John Fitzpatrick
Director Emeritus
Expertise
Administrative Oversight • Fundraising • Board Relations • Conservation Science • External Communication
As Executive Director of the Lab from 1995–2021, I oversaw all aspects of the Lab’s affairs and conducted research as a professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Since stepping down from the directorship in July 2021, I am still closely involved in Lab affairs, and I am active in a variety of research projects, including my long-term project on the ecology, landscape genetics, and conservation of the Florida Scrub-Jay.
I was privileged to grow up in rural Minnesota during the 1950s and 60s, where I fell in love with birds at a very early age. Several of my parents’ friends were birdwatchers, and one was even an avid bird-bander (Jane Olyphant). Our neighbor across the pond was a famous wildlife artist (Francis Lee Jaques) who became my childhood hero. I remain a passionate birder, and occasional bird-painter, to this day.
In college I studied the biogeography of South American tyrant flycatchers, and for my Ph.D. I spent several years roaming Central and South America quantifying the foraging behaviors of this huge and diverse bird family.
During college, I worked as a summer intern studying Florida Scrub-Jays at Archbold Biological Station. My first job after grad school was at the Field Museum of Natural History, where I continued pursuing both research interests. I became Executive Director of Archbold in 1988, and moved to take my current position at the Lab in 1995.
Spark Moment
In kindergarten, while sick at home during a spring day, I saw a male American Redstart out the living room window, and identified it using my parents’ Peterson field guide. I was instantly mesmerized by all the other beautiful species illustrated on those pages, and this began my lifelong ‘quest’ to see them all.
Education
Ph.D., Princeton University
B.A., Harvard University
Beyond the Lab
I am married to Molly, our two children are Sarah (Cornell ’08) and Dylan (Middlebury ’11), and our granddaughter is Persis (born 2018).
Recent Publications
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