Whether he’s submitting daily bird sightings on a citizen science website without missing a beat or racing the clock during a 24-hour biodiversity blitz, University of Florida scientist Corey Callaghan brings a distinct intensity to both his research and his passion for the natural world.
That drive has now earned him national recognition. Callaghan, an assistant professor in the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), has been selected as an Early Career Fellow of the Ecological Society of America (ESA), one of the highest honors for emerging leaders in ecology.
The distinction recognizes scientists within eight years of completing their doctorate, who have advanced ecological knowledge and applications, while demonstrating exceptional promise for continued contributions to the field. Early Career Fellows are elected for five-year terms.
“I’m very honored to receive this recognition,” said Callaghan, whose lab and team are based at the UF/IFAS Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center. “I’m fortunate to work with an incredible group of collaborators, students and staff who help push this field forward.”
Callaghan’s research demonstrates how large-scale datasets generated by participatory citizen science can answer complex ecological questions.
“Citizen science is fundamentally reshaping the future of ecology by changing both the scale of data we can collect and who participates in the scientific process,” Callaghan said. “Ecology has historically been limited by where scientists can go and how much they can measure. Citizen science removes those constraints. It enables us to observe biodiversity continuously, across vast spatial scales, and in ways that capture real-world dynamics that would otherwise be impossible to study.”
In a pair of recent studies, Callaghan and his collaborators highlighted how participatory data from platforms such as iNaturalist and eBird are transforming modern ecological research. The team showed these datasets can address fundamental questions about biodiversity at unprecedented scales in space and time.
His energy carries into his Extension work. Callaghan actively contributes to citizen science platforms, with more than 20,000 observations and over 120,000 identifications on iNaturalist, and a daily eBird checklist streak spanning more than seven years. In that time, he has submitted an eBird checklist every day for the last 2,752 days.
He also helps lead high-intensity bioblitz events designed to document as many species as possible within a 24-hour period. These events reflect part scientific sprint, part community effort, reflecting his personality and commitment to making science accessible. This year, the bioblitz drew over 145 participants to the DeLuca Preserve, generating 12,500 observations of 1,500 species in one day.
Colleagues say Callaghan matches his intensity with an unusually broad and impactful scientific record for someone so early in his career. In a nomination letter
supporting his recognition, researchers described Callaghan as “an exceptionally innovative ecologist whose work sits at the intersection of biodiversity informatics, citizen science, global change biology and quantitative ecology,” noting that his scholarship is already “reshaping and redefining connections between citizen science and ecological theory.”
They highlighted his prolific research output, stressing he has more than 100 peer-reviewed publications with thousands of citations. Colleagues also emphasized the reach of his work across systems and disciplines. His research, they wrote, is widely used because it bridges science with real-world applications, particularly in understanding how species respond to human-driven environmental change.
The letter also pointed to Callaghan’s leadership in developing new tools to study biodiversity in human-dominated landscapes, including quantitative guides that help scientists predict which species are likely to persist, decline or adapt as urbanization accelerates. At the same time, his work has helped set new standards for integrating citizen science data into ecological research, demonstrating how these large-scale datasets can inform conservation, management and policy decisions.
“These Fellows and Early Career Fellows represent a remarkable group of scientists whose contributions are shaping the direction of ecological research and its application,” said ESA President Peter Groffman. “I am delighted to see their achievements recognized by their peers. Their work is expanding how we understand ecological systems while also informing decisions that affect ecosystems and communities.”
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by Lourdes Mederos, rodriguezl@ufl.edu
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The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents. ifas.ufl.edu | @UF_IFAS
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