PELLSTON, Mich. — The University of Michigan Biological Station (UMBS) has hired Brett Biebuyck as an assistant director and campus manager in Pellston, a newly created role designed to strengthen day-to-day operations as UMBS grows its academic and research footprint in northern Michigan.
Biebuyck starts June 15, bringing more than two decades of leadership experience in field station operations to UMBS, U-M’s research and teaching campus on more than 10,000 forested acres along Douglas Lake and Burt Lake. The historic campus founded in 1909 includes cabins, laboratories and classrooms that support scientists and students studying the Great Lakes region.
For the past six years, Biebuyck has served at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL) in Colorado, most recently as chief operating officer. Prior to that, he spent 16 years at Toolik Field Station (TFS) in Arctic Alaska in several roles, most recently as associate director of operations and finance, helping sustain work in one of the world’s most remote research environments.
“Brett Biebuyck is a senior field station operations leader who has served two of the most prominent and successful field stations in the world during transitional times,” said Dr. Aimée Classen, director of UMBS, who splits her time between Ann Arbor and Pellston. “Through his support of strong staff teams, on-site management of year-round infrastructure, and community engagement, Brett has distinguished himself as a leader who can help us implement our strategic goals.”
The new campus manager position is a key step in UMBS’ five-year strategic plan as the station works to expand to year-round academic programming and increase the number of researchers working at the Pellston campus. In the role, Biebuyck will focus on campus operations and coordination, ensuring the facilities, systems and staff based in Pellston are ready for a more active, multi-season enterprise.
UMBS serves up to 275 residents during the peak summer season.
“The University of Michigan Biological Station is legendary in the field station world, and I’ve always hoped to be part of it,” Biebuyck said. “I look forward to joining the team to continue the great work and take it to the next level.”
For Biebuyck, the move is also personal. He grew up exploring Michigan’s Upper Peninsula before heading north to Alaska at the age of 18 for college and adventure. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Biebuyck first visited UMBS in 2010 for a meeting of the Organization of Biological Field Stations (OBFS). Now, 16 years later, he is returning to northern Michigan with his wife, Leah, and their two children.
Learn more about Biebuyck in our Q&A.
Q. What drew you to UMBS and this new campus manager role—and what feels most exciting about joining now?
A constant during my career has been hearing stories from students and researchers that have had transformative experiences at UMBS. The station has a special reputation, it’s legendary in the field station world, and I’ve always hoped to be part of it.
My first visit was in 2010, and I instantly saw myself joining the station when the right opportunity came along. Joining a powerhouse staff team as the station undertakes increased year-round operations, facilities improvements, and research expansion feels like a perfect fit and a unique culmination of the experiences in my career.
Q. You’ve led operations at RMBL and Toolik Field Station. What lessons or approaches from those places will you bring to Pellston?
A career operating field stations has been a lesson in learning lessons. Some of those lessons will carry over to UMBS, but some of the most engaging and satisfying parts of field station life are working on new things, looking at challenges in new ways, bringing to bear the amazing communities and their perspectives on addressing the next question, whether it’s big or small.
My general approach is to be ready and willing to take on the next challenge, even if it’s entirely new to me, and to be open to different perspectives and collaborations along the way.
Q. How do you define “excellent operations” at a field station—what should researchers, students, and staff notice (or not notice) when things are running well?
Field stations are places of growth, and a few unexpected challenges are part of the experience. However, my goal is to ensure students, researchers, and staff don’t trip over logistics or station life on that journey. Station operations should be part of the structure of success. Excellent operations meet people where that are at, whether it’s the first time in a rural area or setting up a new complex experiment in the wilderness. The focus is to provide the context and the support to take the next step in a safe and productive way. Excellent operations have the station staff, students, and researchers working as a team to support each other and to solve the next problem.
Q. UMBS is working toward year-round academic programming and more researchers on site. What do you see as the biggest opportunities (and challenges) in supporting that growth?
UMBS runs a world-class station all times of the year. I’m looking forward to being part of the team to continue the great work and take it to the next level. Facility needs and logistics are certainly different and challenging at certain times of the year but are engaging and interesting problems to solve.
The opportunities to follow processes through all the seasons, to dive into questions of changing winters in deeper ways, and to engage groups and communities that are not available in the traditional field season are all especially exciting.
A change from mostly seasonal to sustained year-round programming certainly alters the work and life cadence for staff. Normal cycles and structures of operations, community engagement, planning, projects, and personal recharge will need continual refinement to find the right balance and capacities for twelve months of strong operations and a healthy staff. Done well, we’ll create more opportunities while sustaining a healthy and supportive community.
Q. This move is a homecoming, since you grew up exploring Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. What parts of northern Michigan shaped you, and what are you looking forward to rediscovering with your family?
Growing up I spent as much time as a I could in northern Luce County, and was always asking, “Can you drive me Up North, please!” I didn’t grow up in the most outdoorsy family, but I was granted the independence to explore the woods, rivers, and lakes on my own terms. While my adventures were often clumsy, I couldn’t get enough. That experience certainly inspired much of my dream to move to Alaska, and off I went after graduating high school. I have been fortunate to live in some amazing outdoor areas but have always been drawn back to northern Michigan. Perhaps the hardest part of rediscovering all that I love in Michigan will be to let the rest of the family have their own unique adventures, find their special places, and to not being along on every journey (but hopefully most). I hope their backyard inspires them as much as it did me.
Q. When you’re not solving campus puzzles, how do you like to spend time outdoors (or off the clock), and what’s one fun fact people might not guess about you?
I enjoy all the classic outdoor Michigan pursuits and plan on jumping into all of them. One new opportunity that I have been particularly intrigued by is touring some of the long-distance bike trails that run throughout the state. Self-supported bike touring is a great way to slow down and get to know an area and people as you travel, and I hope to spend some time on the bike. Where most of my free time is spent, however, is in ice rinks with my kids’ youth hockey. Both love the sport and are dedicated players, which keeps us on the move. Perhaps there will be a cleared skating rink on Douglas Lake in the future?
The University of Michigan Biological Station serves as a gathering place to learn from the natural world, advance research and education, and inspire action. We leverage over a century of research and transformative experiences to drive discoveries and solutions to benefit Michigan and beyond.
Our vast campus engages all of the senses. Its remote, natural setting nurtures deep thought and scientific discovery.
Founded in 1909, UMBS supports long-term research and education through immersive, field-based courses and features state-of-the-art equipment and facilities for data collection and analysis to help any field researcher be productive. It is where students and scientists from across the globe live and work as a community to learn from the place.
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