Faculty/Staff Profile
Brian D. Carver, B.S., M.S., Ph.D.
(931) 372-3127
I am a mammalogist and vertebrate community ecologist. I teach nonmajors biology courses and courses for biology majors at both the undergraduate and graduate level. In addition to teaching, I am active in research and serve as major professor to graduate students as well as on committees for other graduate students.
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My research interests are broad, but most fall under the umbrella of mammalian community or population ecology. I currently am directing one graduate student who is examining environmental factors driving variation in bat activity patterns. I am also serving on the committee for another graduate student who is investigating the population ecology of Northern bats (Myotis septentrionalis). I am an expert on the ecology of two rare bat species in eastern North America: the southeastern myotis (Myotis austroriparius) and Rafinesque's big-eared bat (Corynorhinus rafinesquii).
Rafinesque's big-eared bat, Corynorhinus rafinesquii
Southeastern bat, Myotis austroriparius
In addition to my bat work, I also have extensive experience working with mid-sized mammalian predators (raccoons, opossums, and striped skunks) investigating population trends and interactions between the species. I am especially interested in questions related to the conservation of imperiled species.
Northern myotis, Myotis septentrionalis
I am a Tennesse native, being raised in rural southern middle Tennessee. I spent seven years as a faculty member in the biology department at Freed-Hardeman University in western TN. Immediate prior to coming to Tech, I spent a year as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Biology at Northern Michigan University in the city of Marquette in Michigan's remote Upper Peninsula.
As a biologist, Tennessee (and the southeast) is an exciting area to work because of the great diveristy of landforms. These different areas create unique habitats for characteristic assemblages of organisms, such that you can find very different biological communities in close proximity to each other. This also means that the biodiversity of the region is very high, so there are lots of organisms (and interactions) to study.
