Nicole R. Gardner

Nicole Gardner’s research interests are numerous but generally lie where wildlife and human disease and conservation intersect. Through positions at the University of California, San Diego Diagnostic Services Laboratory, Project Wildlife, and the San Diego Wildlife Center, Nicole gained experience with a wide-variety of wildlife species and animal research models. Working as a Research Coordinator in the Recovery Ecology Division of the San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, she conducted and coordinated laboratory and field research for the Mountain Yellow-Legged Frog Captive Breeding and Reintroduction Program, across the subjects of reproductive strategies, physiological processes, behavioral ecology, microbiomics and disease surveillance, and genetics. It was in these positions that Nicole developed an interest in wildlife diseases and research, that eventually led her to the One Health Institute at the University of California, Davis. Currently, she is an Emerging Infectious Disease Operations Specialist at the One Health Institute, providing research support for international disease surveillance programs and the EpiCenter for Disease Dynamics.

Nicole earned her Bachelor of Science in Animal Physiology and Neuroscience and Bachelor of Art in Psychology at the University of California, San Diego. She completed her Master of Science in Biology through the University of Nebraska, Kearney.