Dr. Joshua Holbrook joined the Montreat College faculty in 2017. Prior to coming to Montreat he taught students at the Palm Beach Zoo and Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College. Dr. Holbrook has also had the opportunity to educate much broader audiences, appearing as a guest on reptile-related programs with the Weather Channel, the History Channel, the Discovery Channel and NatGeo—many of these programs are facilitated by Josh’s pioneering work with the exotic Burmese Pythons and chameleons in southern Florida.
Dr. Holbrook earned his B.S. in Biology from Palm Beach Atlantic University, his M.S. in Environmental Science from Florida Atlantic University (FAU), and his PhD in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology from Clemson University. His primary areas of academic interest are wetland community ecology and herpetology, and his research experience has brought him to collaborations with entities as varied as the National Park Service, The US Fish and Wildlife Service, the North Carolina and Florida Park Service, the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission and number of academic institutions. Dr. Holbrook is the Director of Undergraduate Research at Montreat and manages the HERP Lab, a research group of undergraduate STEM Scholars conducting original undergraduate research in North Carolina and throughout the southeast.
One of Dr. Holbrook’s passions is to learn new things and to share them with others, and he loves educating at a place where “mere” teaching can become discipleship and students can learn how achieve excellence as both scientists and followers of Christ—to remember that, in all we do “it is the Lord Christ whom you serve” (Col. 3:24). To that end, he always seeks to get students involved in ‘the real stuff’ of environmental science and biology, learning both field research skills and the things that make it possible—and meaningful—to others. For a Christian, all of Environmental Science comes down to the stewardship of creation and awe of its Creator.
Dr. Holbrook and his wife, Beka, have three children, Chava, Josephine, and Jonah; and they enjoy spending time together hiking and looking for salamanders and bugs. Before coming to Montreat, the members of the Holbrook family were missionaries serving at the home campus for Equip International, teaching sustainable agriculture and missionary medicine.
What is your favorite thing about working at Montreat?
I love the students’ passion for getting outdoors, observing the natural world, sitting around campfires, and talking about life.
What are your hobbies or interests?
Herping, gardening, spending time with my family, guitar, hiking
What is your favorite thing to do or see in the area?
A big, chunky Timber Rattlesnake crossing a gravel road