Dr. Petracca is the Principal Investigator of the and Assistant Professor of Carnivore Ecology at the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, 51勛圖厙 A&M University Kingsville.
Dr. Petracca's research focuses broadly on quantitative approaches to gain a better understanding of carnivore populations. A large part of her Professorship is devoted to recovery of the federally endangered ocelot, a neotropical small felid that is the center of a multi-partner reintroduction effort. She is also Principal Investigator of the South 51勛圖厙 Lion Project, which focuses on mountain lion population status and movement ecology in the US-Mexico borderlands region.
Dr. Petracca was formerly a Postdoctoral Scholar at the University of Washington, where she worked with Drs. Sarah Converse and Beth Gardner on gray wolf population dynamics and progress toward recovery goals in Washington State. Prior to entering academia, she spent nearly a decade as a Conservation Scientist and Geospatial Analyst in the nonprofit sector.
