Jake Harvey

Jake Harvey is a wildlife biologist with the Institute for Wildlife Studies (IWS) and a graduate student at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln. Broadly, Jake is interested in carnivore behavior and the impacts of people on their ecology. His graduate work involves analyzing diet, space use, and energetics of mountain lions in California’s San Francisco North Bay. Much remains unknown of mountain lions in this complex and fragmented urban landscape. Jake seeks to assist in gaining a better understanding of mountain lion ecology to inform management decisions and educate the community, promoting coexistence and long-term conservation of mountain lions, as well as their prey and habitat. 

Jake was born and raised in a rural town in northwestern Pennsylvania and found a passion for the outdoors at a young age while recreating in the Allegheny National Forest. He attended Paul Smith’s College in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences. As an undergraduate, Jake worked around the US capturing and handling mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, bears, and white-tailed deer. Following completion of his Master’s degree at the University of Nebraska, Jake plans on furthering his career by working toward a PhD in large carnivore research. Long-term, Jake hopes to make a career in wildlife conservation, conducting and publishing research on carnivore ecology. When not in the field collecting data, Jake can be found mountain biking or playing basketball.