Snodgrass head fish and wildlife conservation department

Joel W. Snodgrass has been named head of the college’s Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation. He most recently served as professor and chair of the Department of Biological Sciences at Towson University in Maryland.

Snodgrass’ current research focuses on fish and wildlife conservation issues in urban settings with a particular focus on streams and wetlands. He explores wildlife habitats in storm water ponds, the influence of watershed urbanization on fishes and amphibians, and aquatic toxicology of urban waters.

“I am very much looking forward to working with a group of students, faculty, and staff who are impacting the state and world with their work. I am privileged to be joining such an active and successful department,” Snodgrass said. The department is widely recognized as one of the premier programs in North America that address fisheries and wildlife concerns on a national and global scale.

Snodgrass spent 15 years on the faculty at Towson. He previously served as a postdocoral research scientist at Rutgers University, a lecturer at the University of South Carolina-Aiken, and a U.S. Department of Energy Graduate Fellow at the University of Georgia’s Savannah River Ecology Laboratory.

He received a bachelor of science in biology from Guilford College, a master of science in zoology from the University of Central Florida, and a doctorate in ecology from the University of Georgia.

Snodgrass and his wife, Tami, have three sons, the youngest of whom will complete high school this year and hopes to attend Virginia Tech. “As sport fans my wife and I are looking forward to joining the Hokie Nation!” The move to Blacksburg also fills a geographic milestone for the couple. “We have now lived in every coastal state from Maryland through Florida,” Snodgrass added.

Read the full press release.