Dr. Robert Lawrence (Bob) Curry received his A.B. from Dartmouth College (’79) and his Ph.D. from The University of Michigan (’87). In his doctoral research, he studied social and conservation ecology of Galápagos mockingbirds. He conducted postdoctoral research on Florida Scrub-Jays at Archbold Biological Station (1987-90) and began his position at Villanova in January 1991. He served as President (2013-15) of the Wilson Ornithological Society and continues to take an active role in that organization’s affairs; he currently serves as WOS Trustee. He also contributed to the governance of the former American Ornithologists’ Union (and is a Fellow and Life Member of its successor, the American Ornithological Society) and the Society for Conservation Biology, and helped organize the 2022 Centennial meeting of the Association of Field Ornithologists.
Masters students
Shane McFoy (MS ’24) joined the lab in August 2020. He is continuing work on cognitive ecology of hybrid vs. pure chickadees, focusing on spatial memory. @s_mcfoy
- Recipient of a 2021 Alexander Bergstrom Memorial Award (AFO) and a 2021 AOS research grant; a VU Grad Studies 2021 Summer Research Fellowship; and a Dept of Biology 2021-22 academic year fellowship (1 semester)
Gabby Solomon (MS ’24) is studying relationships between social dominance, plumage brightness, and ancestry among hybrid-zone chickadees
- Recipient of a VU Grad Studies 2023 Summer Research Fellowship