Meet the Team
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Michael Birt B.S./M.S.
Founder- President
Michael Birt graduated from Texas A&M University with a B.S. degree in wildlife and fisheries science after which he began working for the Fort Worth Zoo. He then left the zoo to pursue a M.S. degree in animal behavior and physiology. During the publishing process of his research he was hired at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center in Texas as a hoofstock animal care specialist; he quickly became the internship director, research liaison, and the first video marketing supervisor for Fossil Rim. After successfully publishing his research in the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science and working at Fossil Rim for several years he moved to New Orleans to work for the Audubon Nature Institute to assist in starting up the hoofstock breeding program at the Audubon Species Survival Center.
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The interest in STEM education began in 2009 after he finished a study abroad and summer marine biology/terrestrial ecology internship with James Cook University in Queensland, Australia.
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During his master’s he participated in a summer internship in South Africa. This experience really sparked the idea of ResearchWild! which started as a film project highlighting the lives and jobs of conservation professionals. Since 2015, ResearchWild, Inc has sent many students to Southern Africa for amazing wildlife conservation internships, has donated and supported its international hosts in ground breaking research, and has made connections with 100s of universities, hosts, and wildlife professionals.
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Jeb Lapeyrolerie B.C.
Vice President
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Jeb Lapeyrolerie serves as Vice President of ResearchWild, bringing a strong commitment to conservation, community leadership, and strategic growth. With deep roots in Louisiana and a passion for protecting the natural heritage of our coastal ecosystems, Jeb plays a key role in advancing ResearchWild’s mission both locally and globally.
As Vice President, Jeb supports organizational development, partnership cultivation, and program expansion across South Louisiana and international field sites, including Indonesia. His leadership helps strengthen ResearchWild’s education initiatives, wildlife research efforts, and community-based conservation programs.
Jeb is dedicated to building meaningful collaborations with businesses, schools, and community leaders to expand opportunities for hands-on conservation education. He believes that protecting wildlife and empowering communities go hand-in-hand, and he is proud to help guide ResearchWild into its next phase of impact and growth.
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Devin Preston B.S./M.S./Ph.D
Research Director
Devin is currently an Associate Professor of Biology at Austin Community College in Texas. He received his B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife from University of Missouri in 2007, an M.S. in Biology from Texas State University in 2013, and his PhD in Integrative Biology from University of New Orleans in 2020. He has numerous articles published in the scientific journals of Thermal Biology, Herpetology, and Fish and Wildlife Management. Through academia and extensive outreach experiences he has developed his goal, which is to involve researchers from diverse disciplines to provide holistic answers to important research questions in the realms of ecology, sociology, and natural resource management.
By working with researchers to develop complementary projects that promote the One Health concept, ResearchWild! can contribute to the creation of comprehensive solutions to complex problems. He ultimately wants to combine theoretical and practical knowledge to create methods that are beneficial both to specialists and laymen. He believes this work will bring him into contact with diverse demographics, and that he will serve not only as a director of research, but also an ambassador.