Walter E. Schargel
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University of Texas at Arlington
Walter Ernesto Schargel | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 21, 1975 Raleigh, North Carolina, United States |
| Alma mater | Universidad Nacional Experimental de la Gran Caracas University of Texas at Arlington |
| Known for | Systematics and taxonomy of Neotropical amphibians and reptiles |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Herpetology |
Walter Ernesto Schargel (born 21 February 1975) is an American herpetologist and university lecturer whose research focuses on systematics, taxonomy, and conservation of Neotropical reptiles and amphibians.
Schargel’s family moved to Venezuela when he was two years old. He grew up in a rural environment and completed his education within the Venezuelan educational system from preschool through college.[1]
In 1998, he earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Environmental Engineering from the Universidad Nacional Experimental de la Gran Caracas. He subsequently worked for two years as a project coordinator in environmental consulting for the Venezuelan Ministry of the Environment before returning to the United States in 2000.[1]
He completed a Master of Science degree in Biology at the University of Texas at Arlington in 2003 with a thesis entitled Taxonomy of certain related and problematic snakes in the genus Atractus (Colubridae: Dipsadinae) with comments on hemipenial morphology in the genus. In 2008, he earned a Ph.D. in Quantitative Biology from the same institution, with a dissertation on species limits and phylogenetic systematics of diurnal geckos of the genus Gonatodes.[1]
Academic career
Following completion of his doctorate, Schargel accepted a lecturer position at the University of Texas at Arlington, where he established a research program in Neotropical herpetology. Since 2009, he has served as an associate professor, teaching courses in biostatistics, biometrics, data analysis, and introductory biology.[1]
