My research has taken me from the Midwest U.S., where I grew up, to every single continent on Earth. 

 

I began my career as an undergraduate researcher, sorting through hoary bat guano to see what they eat - and I never turned back. After modeling habitat and dispersal corridors for cougars, distance sampling of deer, old-growth forest inventory, I ended up at the University of Minnesota in 2007. I started as the GIS lead for the Polar Geospatial Center and eventually pursued my PhD in Conservation Biology. My dissertation work has continued as my current research, and focuses on using high-resolution satellite imagery to learn about the ecology of polar animals: in the Antarctic: emperor penguins, Adélie penguins, Weddell seals, crabeater seals; and even polar bears, muskoxen, and caribou in the Arctic.

 

I've been part of many "species from space" studies: the first global censuses of both Antarctic penguins, as well as Weddell seals. My work has been covered internationally by hundreds of media outlets including BBC, NBC Nightly News, Wall Street Journal, and National Geographic (see Speaking).

 

In addition to my research, I'm passionate about science communication. Twitter used to be pretty fun, but I am now on BlueSky and Instagram (both @drmichellelarue). I've presented at IdeaCity about emperor penguin behavior, I spoke about Weddell seals and citizen science at the Earth Optimism Summit on Earth Day 2017, and spoke about women in science at Disney's D23 fan convention in 2024. ​​Check out my speaking page!

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​Donate to my Penguin Research Fund