Gotcha! A ruby-crowned kinglet waits to be extracted from a mist net at the Bird Banding Lab's fall migration banding station. Powerlines that run through the Patuxent Wildlife Research Refuge, near Laurel, MD are managed as shrub habitat instead of mowed, which provides stopover habitat for migratory birds.
Jennifer Malpass, Ph.D.
Dr. Jennifer Malpass is a biologist within Partner and Employee Engagement Team at the U.S. Geological Survey's Eastern Ecological Science Center.
Dr. Malpass became part of the Partner and Employee Engagement Team in 2021 after the combine of Patuxent Wildlife Research Refuge and Leetown Science Center into the Eastern Ecological Science Center.
Most of Dr. Malpass's professional work has focused on birds, urbanization, science communication, and community (citizen) science. She collaborated on various U.S. and international wildlife projects before joining the USGS in 2017. During her tenure at the Bird Banding Lab (2017-2020), she helped manage over 80 million records of banded and encountered birds, led novel collaborations with external organizations (non-governmental organizations, academia, agencies), and connected people to wildlife using nature’s greatest ambassadors: birds.
In addition to her duties as a biologist, Dr. Malpass also serves as a Diversity Change Agent, a cohort of Department of Interior employees advancing diversity and inclusion as mission critical imperatives, and a Peer Support Worker, a grassroots initiative within U.S. Geological Survey to promote awareness and provide outreach and education on topics and policies related to anti-harassment, discrimination, biases, and scientific integrity.
Professional Experience
Federal Fisheries Summit facilitator and planning team (detail), Ecosystems Mission Area. U.S. Geological Survey Headquarters, VA. 2022-2023.
Diversity and Inclusion Program Manager (detail), Diversity and Equal Opportunity Office. US Geological Survey Headquarters, VA. 2020-2021.
Acting Chief (detail), Bird Banding Lab. US Geological Survey Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, MD. 2020.
Research Assistant, Refuge Program. US Fish and Wildlife Service Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge, MA. 2016.
Directorate Fellow, Migratory Bird Program. US Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region, MA. 2015.
Yard Birds Project Coordinator, School of Environment and Natural Resources. The Ohio State University, OH. 2011-2015.
Research Assistant, Neighborhood Nestwatch. Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center, DC. 2010.
Research Assistant, Rusty Blackbird Technical Group. US Forest Service, MS. 2009-2010.
Research Assistant, State University of New York Stonybrook Anthropology Department. Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand. 2008-2009.
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., The Ohio State University, 2015. Fisheries and Wildlife Science.
B.A., Colby College, 2008. Biology (Honors), Classics Language and Literature. Summa cum laude.
Organization of Tropical Studies, 2006. South African Wildlife Ecology, Conservation and Management.
Affiliations and Memberships*
Peer Support Worker, 2020. US Geological Survey.
Diversity Change Agent, 2018. Department of Interior.
Associate Wildlife Biologist©, 2016. The Wildlife Society.
Science and Products
Gotcha! A ruby-crowned kinglet waits to be extracted from a mist net at the Bird Banding Lab's fall migration banding station. Powerlines that run through the Patuxent Wildlife Research Refuge, near Laurel, MD are managed as shrub habitat instead of mowed, which provides stopover habitat for migratory birds.
At Poplar Island in the Chesapeake Bay, MD, Peter McGowan (USFWS, left) and Diann Prosser (USGS, right) capture fledgling common terns to read plastic colored leg bands that identify individual birds. Here interagency collaboration leads to benefits for wildlife and people.
At Poplar Island in the Chesapeake Bay, MD, Peter McGowan (USFWS, left) and Diann Prosser (USGS, right) capture fledgling common terns to read plastic colored leg bands that identify individual birds. Here interagency collaboration leads to benefits for wildlife and people.
Great Blue Heron at Snowden Pond, Patuxent Research Refuge, Laurel, MD. Patuxent Research Refuge is the only National Wildlife Refuge established explicitly for research purposes, and is home to both USFWS and USGS programs, including the Bird Banding Lab.
Great Blue Heron at Snowden Pond, Patuxent Research Refuge, Laurel, MD. Patuxent Research Refuge is the only National Wildlife Refuge established explicitly for research purposes, and is home to both USFWS and USGS programs, including the Bird Banding Lab.
Think habitat: not grass. Powerlines that run through the Patuxent Wildlife Research Refuge, near Laurel, MD are managed as shrub habitat instead of mowed, which provides stopover habitat for migratory birds.
Think habitat: not grass. Powerlines that run through the Patuxent Wildlife Research Refuge, near Laurel, MD are managed as shrub habitat instead of mowed, which provides stopover habitat for migratory birds.
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.
Science and Products
Gotcha! A ruby-crowned kinglet waits to be extracted from a mist net at the Bird Banding Lab's fall migration banding station. Powerlines that run through the Patuxent Wildlife Research Refuge, near Laurel, MD are managed as shrub habitat instead of mowed, which provides stopover habitat for migratory birds.
Gotcha! A ruby-crowned kinglet waits to be extracted from a mist net at the Bird Banding Lab's fall migration banding station. Powerlines that run through the Patuxent Wildlife Research Refuge, near Laurel, MD are managed as shrub habitat instead of mowed, which provides stopover habitat for migratory birds.
At Poplar Island in the Chesapeake Bay, MD, Peter McGowan (USFWS, left) and Diann Prosser (USGS, right) capture fledgling common terns to read plastic colored leg bands that identify individual birds. Here interagency collaboration leads to benefits for wildlife and people.
At Poplar Island in the Chesapeake Bay, MD, Peter McGowan (USFWS, left) and Diann Prosser (USGS, right) capture fledgling common terns to read plastic colored leg bands that identify individual birds. Here interagency collaboration leads to benefits for wildlife and people.
Great Blue Heron at Snowden Pond, Patuxent Research Refuge, Laurel, MD. Patuxent Research Refuge is the only National Wildlife Refuge established explicitly for research purposes, and is home to both USFWS and USGS programs, including the Bird Banding Lab.
Great Blue Heron at Snowden Pond, Patuxent Research Refuge, Laurel, MD. Patuxent Research Refuge is the only National Wildlife Refuge established explicitly for research purposes, and is home to both USFWS and USGS programs, including the Bird Banding Lab.
Think habitat: not grass. Powerlines that run through the Patuxent Wildlife Research Refuge, near Laurel, MD are managed as shrub habitat instead of mowed, which provides stopover habitat for migratory birds.
Think habitat: not grass. Powerlines that run through the Patuxent Wildlife Research Refuge, near Laurel, MD are managed as shrub habitat instead of mowed, which provides stopover habitat for migratory birds.
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.
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government