Dr. Meghan Martin is a conservation biologist and founder of PDXWildlife, a Postdoctoral Researcher at San Diego Zoo Global’s Institute for Conservation and Research and a Research Associate at the Oregon Zoo Conservation and Research Department. Meghan holds a B.A. in Biology from Reed College and an M.S. and PhD in Biology from Portland State University.

Her graduate research focused on the effects of mate choice and personality in ex-situ conservation captive breeding programs for Columbia Basin pygmy rabbits and giant pandas. Her PhD was a multi-institutional collaboration between the Oregon Zoo, San Diego Zoo, and China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda. She has also worked with Asian elephants, polar bears, endangered freshwater mussels, and rhesus macaques.  She has authored or co-authored numerous scientific papers and has received multiple grants and awards.

The major focus of Dr. Martin’s current research is on mate preference, social and behavioral aspects of captive breeding, and the role of personality and stereotypical behavior in reproductive performance. Meghan spends most of her time at PDXWildlife on the Giant Panda project.  Highlights of her career have been developing international internships for students to obtain valuable conservation experiences at the global level, public outreach on conservation and endangered species, and improving breeding programs in captivity.

Meghan whole-heartedly believes in PDXWildlife’s motto, “conserving species through research, community education, and science” and hopes to pass this passion onto her students, the global scientific community, and the general public.

Meagan serves as the Communications and Outreach Manager for PDXWildife, and has been in partnership with them as a research assistant since 2018. She holds a B.A. in biology with a minor in Zoology from WSU-Vancouver.  

For the past five years, Meagan has been an advocate for public speaking and outreach in the Vancouver community as an Outdoor Science Instructor, VP Public Relations for Salmon Speakers Toastmasters, and Social Media Team member for the Association of Science Communicator (ASC), a Portland based non-profit aimed at globally broadening the presence of science communication.  Some of Meagan’s previous research work includes Fender’s Blue Butterfly habitat conservation, Spotted Towhee morphology, and Giant Panda mate choice. One of her most recent projects has been collaborating with PDXWildlife and the Oregon Zoo to study breeding biology of the Taylor’s Checkerspot Butterfly.

With a deep understanding of science and passion for communication, Meagan hopes to make PDXWildlife’s motto a reality and conserve species through engaging and educating the community with the PDX Wildlife research efforts.   

Katie is a Research Associate of PDXWildlife and also serves as Fundraising Manager. She holds  BS in Animal Biology from the University of Guelph and a post-graduate certificate from the University of Florida in Wildlife Forensic Science and Conservation. After completing a fundraising course, Katie will be starting her Masters of Environmental Science in the Conservation and Biodiversity field of study in fall of 2020.  

She plans to continue working at a non-profit conducting wildlife conservation research to help protect species at risk. Over the years, Katie has worked with domestic animals, farm animals and even wildlife starting at Sandy Pines Wildlife Centre in the rehabilitation of injured, sick and orphaned wildlife. She then served as a PDXWildlife intern helping to collect data on giant pandas at the Bifengxia Panda Base in Ya’an, China. Katie also worked at WWF-Canada as part of the Donor Relations, Community Giving, and Human Resources teams. 

Katie is a huge advocate for wildlife photography, which she fell in love with while photographing Giant Pandas in China and, now, captures photos of wildlife around Toronto. She has a strong passion for wildlife, but still holds a special place for the pandas.

Sarah Velazquez is a Research Associate for PDXWildlife. Establishing an exciting new project with the goal of producing materials that may aid future researchers, students, and caretakers. She earned a B.S. in Biology from Portland state University with a focus on conservation and animal behavior.

In recent years Sarah worked as a biological technician investigating the impacts of juniper tree encroachment on Greater sage-grouse. As part of a collaborative study with Oregon State University, Bureau of land Management, and Fish and Wildlife. Currently, she works as an avian veterinarian assistant and a lead boarding department associate.

Sarah believes that her work with PDXWildlife will help further develop projects intended to conserve species through research and applied biology. She is a firm believer that the preservation and protection of wildlife and their habitats is one of the most important responsibilities we have.

Victoria dedicates her PDXWildlife efforts toward fundraising and research, supporting causes that protect animals and counter threats to their dwindling habitat. She holds a BS in Zoology from Cal Poly Humboldt and in autumn of 2023 she will be pursuing her Master’s Degree in Animal Behavior & Wildlife Conservation. Since acquiring a Bachelor’s of Science, she has supported a variety of wildlife programs with research, surveying, breeding, nutrition, medical procedures, and public presentations.

The majority of Victoria’s research projects are focused on ecology, conservation, and management of a variety of populations. Southwest African cheetahs, American brown bears, and Guereza Colobus monkeys, are but a few examples of which she has experience. One of the highlights in her career was training Sumatran tigers during an internship with the Wildlife Safari Park in Winston, Oregon. In addition, she studied primate behavior at the Saint Louis Zoological Park. As a member of the MMERP program, she surveyed sixteen coastal beaches along Northern California, documenting, photographing, and collecting samples of stranded marine mammal carcasses from Pinnipeds to Cetaceans. As of 2022 she joined the incredible PDXWildlife team in their efforts to conserve species and preserve their habitats.

When she is not working, Victoria can be found playing with her dog, Rosco, and out in nature hiking, surfing, or kayaking.

Sharon Glaeser is a biologist for PDXWildlife. She is also research associate in the Oregon Zoo Conservation and Research Department. Sharon holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Oregon State University and an M.S. in Biology from Portland State University. Her graduate research focused on acoustic communication of Asian elephants at the Oregon Zoo and in Thailand. She also developed a collaborative program between Portland State University and federal and state agencies and trained students to perform sea lion predation observations on two river systems.

The major focus of Sharon’s current research is on the assessment of well-being and reproduction of Asian elephants through hormone and behavior monitoring. Sharon is very involved in the international elephant community of researchers, veterinarians, handlers, conservationists, and managers. Highlights of her career have been the relationships with people dedicated to the care and conservation of imperilled species.

Sharon believes that the care and conservation of species requires an understanding of the complexity of the issues and our role as individuals and a community.