Welcome to my website!
My name is Osmary Medina-Báez. I currently study dung beetle behavior 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. 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 teaching assistant) and guest lectured several courses including general biology labs, ecology lectures, geographic information systems (GIS) analysis, 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. I will be forever thankful to them.
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.