Allison Pease, an aquatic ecologist with broad experience studying the environmental factors that affect stream fish communities, has been named an assistant professor in Texas Tech University's Department of Natural Resources Management, according to officials with the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. She officially stepped into new her teaching and research post on Sept. 1.

The Austwell native indicated that she's particularly interested in continuing her research efforts in community and population ecology of temperate and tropical stream fishes; fishes as ecological indicators; and conservation and management of stream fishes and habitats.

In the past her research has focused on modeling population-level impacts of climate change on stream fishes in the United States, as well as examining the functional community structure of stream fishes along environmental gradients in Texas and in Mexico's Río Grijalva basin. One of her primary goals here at Texas Tech is to carry out international research on the impacts of environmental change on native fish assemblages.

Prior to joining the Texas Tech faculty, Pease served as a post-doctoral fellow with University of Missouri Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences and the Missouri Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit. She also worked as a research assistant at Texas A&M on a project assessing a stream habitat quality index for the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality.

She received her bachelor's degrees in journalism and ecology, evolution and behavior from the University of Texas, and her master's degree from the University of New Mexico. Her doctorate is from Texas A&M University. Awards for Pease include the Tom Slick Doctoral Research Fellowship (2009); and a National Science Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant (2008).

Written by Norman Martin

CONTACT: Mark Wallace, Chairman, Department of Natural Resources Management, Texas Tech University at (806) 742-2841, mark.wallace@ttu.edu

0821NM12