Welcome to my website!
My name is Osmary Medina-Báez. I currently study dung beetle behavior and butterfly thermal physiology as a postdoc at the University of Tennessee in Dr. Kimberly Sheldon’s lab. I earned my B. Sc. in Biology from the University of Puerto Rico - Mayagüez in 2016, a M. Sc. in Biology from John Carroll University in 2020, and a PhD in Biology from Case Western Reserve University in 2025. Over the years I have worked in different countries, different topics, and different study systems, always related to my main interest; species and habitat conservation. In this website, you will see a glimpse of my past and ongoing research, publications, as well as diversity and inclusion work I am very passionate about.
My research interests span Ecology, Ecophysiology, Herpetology and Global Change. I am particularly passionate about species responses to climate change and understanding which species are more vulnerable to future change. Some of the projects I have been involved with include tracking and monitoring of endangered species, population assessments, as well as research projects to determine the mechanisms driving population changes and distribution. Some of the study systems I have worked with include tropical and temperate salamanders, snakes, lizards, geckos, sea turtles, butterflies, and I am now being introduced to the amazing world of dung beetles!
I am also very interested in teaching and mentoring. I have taught (as a co-instructor, teaching assistant, or guest lecturer) several courses including general biology labs, ecology lectures, geographic information systems (GIS) analysis, tropical ecology, and phylogenetic comparative analysis courses. I have had the opportunity to engage with students that are just being introduced to research and have really enjoyed helping students discover their own research interests. I have also had the opportunity to mentor several amazing students, and I enjoy teaching them what I know about science and research (even a bit about life as a researcher), and how things don’t always go as you expect. Most importantly, I have learned a lot from my students. Their energy and interest in learning new things reminds me why I decided to follow this path.
On this website, I will be regularly updating my latest work, published articles and attended conferences.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.