taught Ichthyology, Fish Management, Fish Ecology, and Wildlife Management at Missouri State University where he still holds an adjunct position.

In his professional career, Adrian has focused his work on the natural world and his broad expertise in plants and animals has allowed him opportunities to work with Mountain Lions, Roosevelt Elk, White-tailed Deer, Bats, Hawks, Songbirds, Turtles, Venomous snakes, and various Amphibians. One of his most valuable contributions was his rediscovery of the Taillight Shiner, a fish thought to have been extirpated from the state of Illinois for almost 15 years. Adrian has mentored over 20 students on research projects including heavy metal concentrations and isotopes in Cottonmouth blood, aging Amphibians and Reptiles from bone samples, frog calling phenology, eDNA studies on fish, immune function of White-tailed Deer, global desert plant species richness patterns and amphibian disease. Outside of work Adrian enjoys hunting, fishing, gathering and practicing ancestral earth skills.

Adrian works to provide HU STEM students with opportunities for students to work with fish, wildlife, and plants. As outside pressures on lands increase, balancing management of natural resources and protection of those resources around the world has become of great importance.