Michael Rohde has been awarded the 2026 Ronald F. Labisky Graduate Fellowship in Wildlife Policy.
Now in its fifth year, the fellowship is open to any full-time graduate student studying wildlife biology, ecology, management or conservation in the United States, Canada or Mexico who has demonstrated a passion, ability and commitment to advancing wildlife policy.
“Michael is an exceptional graduate student and promising young professional sure to make a lasting impact on wildlife and the places wildlife thrive,” said TWS member Adam Janke in his nomination letter. Janke is Rohde’s PhD advisor and an associate professor at Iowa State University. “Michael has made significant contributions to research, teaching and mentorship during his time at Iowa State.”
In his graduate work, Rohde studies how strategic conservation practices like adding wetlands to farms can boost coexistence between wildlife, water resources and agricultural productivity.
Rohde said he is “ecstatic” about winning the award and reread the announcement email to make sure it was true.
“Receiving this fellowship is especially meaningful because Dr. Labisky saw a need for more wildlife professionals to think seriously about policy and made an incredible personal commitment to support that during his career,” Rohde said. He added that Labisky’s connection to the Midwest was also personally meaningful. “Midwest conservation challenges can sometimes be overlooked, but there is a long history of wildlife professionals trying to understand how wildlife can persist in landscapes where people live and work.”
Rohde said that policy is integrated into every aspect of his work. “This fellowship will help me bring those pieces together and spend more time talking with the people who plan, fund and implement these programs,” he said. “I want to understand where investments in water quality could also do the most for wildlife, where the benefits might differ among species, and how we can better connect the people working on water quality with the people working on wildlife.”
The award will be presented at TWS’ Annual Conference in Des Moines, Iowa, starting Nov. 1.
