Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Ellen P. Robertson, Ph.D.

Ellen Robertson is a Supervisory Biologist at the Eastern Ecological Science Center (Patuxent)

Ellen Robertson is a quantitative ecologist with expertise in spatial ecology, landscape ecology, animal movement and connectivity, population dynamics, and climate change ecology.

Professional Experience

  • 10/2023-Present: Supervisory Biologist, USGS Eastern Ecological Science Center, Laurel, MD.

  • 02/2020-10/2023: Postdoc, Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, USGS South-Central Climate Adaptation Science Center, Stillwater, Oklahoma.

  • 07/2020-10/2023: Quantitative Ecologist (Contractor), USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, Gainesville, FL.

  • 05/2017-02/2020: Postdoc, Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, USGS Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Gainesville, FL.

  • 02/2012-05/2017: Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, USGS Florida Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Gainesville, FL.

  • 09/2009-01/2012: Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, University of Maine, Orono, ME

  • 04/2004-08/2009: Various wildlife field biologist positions in Yellowstone National Park, Glacier National Park, Idaho’s Frank Church Wilderness of No Return, and the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina and Maine.

Education and Certifications

  • Ph.D., Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida

  • M.S., Ecology and Environmental Science, University of Maine

  • B.S., Biology, Furman University

Science and Products

link
Blue Catfish Electrofishing on the Potomac River

Population Monitoring and Removal Strategies for Blue Catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) in Chesapeake Bay

USGS is helping with the design of a population survey and developing mathematical models to assess potential activities to manage the population of invasive blue catfish ( Ictalurus furcatus) in the Chesapeake Bay. This research will help managers determine the cost and feasibility of approaches to control this invasive species.
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Chesapeake Bay Activities, Eastern Ecological Science Center
link

Population Monitoring and Removal Strategies for Blue Catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) in Chesapeake Bay

USGS is helping with the design of a population survey and developing mathematical models to assess potential activities to manage the population of invasive blue catfish ( Ictalurus furcatus) in the Chesapeake Bay. This research will help managers determine the cost and feasibility of approaches to control this invasive species.
Learn More

The North American Breeding Bird Survey Mapping products 1966 - 2022

This data product consists of raster digital data of population change and abundance estimates for 520 species of North American birds estimated from North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data. Estimates of trend (yearly % change) from 1966-2022 and mean abundances for the interval 2018-2022 are spatially smoothed from data for each species collected on BBS routes. Metadata for the...
By
Eastern Ecological Science Center

Expert assessments of hypotheses concerning the etiological agent(s) of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease collected during a rapid prototyping project

This dataset is from expert elicitation of a panel of 15 experts with knowledge of stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) and its impacts on coral reefs. We gathered this group of 15 participants with diverse expertise who had previously studied SCTLD including at universities and various government agencies as microbiologists, pathologists, disease ecologists, population ecologists...
By
Cooperative Research Units

Invasive blue catfish in the Chesapeake Bay: A risk to realizing Bay restoration investments

Introduction The partners of the Chesapeake Bay are investing billions of dollars in the restoration of critical habitats to improve conditions for people and living resources throughout the Bay and its watershed. However, the recent proliferation of invasive Ictalurus furcatus (blue catfish) in the Chesapeake Bay’s major rivers has the potential to disrupt these restoration efforts and...
Authors
Ellen Robertson, Jenn Malpass, Christopher Ottinger, John Griffin, Christine Densmore, Kenneth Hyer
By
Chesapeake Bay Activities, Eastern Ecological Science Center

Rapid prototyping for quantifying belief weights of competing hypotheses about emergent diseases

Emerging diseases can have devastating consequences for wildlife and require a rapid response. A critical first step towards developing appropriate management is identifying the etiology of the disease, which can be difficult to determine, particularly early in emergence. Gathering and synthesizing existing information about potential disease causes, by leveraging expert knowledge or...
Authors
Ellen Padgett Robertson, Daniel P. Walsh, Julien Martin, Thierry M. Work, Christina A. Kellogg, James S. Evans, Aine C. Hawthorn, Greta Aeby, Valerie J. Paul, Brian Walker, Yasu Kiryu, Cheryl M. Woodley, Julie L. Meyer, Stephanie M. Rosales, Michael S. Studivan, Jennifer Moore, Marilyn E. Brandt, Andrew Bruckner
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Cooperative Research Units, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Eastern Ecological Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Non-USGS Publications**

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

Code for Rapid prototyping for quantifying belief weights of competing hypotheses about emergent diseases

Code submitted to Journal of Environmental Management and ScienceBase for running Bayesian hierarchical models on a dataset that was collected using expert elicitation of a panel of 15 experts on the etiology of stony coral tissue loss disease and its impacts on coral reefs. The code is for a rapid prototyping method for quantifying belief weights for competing hypotheses about the...
By
Cooperative Research Units

Science and Products

link
Blue Catfish Electrofishing on the Potomac River

Population Monitoring and Removal Strategies for Blue Catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) in Chesapeake Bay

USGS is helping with the design of a population survey and developing mathematical models to assess potential activities to manage the population of invasive blue catfish ( Ictalurus furcatus) in the Chesapeake Bay. This research will help managers determine the cost and feasibility of approaches to control this invasive species.
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Chesapeake Bay Activities, Eastern Ecological Science Center
link

Population Monitoring and Removal Strategies for Blue Catfish (Ictalurus furcatus) in Chesapeake Bay

USGS is helping with the design of a population survey and developing mathematical models to assess potential activities to manage the population of invasive blue catfish ( Ictalurus furcatus) in the Chesapeake Bay. This research will help managers determine the cost and feasibility of approaches to control this invasive species.
Learn More

The North American Breeding Bird Survey Mapping products 1966 - 2022

This data product consists of raster digital data of population change and abundance estimates for 520 species of North American birds estimated from North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data. Estimates of trend (yearly % change) from 1966-2022 and mean abundances for the interval 2018-2022 are spatially smoothed from data for each species collected on BBS routes. Metadata for the...
By
Eastern Ecological Science Center

Expert assessments of hypotheses concerning the etiological agent(s) of Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease collected during a rapid prototyping project

This dataset is from expert elicitation of a panel of 15 experts with knowledge of stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) and its impacts on coral reefs. We gathered this group of 15 participants with diverse expertise who had previously studied SCTLD including at universities and various government agencies as microbiologists, pathologists, disease ecologists, population ecologists...
By
Cooperative Research Units

Invasive blue catfish in the Chesapeake Bay: A risk to realizing Bay restoration investments

Introduction The partners of the Chesapeake Bay are investing billions of dollars in the restoration of critical habitats to improve conditions for people and living resources throughout the Bay and its watershed. However, the recent proliferation of invasive Ictalurus furcatus (blue catfish) in the Chesapeake Bay’s major rivers has the potential to disrupt these restoration efforts and...
Authors
Ellen Robertson, Jenn Malpass, Christopher Ottinger, John Griffin, Christine Densmore, Kenneth Hyer
By
Chesapeake Bay Activities, Eastern Ecological Science Center

Rapid prototyping for quantifying belief weights of competing hypotheses about emergent diseases

Emerging diseases can have devastating consequences for wildlife and require a rapid response. A critical first step towards developing appropriate management is identifying the etiology of the disease, which can be difficult to determine, particularly early in emergence. Gathering and synthesizing existing information about potential disease causes, by leveraging expert knowledge or...
Authors
Ellen Padgett Robertson, Daniel P. Walsh, Julien Martin, Thierry M. Work, Christina A. Kellogg, James S. Evans, Aine C. Hawthorn, Greta Aeby, Valerie J. Paul, Brian Walker, Yasu Kiryu, Cheryl M. Woodley, Julie L. Meyer, Stephanie M. Rosales, Michael S. Studivan, Jennifer Moore, Marilyn E. Brandt, Andrew Bruckner
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Coastal and Marine Hazards and Resources Program, Cooperative Research Units, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center , Eastern Ecological Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center, St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center

Non-USGS Publications**

**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.

Code for Rapid prototyping for quantifying belief weights of competing hypotheses about emergent diseases

Code submitted to Journal of Environmental Management and ScienceBase for running Bayesian hierarchical models on a dataset that was collected using expert elicitation of a panel of 15 experts on the etiology of stony coral tissue loss disease and its impacts on coral reefs. The code is for a rapid prototyping method for quantifying belief weights for competing hypotheses about the...
By
Cooperative Research Units
Was this page helpful?