Biography

Dr. Keogh joined the Wildlife Biology Program at Bemidji State University in 2025. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in conservation biology, mammalogy, and wildlife biology and management. She is building a research program focused on understanding how animals adapt to their environment, and the impact of potential stressors on their fitness, reproduction, and survival. While her research has largely focused on marine mammals, her most recent projects have included multiple game species including marten, snowshoe hare, moose, caribou, and wolves.

Prior to joining BSU, Mandy was a Research Scientist at Mystic Aquarium where she studied the impact of stressors and disease on gray seals, beluga whales, and other marine mammals. In 2014, Mandy accepted a position as a Wildlife Physiologist with the Alaska Department of Fish & Game where she focused on management driven research needs involving Steller sea lions, northern fur seals, moose, marten, and other species of conservation or management concerns. In 2020, she joined NOAA Fisheries as the Alaska Regional Stranding Coordinator. While at NOAA Fisheries, Mandy completed the Western Conservation Leadership Development Program. This program aims to cultivate leadership capacity, support a rapidly changing conservation workforce, and address large-scale conservation challenges. Mandy’s experience as a researcher and manager at non-profit organizations and state and federal wildlife agencies has provided her with a unique perspective of career pathways available to wildlife biology students at BSU.

Degrees

• Ph.D. Marine Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2011
• M.Sc. Biology, Evolutionary Biology, San Diego State University, 2006
• B.S. Marine Biology, Texas A&M University, 1999

Teaching

• Conservation Biology
• Mammalogy
• General Ecology
• Principles of Wildlife Management
• Wildlife Physiology
• Wildlife Disease and Health (proposed)

Research Interest

Dr. Keogh is a wildlife physiologist whose research aims to understand how animals adapt to their environment, and the impact of stressors on their fitness, reproduction, and survival. Her research addresses management needs and tests specific hypotheses to inform our broader understanding of physiology in wildlife. Mandy’s research uses a diverse array of techniques ranging from chemical and molecular analyses (such as stable isotope signatures and hormone concentrations) through whole-animal assessments (including morphometrics, isotopic dilution, and ultrasound). While much of her research is laboratory-based, she often incorporates fieldwork to capture and sample free-ranging animals.