Background

I grew up in the beautiful Pacific Northwest where I spent many summers exploring the outdoors. From 2003 until 2007, I attended Northwest University where I received a B.A. in Environmental Science. In 2011, I moved to Los Angeles to pursue a M.S. in Biology from California State University, Northridge. While in graduate school, my wife and I were part time worship leaders at Trinity Lutheran Church in San Pedro, CA. After graduating with my masters, God led my wife and me to Ellendale, North Dakota where I taught at Trinity Bible College. After five incredible years at TBC I accepted a position to teach at my alma mater, Northwest University. In addition to my academic positions, I have had the pleasure of working for the United States Forest Service, Joshua Tree National Park, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. I am excited to be back at the school where God first instilled a passion in me to protect and care for His creation and to share that passion with others. I am deeply committed to mentoring and training the next generation of Christ followers here at NU. My hope is that students will have a greater understanding of the complexity and importance of God’s creation as well as a deeper love for His people. 

During my free time I love spending time with my wonderful wife (Stacy) and two beautiful girls (Belle and Gwen). I also enjoy hiking, playing guitar, rock climbing, and playing board games.

Selected Publication and Presentations

Johnson, A.M. and T.J. Karels. Partitioning the Effects of Habitat Fragmentation on Rodent Species Richness in Southern California. Urban Wildlife Conference, San Diego, CA. June 3-7, 2017 (Oral Presentation)

Johnson, A.M. & T.J. Karels. 2016. Partitioning the effects of habitat fragmentation on rodent species richness in an urban landscape. Urban Ecosystems 19:547-560.

Research Interest

My research interests include conservation biology, community and ecosystem ecology and the restoration of degraded landscapes. I work mostly with small mammal communities to better understand the impacts of human land use on biodiversity.