Lucero plant ecology
People
Prospective students and postdocs: scroll to the bottom of the page, or click the "Prospective" tab :)
Current
Jacob Lucero
Dr. Lucero is a plant ecologist who spends way too much time sampling salmonids. He did his PhD at the University of Montana with the inimitable Dr. Ray Callaway, followed by postdoctoral work at York University with Dr. Chris Lortie and New Mexico State University with Dr. Akasha Faist. No one has had better advisors. A Texas native, Dr. Lucero counts his lucky stars to be an Assistant Professor in the Rangeland, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management Department at Texas A&M!
Charles Ybarra
Charles Ybarra is a plant ecologist from right here in College Station, TX, interested in the vegetation dynamics of changing rangelands. His Master's work focuses on quantifying the impacts of invasive plant species on native biodiversity. He joined the lab in Aug 2023 and has performed incredible feats of vegetation sampling in some of the most challenging conditions imaginable, all with a huge smile! His can-do attitude, dependability, and strong work ethic are major assets to the lab, where he is quickly becoming a jack of all trades.
Reanna Santos
​Reanna enjoys all things grasses, horses, and family! She completed her bachelor's degree at Texas A&M University while competing on the university equestrian team, and joined our lab in Oct 2023. Her Master's work focuses on rangeland inventory and monitoring, with an emphasis on measuring the impacts of invasive species on plant communities across environmental variation. Reanna is a fearless, competent, thorough, tough-as-nails, and all-around delightful presence in the lab.
Johnathan Sperry
Johnathan brings a strong entomological background to our lab. Since joining us in Aug 2024, he has been a hurricane of productivity! His Master's work focuses on describing insect use of invasive grass species in their native vs. non-native ranges as well as contrasting how local insect communities interact with native vs. invasive grass species. Johnathan is focused, detail oriented, flexible, and highly driven. He is a very strong addition to the lab.
Former
Amber Johnson
Amber led the installation of a huge experimental project to investigate the community ecology and management of ecosystems affected by Bromus tectorum across the western USA and globally. She lent us her razor sharp analytical skills and plant ID chops from Aug 2023-Dec 2024. She is an exceptionally talented researcher, and we were lucky to have her with us!​
Talia Humphries
Dr. Humphries brought her high energy and enthusiastic attitude to the Lucero lab as a postdoctoral scholar from Feb 2023 to Aug 2024. In our lab, she led the implementation of a USDA-funded biogeographic contrast of factors affecting Bromus tectorum in its native vs. non-native ranges, among a number of other self-started projects. She is a prodigiously productive scientist with an irreplaceably positive presence. She is currently an Assistant Professor at North Dakota State University, where she continues to make the world a better place.
Prospective
Thank you for your interest in joining the Lucero lab at Texas A&M University! We are always interested in meeting potential colleagues. To inquire about current openings in the lab or to determine if we're a good fit for your career goals, please include the following in a direct email to Dr. Lucero (jelucero@tamu.edu):
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1. Your general research interests
2. Whether you are interested in a MSc, PhD, or postdoc position
3. Why you are interested in this lab specifically. Out of all the labs in all the world, why are you contacting this one?
4. Research experience
5. A current CV (including a full publication list)
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Please use "LUCERO LAB PROSPECT -- Your Name" as the subject line of your email. I look forward to hearing from you!