Research Scientist and Professor
Serving Since
C. Berdon & Rolanette Lawrence Endowed Chair in Waterfowl Research
Bart Ballard is a research scientist with the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute and Professor in the Department of Animal and Wildlife Sciences. He was born and raised in east-central Iowa where he acquired the love of the outdoors and wildlife ecology from his father. Bart obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Wildlife Biology from Iowa State University in 1990. After working on waterfowl projects on the breeding grounds during a couple of summers as an undergraduate student, he accepted an opportunity to study waterfowl on their wintering grounds in Texas. He earned a Masters of Science degree in Range and Wildlife Science from Texas A&I University in 1993 studying habitat use by wintering geese and management of post-harvest sorghum fields for birds. He then worked as a research associate for the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute conducting research on waterfowl and sandhill cranes. He initiated his doctoral research in 1997 investigating the nutritional ecology of northern pintails, and earned his Ph.D. in Wildlife Science from a joint Ph.D. program with Texas A&M University-Kingsville and Texas A&M University, College Station in 2001.
Bart currently holds the C. Berdon and Rolanette Lawrence Endowed Chair in Waterfowl Research and directs the Waterfowl and Wetland Birds Research Program at the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute. Bart is also the Chair of the Department of Rangeland and Wildlife Sciences. His research focuses on the ecology and management of waterfowl, waterbirds, and wetland habitats as well as investigating the ecology of bird migration. His research involves many collaborators and has been conducted in 8 countries and 3 continents. Visit his website at www.bartballardlab.com for more information on his research program.
Waterfowl and Wetland Birds Research Program
Research Interest
Waterfowl and Wetland Ecology and Management
Courses Taught
Avian Community Ecology
Waterfowl Ecology and Management
Wetland Ecology and Management