In chest-deep waters on midnight airboat runs and along remote Everglades roads, women scientists are carrying out some of Florida’s most demanding conservation work. They capture alligators, track invasive pythons and protect fragile ecosystems few people ever see.
They are the UF Croc Docs.
At the University of Florida Croc Docs Wildlife Research Lab, women make up half of the research team — a notable shift in a field where women still represent less than 30 percent of scientists globally, according to UNESCO. Their work is reshaping both conservation science and perceptions of who belongs in it.
Much of that work unfolds after dark. On moonlit airboat runs through the Everglades, researchers Alexis Pupo and Bryna Daykin conduct routine alligator health checks, carefully capturing and measuring animals before releasing them back into the water. The process may repeat a dozen times before sunrise.
“These are the kinds of moments you don’t imagine for yourself in high school,” said Pupo, a South Florida native who once questioned whether a science career was realistic. “Now I get to help conserve the wildlife I grew up with.”
When daylight comes, attention often turns to one of the Everglades’ greatest invasive threats: Burmese pythons. Wildlife ecologist Melissa Miller and biologist Michelle Bassis lead efforts to reduce python populations using radio and GPS telemetry, drones and thermal cameras. By tracking tagged male ‘scout snakes,’ researchers locate breeding females and remove multiple snakes at once, reducing impacts on native wildlife.
Night surveys extend onto South Florida roads, where field biologist Patricia Rodriguez-Gonzalez and intern Gabriella De La Fe document invasive reptiles and amphibians as part of the lab’s regional monitoring program. The data they collect helps wildlife managers respond quickly to emerging threats.
Croc Docs research also reaches beyond Florida. Wildlife ecologist Venetia Briggs-Gonzalez leads long-running international conservation projects in Belize and serves on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Crocodile Specialist Group, helping guide global protection efforts.
Behind the scenes, laboratory manager Duwa Ansari keeps operations running smoothly, while other women on the team contribute through wildlife management research, photography, filmmaking and emerging technologies, like AI-powered smart traps.
Together, the UF Croc Docs represent the full spectrum of modern conservation science — and a future where skill, passion and dedication define who leads the work.
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