Dr. Aaron David is the Program Director of Plant Ecology at Archbold Biological Station. He completed is B.A. at Washington University in St Louis, and his Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota. He has been working in Florida ecosystems since 2016, including postdoctoral positions at the University of Miami and the USDA-ARS Invasive Plant Research Laboratory prior to starting his position at Archbold in 2021. His research interests include plant population ecology, plant-microbe interactions, and biological control of invasive plants.

Aaron S. David, Ph.D.

Director of Plant Ecology, Assistant Research Biologist

Kevin oversees all aspects of land management on the Station and Reserve. This includes planning for and implementing prescribed burns, dealing with wildfire events, treating populations of exotic species and collecting monitoring  data. When not lighting fires Kevin enjoys photography, writing, and spending time with family.

Kevin Main, B.S.

Land Manager

Josh earned a B.S. in Biology and Environmental Studies from Brandeis University, a M.Sc. in Zoology while a Fulbright Scholar at James Cook University in Australia, and a Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Princeton University. Prior to his current position at Archbold, Josh helped reestablish scientific capacity in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique following the country's devastating civil war, while researching how war affects wildlife Africa-wide. He was also a biologist in the US Fish and Wildlife Service headquarters leading Species Status Assessments under the Endangered Species Act. 

-Lead the scientific arm of the statewide campaign to conserve the Florida Wildlife Corridor.

-Oversee invasive species and fire management on Archbold Biological Station and Reserve.

-Coordinate Archbold collaboration with regional conservation cooperatives including the Avon Park Air Force Range Sentinel Landscape and Lake Wales Ridge Ecosystem Working Group.

-Represent of conservation interests to county and regional community groups.

-Build capacity and strategy to deploy and track impacts of Archbold science for conservation.

-Research in landscape ecology and conservation science.


Josh is the Director of Conservation at Archbold where his overarching focus is to build the use of science in conservation of biodiversity and large landscapes. He leads develop and implementation of Archbold’s conservation strategy, collaborations with agencies, landowners, NGOs, and researchers from the immediate Archbold neighborhood to the statewide Florida Wildlife Corridor and beyond, and oversees land management on the Station and Reserve. 

Joshua Daskin, Ph.D.

Director of Conservation

Many remaining fragments of scrub have a history of disturbance that leaves a landscape with abnormally large open sand gaps that make burns ineffective, and high abundance of spike moss and lichens that suppress endemic herbs. Mechanical treatment before a fire can spread large shrub debris (or, ‘fuels’) that carry a fire and potentially stimulate seed germination. Our work investigates how mechanical treatment can improve scrub restoration.

Saving the broken fragments

Major Findings & Impact

Project Details

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