Hector J. Esparra-Escalera
Ph.D. Candidate, Instructor, and Graduate Research Assistant
3113 Biological Sciences
Website(s)
Social media
linkedin.com/in/héctor-esparra-escalera-4670a745
Department
Hector J. Esparra-Escalera
Research interest(s)/area of expertise
Aquatic ecology, invertebrate zoology, urban sustainability
Education
- University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez: BS in Biology - 2013
- University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez: MS in Biology (Aquatic Biology) - 2018
- Wayne State University: PhD in Biological Sciences and Urban Sustainability - Currently
Awards and grants
- 2024: Society for Freshwater Sciences – EMERGE Program (2024-2025 cohort)
- 2024: WSU Graduate School - Summer Dissertation Award ($5,000 USD)
- 2022: Health Equity Challenge – Honorable mention award ($2,500 USD). Group: H.J. Esparra-Escalera (Leader), A. Shakoor, S. Pickering, C. Zundel, B.F. O’Leary, A. Lucas, G. Raoufi, H. Salah, N. Mariscal
- 2022: Graduate Teaching Assistant Award – Biological Sciences WSU
- 2022: Eugene Perrin Scholarship in Medical and Natural Sciences and Peace ($2,000 USD)
- 2022: Thomas C. Rumble Fellowship Award ($20,000 USD)
- 2021: Optimize Wayne Pitch Competition – Detroit AirNet ($20,000 USD). Group: N. Mariscal (Leader), B.F. O’Leary, A. Lucas, H.J. Esparra-Escalera, B. Dabney, G. Raoufi
- 2021: Ford College Community Challenge Award ($25,000 USD)
- 2020: WSU- STEAM Challenge (Detroit-Air Net) – 1st Place (Award: $14,500 USD). Group: B. O’Leary (Leader), A. Lucas, A. Diehl, D. Kakaris, H.J. Esparra-Escalera & R. Akers
- 2018: NSF-NRT T-RUST Program. Wayne State University
- 2017: ESA-SEEDS Graduate Alumni Travel Award
- 2014: SACNAS Chapter Outstanding Communication and Membership Recruitment (CoHemis-SACNAS UPRM)
- 2013: Advancing Hispanics/Chicanos & Native Americans in Science Travel Scholarship
- 2013: SACNAS Chapter Outstanding Community Service Role Model Award (CoHemis-SACNAS UPRM)
- 2013: Association for Sciences in Limnology & Oceanography Multicultural Program (ASLOMP) - Travel Scholarship
- 2012: SACNAS Chapter Outstanding Leadership Role Model Award (CoHemis- SACNAS UPRM)
- 2011: SACNAS Chapter of the Year (CoHemis-SACNAS UPRM)
Selected publications
- Febria, C.M., Kashian, D.R., Bertrand, K.R.T., Dabney, B.L., Day, M., Dugdale, M., Ekhator, K.O., Esparra-Escalera, H.J.,… & Wallen, M.W. (2022). Early career researchers benefit from inclusive, diverse & international collaborations: Changing how academic institutions utilize the seminar series. Journal of the Great Lakes Research. doi.org/10.1016/j.jglr.2022.03.017
- O’Leary, B.F., Hill, A.B., Akers, K.G, Esparra-Escalera, H.J., Lucas, A.R., Raoufi, G… & Dittrich, T.M. (2022). Air Quality Monitoring and Measurement in an Urban Airshed: Contextualizing Datasets from Detroit, MI area from 1952-2020. Science of the Total Environment (809): 13pp