Mike has been conducting behavioral ecology research since 1985, mounting field studies of African antelope, North American ungulates, and Neotropical mammals. During this time he has worked in 6 countries and 5 states, navigating the logistical challenges of field research in a variety of contexts. His doctoral research focused on the parasite-defense behavior of impala in Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Namibia. He received his PhD from the Animal Behavior Graduate Group at UC Davis in 1993 and then completed postdoctoral positions at the University of Pretoria, University of Alberta, and UC Davis. Since coming to PLNU in 1997, he has directed over 50 students in field research projects, primarily with bighorn sheep, American bison, and Neotropical felids.

His current work in Costa Rica is at the interface of ecology and conservation biology. Since 2010, he and his students have worked with local partners to survey the large mammalian predators (like jaguar) and prey inhabiting the cloud forests of the Talamanca Cordillera, a high elevation mountain range that has been little studied. Their project promotes community-based conservation by empowering local communities to conduct their own wildlife research and engage in environmental education. His research interests include parasite defense behavior, sexual selection and segregation, behavioral endocrinology, acoustical communication, and predator-prey interactions.