Faculty Profile for Dr. Clay Green

Dr. Clay Green
Professor — Biology
Professor — The Graduate College
SUPP 232
phone: (512) 245-8037
Biography Section
Biography and Education
Dr. Clay Green has been appointed as the Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives and Research, and will begin working in his new position on October 9, 2023. The position works collaboratively with stakeholders across campus on specific strategic initiatives related to priority areas identified in Hopes & Aspirations High, President Damphousse’s vision for Texas State. This will involve taking the lead on bringing the newly-approved doctoral programs on board, helping in the creation of additional degree programs, and identifying and addressing needs in order to improve student success in research-based degree programs, particularly in STEM Ph.D. programs. With regard to enrollment, Dr. Green will work closely with the dean ofThe Graduate College to review master’s and doctoral programs with declining or low enrollments and design action plans with faculty, chairs, and deans to reverse the observed trends. He will also engage in research activities on graduate education and explore external funding for said research.
Dr. Green earned his Ph.D. in Environmental and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Louisiana-Lafayette, a Master of Science in Range and Wildlife Management from Sul Ross State University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Soviet and East European Studies from University of Texas at Austin. After having served as a Visiting Scientist with the U.S.G.S National Wetlands Research Center, he joined Texas State University in the Department of Biology in 2005, was tenured and promoted to associate professor in 2011, and was promoted to professor in 2016. In addition, Dr. Green has served as director for the Ph.D. in Aquatic Resources and Integrative Biology program since 2013 and as chair of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee since 2015. He also is past president of the Waterbird Society and currently serves as Chair, Heron Specialist Group for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Species Survival Commission. In 2022, he retired as Captain, U.S. Navy, after 30 years of service in the armed forces.
Dr. Green’s research focuses on the ecology and conservation of birds with an emphasis on threatened and endangered waterbirds including North America’s rarest heron, the Reddish Egret, and the world’s rarest heron, the White-bellied Heron. He has a distinguished record of grant-funded research. He also has more than 60 refereed publications to his name, many of which have been co-published with students, as well as many technical reports and conservation action plans. He has served as research advisor for 31 doctoral and master’s students and served as a member on an additional 68 thesis and dissertation committees. His students are productive scholars in their own right, publishing their dissertation and thesis research in peer reviewed journals.
Selected Scholarly/Creative Work
- Green, M. C. (2023). History of the Reddish Egret International Working Group and Conservation Planning for the Species. Journal of Heron Biology and Conservation, 8. Retrieved from https://www.heronconservation.org/JHBC/vol08/art01/
- Green, M. C., Marra, P., Scarpignato, A., & Cohen, E. B. (n.d.). Discovering unknown migrations: The Atlas of migratory connectivity for the birds of North America. Princeton, NJ, USA: Princeton University Press.
- Weseloh, D. V. C., Green, M. C., Harebottle, D., & Matsunaga, K. (2022). Research summaries from the virtual Herons of Worldwide Conservation Concern Symposium, 2021. Journal of Heron Biology and Conservation, 6. Retrieved from https://www.heronconservation.org/JHBC/vol07/art06/
- Gula, J. J., Fritts, S. R., Dean, W. Ri., Sundar, K. G., & Green, M. C. (2022). Assessments of range-wide distribution of six African storks and their relationships with protected areas. Ostrich.
- Haverland, A. A., Green, M. C., Weckerly, F., & Wilson, J. K. (2021). Eastern black rail (Laterallus jamaicensis jamaicensis) home range and habitat use in late winter and early breeding season in coastal Texas, USA. Waterbirds, 44, 222–233.
Selected Awards
- Award / Honor Recipient: Favorite Professor, Alfred H. Nolle Chapter of the Alpha Chi National College Honor Society. 2022
- Award / Honor Recipient: Distinguished Alumnus Award, Boy Scout Troop 285. 2020
- Award / Honor Recipient: Favorite Professor, Alfred H. Nolle Chapter of the Alpha Chi National College Honor Society. 2014
- Award / Honor Recipient: Favorite Professor, Alfred H. Nolle Chapter of the Alpha Chi National College Honor Society. 2013
- Award / Honor Recipient: A. J. Bierschwale Memorial Scholarship, Sul Ross State University. 1997 - 1998
Selected Grants
- Jensen, Jennifer (Co-Principal), Green, Michael Clay (Principal), Hardy, Thomas (Co-Principal). Developing a process and conservation application for Landscape Conservation Design for the Gulf Coast Prairie Landscape Conservation Cooperative., Gulf Coast Prairie Landscape Conservation Cooperative, Private / Foundation / Corporate, $200000. (Funded: April 2017 - October 2018). Grant.
- Green, Michael Clay (Co-Principal), Baccus, John (Co-Principal), Simpson, Randy (Co-Principal). Using Technology to Study Phenomena and Conduct Monitoring of Avian Populations, Associate Vice President for Research, Texas State University, $60000. (Funded: 2009). Grant.
- Green, Michael Clay (Co-Principal), Forstner, M.R.J. (Principal), Fonstad, M. (Co-Principal). Texas Department of Transportation, GIS model assessment of the Houston toad for areas of scheduled bridge replacements, Texas State University, $46423. (Funded: 2008). Grant.
- Green, Michael Clay (Principal). Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program: Rookery Island Flight Line Survey Validation, Texas State University, $21000. (Funded: 2007). Grant.
- Green, Michael Clay (Principal). Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: Status assessment and survey methodology for reddish egrets, Texas State University, $8174. (Funded: 2006). Grant.
Selected Service Activities
Vice President
The Waterbird Society
2016-Present
Reviewer / Referee
Journal of Caribbean Ornithology
2016-Present
Reviewer / Referee
Journal of King Saud – Science
2016-Present
Reviewer / Referee
Black-capped Vireo for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
2016-Present
Co-Chair
Heron Specialist Group, International Union for Conservation of Nature
2015-Present