Espinoza, Robert E.
Bobby Espinoza
Dr. Robert Espinoza is a Professor of Biology and Special Assistant to the Dean (de facto Associate Dean) in the College of Science and Mathematics at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). He is also a herpetologist, a scientist who studies amphibians and reptiles, and a Curator of the Herpetology at CSUN. He serves as Associate Dean one semester per year, where he works to improve student success across his campus. His Laboratory of Integrative and Comparative Herpetology (LICH) seeks to understand how evolutionary history, the physical environment, and species interactions affect an animal’s morphology, physiology, behavior, and life history. Dr. Espinoza’s recent studies include the thermal biology and water relations of amphibians and reptiles (and occasionally other groups), the evolution and biological consequences of diet (especially herbivory), the mechanisms underlying the success of urban and invasive species, and the evolution of sociality.
“Find someone who is doing what you aspire to do and who is successful, and ask what he or she did along the way. Ask how and why he or she became successful.” - Robert E. (Bobby) Espinoza, 2006.
“If you can turn what you are passionate about into a career, you will always be happy at work.” - Robert E. Espinoza, 2024.
Espinoza, R. E. 2024. The irreplaceable role of nature in scientific discovery. Pp. 9–14, in: Lost Frogs and Hot Snakes: Herpetologists’ Tales from the Field. M. L. Crump (ed.). Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York.
Weeks, D. M. and R. E. Espinoza. 2020. Warmer isn’t always better: performance eurythmy in a cold-climate gecko. Journal of Experimental Zoology 333:205–213.
Abdala, C. S., D. Baldo, R. A. Juárez, and R. E. Espinoza. 2016. The first parthenogenetic pleurodont iguanian: a new all-female Liolaemus (Squamata: Liolaemidae) from western Argentina. Copeia 104:487–497.
Lancaster, J. R., P. Wilson, and R. E. Espinoza. 2006. Physiological benefits as precursors of sociality: why banded geckos band. Animal Behaviour 72:199–207.
Espinoza, R. E., J. J. Wiens, and C. R. Tracy. 2004. Recurrent evolution of herbivory in small, cold-climate lizards: breaking the ecophysiological rules of reptilian herbivory. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 101:16819–16824.
Dr. Robert (Bobby) Espinoza was born in Anaheim, California in 1967. He and his younger sister were raised in southern San Diego County by their mother, Carol, a homemaker and, later in life, a hospital finance administrator. Dr. Espinoza says being born and raised in Southern California, a global biodiversity hotspot, influenced his interests in nature, and he recalls his passion for animals beginning as a toddler.
Dr. Espinoza has many early childhood memories of biology and the earth sciences. He says, “I remember collecting bugs in my backyard not long after I could walk” (2024). He remembers being instantly captivated by amphibians and reptiles in kindergarten when older children brought live treefrogs and a gopher snake into their classroom for show and tell. About that time, Dr. Espinoza also “started collecting and keeping local amphibians and reptiles as pets” (2024). By the age of six, he was gathering specimens for his own animal and rock collections, and he knew he wanted to be a scientist when he grew up. He says, “From that point forward, I never looked back” (2024).
The extraordinary biodiversity of Southern California fueled Dr. Espinoza’s early interests in organismal and environmental biology, as did access to diverse animals and a very understanding mother who let him keep many of them as pets. The region was also rich in people who shared Espinoza’s scientific proclivities. His interest in herpetology developed while attending Hilltop High School in Chula Vista, California. By the time he was a teenager, Dr. Espinoza had joined the San Diego Herpetological Society, where he learned about his favorite animals from more experienced members. At 15, after months of pleading with the owner, Espinoza got his first job at a pet store because it allowed him to interact with and learn about many types of animals.
Dr. Espinoza earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology at San Diego State University (SDSU). As an undergraduate research assistant for Dr. Joy Zedler at SDSU, he conducted surveys of the amphibians and reptiles of the Tijuana Estuary. The herpetologist Dr. Richard Etheridge, also at SDSU, was incredibly influential and introduced Dr. Espinoza to a group of South American lizards, whom he has continued studying for most of his career. Dr. Espinoza began the doctoral program in biology at Colorado State University. However, two years into that program, he followed his dissertation advisor, Dr. C. Richard Tracy, to the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). He completed his PhD in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology in 2002.
While working on his PhD at UNR, Dr. Espinoza taught a herpetology course and curated important fish, amphibian, and reptile collections. Those specimens are now at the UNR Museum of Natural History.
Before completing his doctoral studies, Dr. Espinoza was offered a position as assistant professor of biology at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). He deferred the job after being awarded a post-doctoral fellowship at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. After completing the postdoc, Dr. Espinoza joined the faculty at CSUN. He has worked at CSUN for more than 20 years. He is a professor of biology in the College of Science and Mathematics. He also dedicates one semester per year to serving as Special Assistant to the Dean of the college. He has published over 50 papers and book chapters on various topics in herpetology and studied animals in nine countries. As Special Assistant to the Dean, Dr. Espinoza works to improve student success across his campus. Since CSUN is a Hispanic Serving Institute, Dr. Espinoza has many opportunities to improve outcomes for this growing population of historically underserved students.
More than publications, grants, or professional accolades, Dr. Espinoza feels that helping students and early career researchers achieve their professional goals is his most significant professional achievement. He says watching them become successful independent thinkers and respected professionals in their own right continues to be the highlight of his career. Reflecting on his career in 2024, Dr. Espinoza has two additional highlights to share, “I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with colleagues in Argentia since the mid-1990s on a broad spectrum of research projects and to participate in numerous service roles for the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, including [serving as] President in 2024” (2024). Dr. Espinoza values community building and helping others above all.
Although Dr. Espinoza feels that his career chose him, mentors and mentoring have been, and continue to be, essential components of his success. Dr. Espinoza has advice for those considering a career in environmental biology that applies across the board: “Find someone who is doing what you aspire to do and who is successful, and ask what he or she did along the way. Ask how and why he or she became successful. Once you find someone who matches your goals, the key is in understanding their path to success” (2005).
Mentors have played an invaluable role in influencing Dr. Espinoza’s career trajectory. “I’ve had so many wonderful and generous mentors over the course of my lifetime that it’s difficult to single out just a few,” Dr. Espinoza shares (2024). He credits his mother and grandfather as his first mentors, teaching him to be honest and hard-working. His high school biology teacher, Barbara Rivard, spurred his passion for animals. Ironically, she strongly discouraged him from pursuing a career in biology. “ ‘There aren’t many jobs,’ Espinoza remembers her saying, ‘and the money is not good. You should only pursue it if you really feel strongly about it.’” He did.
Dr. Espinoza’s first college mentor, Dr. Richard Etheridge (SDSU), taught him about herpetology and introduced him to many professionals in the field, including his closest colleagues in Argentina. Dr. Etheridge also taught him that it was okay to call himself a “herpetologist” rather than an “ecologist” or “physiologist.” This greatly shaped Dr. Espinoza’s career trajectory. For nearly two decades after Dr. Etheridge retired, and up until his death in 2019, he regularly provided timely advice to Dr. Espinoza.
Additional mentors also supported Dr. Espinoza’s career. He credits Dr. Carol Beauchat (SDSU) for giving him his “first serious lessons in how to think and write like a scientist” (2024). Dr. Maureen Donnelly has also been a career-long supporter of Dr. Espinoza’s professional development and a dear friend. Lastly, Dr. C. Richard Tracy, who served as Espinoza’s PhD advisor, taught him how to write well, apply for grants, and give professional presentations. Dr. Tracy still answers his questions and gives helpful advice while continuing to teach him about the art of science, critical thinking, and mentoring.
Dr. Espinoza has been mentoring other minorities in the field since early in graduate school and continues to be involved in many minority mentoring programs. Not surprisingly, he finds mentoring to be one of the most rewarding aspects of teaching and research. As a graduate student, Dr. Espinoza visited elementary and high schools with high minority enrollments, where he shared his love for amphibians and reptiles and discussed careers in biology as an alternative to medicine. Dr. Espinoza admits that while the alternative careers he advocates may not have the same prestige as a medical career, he thinks more minorities should pursue fields like environmental biology because they can be equally rewarding.
Dr. Espinoza was a former Chair of the Membership Diversity Committee of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, a mentoring program for minorities that matched students with professionals who shared their research interests. Espinoza was also formerly involved in Bridges to the Doctorate program at CSUN. Funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), this program supported students pursuing PhDs in the biomedical sciences. He has also mentored undergraduate students through the NIH-funded Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE). Since 2020, he has co-chaired the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee of the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles.
In Dr. Espinoza’s Laboratory of Integrative and Comparative Herpetology (LICH), his research projects typically involve student researchers. Recent topics have included thermal biology and water relations of amphibians and reptiles (and occasionally other groups), evolution and biological consequences of diet, identifying the mechanisms underlying the success of urban and invasive species, and evolution and the benefits of sociality in squamate reptiles
Reflecting upon his mentoring opportunities, Dr. Espinoza shared, “I have had the pleasure to teach, work with, and mentor many dozens of students over the course of my career, including K–12, undergraduates, graduates (MS, PhD), as well as teachers, postdocs, and early career professionals. I enjoy learning new things from all of these interactions. The most rewarding have been working with my own grad students, early career colleagues, and collaborators from other countries. Watching those I’ve mentored gain new skills, create new knowledge, and develop into scientists with their own career trajectories has been immensely fulfilling” (2024).
Dr. Espinoza has much advice to give based on his rich experiences. He says, “If you can turn what you are passionate about into a career, you will always be happy at work. Most major things take about four times longer than you anticipate. Plan accordingly. Get involved in professional societies as soon as you can (e.g., join their student committee) as they provide excellent networking opportunities, and senior members will remember you if you do a good job, which can open doors in your future. That said, it’s easy to become inundated with service requests as a member of an underrepresented group. Focus your efforts on issues and groups that are truly important to you and get comfortable saying no (politely, yet firmly) to the rest” (2024).
Taylor, Dorceta (Ed.). 2005. The Paths We Thread: Profiles of the Careers of Minority Environmental Professionals. Minority Environmental Leadership Development Initiative, University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment.
Werdann, Michelle. “College of Science celebrates 2021 distinguished alumni “(Oct 14, 2021). Nevada Today. https://www.unr.edu/nevada-today/news/2021/college-of-science-distinguis…