Benjamin Hoose
Research Scientist
benjamin.hoose@ag.tamu.eduBen joined NRI as a research associate in 2020 and returned as a research scientist in 2026. In the interim, Ben worked as a postdoctoral research associate in the Statistics Department at Texas A&M University. Ben’s primary research interest is ecological data science, which he describes as the art of applying statistics and computer science to creatively transform challenging datasets into opportunities for ecological discovery. He is especially interested in leveraging available data to solve applied problems in natural resources management. Ben is fascinated by questions concerning life across the plant and animal kingdoms and has conducted research on species ranging from bluebunch wheatgrass to Pacific harbor seals.
Ben earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Wildlife and Wildlands Conservation from Brigham Young University, and a PhD in Rangeland, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management from Texas A&M University.
Outside of work, Ben enjoys backpacking, hunting, and fishing with his wife and dogs.
Publications
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Ghost in the prairie: Using community science and MaxEnt to model the habitat of a rare mesopredator
Aug 2026
Ties, C. A. R. R. Lopez, S. L. Webb, J. E. Light, B. W. Hoose, and T. J. Werdel. 2026. Ghost in the prairie: Using community science and MaxEnt to model the haibtat of a rare mesopredator. Ecology and Evolution 16:e74140.