His research focus is on phylogenetics and vertebrate systematics especially reptiles and amphibians, with an emphasis on systematics and population genetics of iguanid lizards. As a scientist, he also explores herpetology, mammology, evolutionary theory, vertebrate evolution, biogeography, molecular systematics, comparative anatomy, and population genetics. Among his past publications is a description of a new species of iguana from the forests of Honduras in Central America where he and his collaborators have worked for many years. He and his colleagues recently resurrected a genus of iguanas as part of a comprehensive examination of the evolutionary history of the group.  His efforts are directed toward increasing our understanding biological evolution in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean region. He also works to save remaining populations of endangered species in this region of the Neotropics. He is a member of the Society for the Study of Evolution, the International Biogeography Society, the Geological Society of America, the Society of Systematic Biologists, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Dr. Buckley joined RIT in 1998 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences following a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., where he worked in the Department of Vertebrate Zoology. Dr. Buckley earned his Ph.D in zoology from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, his MS in Biology from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, and his BS in Biology at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.