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Dr. David Rodriguez

  • Associate Professor - Biology
Portrait of Dr. David Rodriguez

Biography and education

Dr. David Rodriguez is a first-generation Mexican-American college graduate born and raised in Del Rio, TX, which sits along the US-Mexico border. After transferring from Southwest Texas Junior College, he received both his B.S. (2000) and M.S. (2002) degrees in Biology at Texas State University. He was awarded the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship at Texas State University and used it as a springboard to the doctoral program in Zoology at Texas Tech University to research the population genetics of crocodiles. After earning his Ph.D. (2007), Dr. Rodriguez served as the Project Director for a cooperative US Dept. of Education grant at El Centro College in Dallas that endeavored to increase minority participation in STEM fields. He was then awarded a NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship to perform research on amphibian pathogens in the New World at Cornell University. In 2015, Dr. Rodriguez joined Texas State University as a faculty member in Biology where he teaches Mycology and Applied Bioinformatics and investigates host-pathogen dynamics in reptiles and amphibians using genetic, genomic, and bioinformatic tools. Specifically, he has been investigating the amphibian-killing fungus in temperate and tropical environments and Snake Fungal Disease in Texas. His research also leverages a portable genetics lab to teach and perform genetic analyses in the field.
  • Rodriguez, David (Principal), Neely, Wesley (Co-Principal). Captive propagation and reintroduction strategies for the Brazos water snake, Texas Parks and Wildlife Section 6, State, $299113. (Submitted: 2025, Funded: November 2025 - 2029). Grant.
  • Rodriguez, David (Principal). Run to R1 Postdoctoral Researcher Catalyst Program, Texas State University, Texas State University, $100000. (Submitted: 2023, Funded: September 2023 - August 2025). Grant.
  • Rodriguez, David (Principal). CAREER: Unraveling post-invasion dynamics of the amphibian-killing fungus via rapid genetic diversity assessments of both hosts and pathogens, National Science Foundation, Federal, $797737. (Submitted: July 2020, Funded: September 2021 - August 2026). Grant.
  • Rodriguez, David (Principal), Fritts, Sarah Rebecah (Co-Principal), Forstner, Michael R (Co-Principal). Population monitoring and assessing disease risk in Concho water snake, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, State, $196620. (Submitted: 2019, Funded: February 2020 - August 2022). Grant.
  • Fritts, Sarah Rebecah (Principal), Percent Contribution: %60, Rodriguez, David (Co-Principal), Percent Contribution: %40. Conservation in the canopy: informing future corridor placement via non-invasive monitoring of vertebrate movement, Texas State University, Texas State University, $15992. (Submitted: October 2019, Funded: January 2020 - June 2021). Grant.
View all grants
  • Green, M. C., Sirsi, S., Halstead, B., Morrison, M. L., Rodriguez, D., & Forstner, M. R. (2025). Comparing the utility of capture-mark-recapture, telemetry, and genetic data in assessing population-level dispersal. Diversity, 17(3). https://doi.org/10.3390/d17030163
  • Ribeiro, L., Rodriguez, D., Coelho dos Santos, R., Lucas, E., & Toledo, L. (2025). Genotypic discrimination of chytrid fungus lineages in the amphibian trade. EcoHealth. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-025-01736-8
  • Moretta-Urdiales, M., Velasquez-Espin, F., Tenorio, M., Guayasamin, J., Rodriguez, D., & McCracken, S. (2025). Low diversity and abundance of canopy amphibians in an Andean cloud forest of Ecuador. Herpetological Conservation and Biology, 20(2), 334–342.
  • Neely, W., Moretta-Urdiales, M., Smart, U., Lynch, R., Guayasamin, J., McCracken, S., & Rodriguez, D. (2025). Community-wide genotyping of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Ecuadorian forests. EcoHealth. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s10393-025-01716-y
  • McKinstry, C., Neely, W., & Rodriguez, D. (2025). Disproportionate infection by Eustrongylides sp. (Nematoda: Dioctophymatoidea: Dioctophymatidae) in the imperiled Harter’s watersnake, Nerodia harteri. International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijppaw.2025.101130
View all scholarly/creative works
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Excellence in Scholarly/Creative Activities - Presidential Distinction, College of Science and Engineering. 2023
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Excellence in Scholarly/Creative Activities, College of Science and Engineering. 2019
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Excellence in Scholarly/Creative Activities, College of Science and Engineering. January 2018 - September 2018
  1. Chair

    IACUC

  2. Chair

    Aquatic Microbiology Faculty Search

  3. Member

    Animal Science-Genetics/Genomics Faculty Search

  4. Member

    Instructional Faculty Appointment and Promotion Committee

  5. University Mentor

    Visiting Scholar Rebecca Brunner (UC Berkeley)

  6. Member

    Shared Research Operations Advisory Committee

  7. View all activities