Our Researchers

As a Principal Scientist at NGRREC, I oversee the Wildlife Ecology research program as well as the newly formed Wetlands Collaborative. I hold affiliate appointments at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (partner institution of NGRREC) in both the Prairie Research Institute and the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences. A primary goal of my research program is to conduct projects that answer important contemporary questions related to the conservation and management of lower vertebrates and ephemeral wetland ecosystems. Interactions with state, federal, and private land managers, as well as with policymakers, have played an important role in determining what information is most needed and has helped formulate research questions. I prefer to conduct research that bridges disciplines and combines current thinking and needs in multiple areas to approach and answer these questions. My primary research interests have been and continue to be on the effects of habitat alteration, habitat degradation, and global climate change on amphibian populations, with a focus on forested ephemeral wetland ecosystems.

As a Senior Water Policy and Science Advisor, I bring years of experience in the private and government sectors at the state and federal level to the NGR team as we plan for the future and continue our work in freshwater research, education, outreach and policy. My background in wetlands science and regulation and the management of large waterbodies such as the Chesapeake Bay and Mississippi River ecosystems helps inform the work of NGR. I have been involved in the evolution of the Great Lakes to Gulf Virtual Observatory as a science and management tool looking at water quality and nutrient trends in the Mississippi River watershed and an advocate for the coordination of scientific research and monitoring along the Mississippi River and its tributaries.

I have been a Terrestrial Ecologist at NGRREC since 2005, where my primary focus relates to floodplain forest ecology and management. Specific research interests include: floodplain vegetation community dynamics; effects of hydrology on floodplain forests; invasive species; canopy gaps; forest succession; river bluff hill prairies; and reforestation methods in floodplain habitats. Additional activities include teaching summer field ecology courses and coordinating the management of the Palisades Nature Preserve and other research and demonstration areas.

Much of my research is rooted in marrying quantitative analyses and intensively sampled ecological data sets to develop actionable insights into wildlife conservation in Illinois and beyond. Often, this work is rooted in a spatial context to maximize the abundance of freely available, high-quality geospatial data and the capabilities of modern computing power. Wetland ecology is a primary focus, with special attention paid to remote sensing and amphibian conservation. Alongside colleagues in the Wetlands Collaborative at NGRREC and collaborators at the Illinois Natural History Survey at the Prairie Research Institute, we have been developing and implementing lidar-based methods to detect forested ephemeral wetlands, resources which largely go overlooked in modern wetland mapping efforts. Through this work, we have created maps of wetland resources throughout southern Illinois, as well as an instructional manual that provides step-by-step methods for using freely available lidar data and open-source software to create maps of ephemeral wetlands. Another focus has been assisting the Illinois Department of Natural Resources in addressing the goals of the Illinois Wildlife Action Plan, particularly in support of the conservation of listed reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrate species. These projects have involved broad-scale surveys, population studies, species distribution modeling, and radio telemetry to improve knowledge of listed species in the state. I also work with colleagues at NGRREC, Ohio State University, and Loyola University Chicago on a long-term project monitoring the distribution and demography of terrestrial salamanders in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a global hotspot of salamander biodiversity.

I'm the wetland scientist at NGRREC. My role is to do a little bit of everything involving wetlands and the wetlands collaborative. This includes mapping wetlands via drones and lidar imagery, doing research on wetland-dependent bees, and starting a wetland-based community science project.

As the Watershed Scientist at the National Great Rivers Research and Education Center (NGRREC), I lead a research group focused on the connection between land management practices and water quality. My team uses a variety of methods to collect data, including discrete sampling in small streams, rivers and wetlands, automated event-based sampling in small rivers, and boat excursions on large rivers and reservoirs. The Watershed Science team also manages a network of state-of-the-art water quality monitoring buoys called the Great Rivers Ecological Observatory Network (GREON), which collects continuous, real-time water quality data using smart-sensor technology. I also established the Environmental Chemistry Laboratory, where water, sediment, soil, and plant samples are processed and analyzed for carbon and nutrient content using multiple modern analytical instruments.

I serve as principal investigator for NGRREC’s partnership with DePaul University’s Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development, focusing on the human dimensions of river policy and effective land stewardship along rivers. As a professor in the School of Public Service at DePaul and the Chaddick Institute’s director, I work with municipal governments and public agencies to advance policies that integrate economic and environmental goals. Our partnership with NGRREC includes participation in the City of Chicago’s River Policy Task Force, a webinar and event series, and technical publications, including our recent ”Rivers of Opportunity 25 Small and Mid-Size Illinois Cities Adeptly Leveraging Waterways to Enhance Ecosystems & Community Life“. This report showcases communities in Illinois that lie outside of metropolitan Chicago and are notable for having thoughtful civic, environmental, and recreational initiatives pertaining to rivers. These villages and cities, all having populations under 20,000, are a subset of the more than 100 municipalities evaluated. I work in partnership with William Kling, JD., who co-directs our human-dimension project.

I am an applied economist studying the interaction between policy, agriculture, and the environment. I am an assistant professor in the University of Illinois Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics.
My research focuses on how market-based and public agricultural policy influences farmer behavior. I use this lens to study direct and indirect policy effects on the environment, including deforestation, GHG emissions, and water quality. I approach these questions by combining econometric methods, “big data,” extensive fieldwork, and collaboration with interdisciplinary partners.

I am a postdoctoral research associate in biogeochemistry with a joint appointment between NGRREC and the WATER Institute at Saint Louis University. My primary responsibility involves designing and conducting research on contaminant sources and transport mechanisms in the environment. My expertise spans traditional contaminants like road salt, nutrients, and toxic metals, as well as emerging contaminants such as microplastics. My research employs a multifaceted approach that combines in-situ sampling and data collection with various laboratory methods. These methods allow me to determine contaminant levels and investigate the hydrogeochemistry of the system. By integrating these techniques, I aim to gain a comprehensive understanding of how contaminants are stored and transported within the environment. My main goal with my work is to help advance knowledge in biogeochemistry and inform strategies for mitigating environmental contamination.

I am a postdoctoral research associate in the terrestrial wildlife ecology lab at NGRREC with a focus on herpetology. I work closely with the Center’s Terrestrial Wildlife Ecologist and other external and internal collaborators to conduct focused research on various aspects of reptile and amphibian ecology to inform management and conservation. Currently, I am involved in several projects, including examining Timber Rattlesnake hibernation and demography at Principia College; Eastern Copperhead survey technique development and assessment in New Jersey; and determining occupancy, detection, distribution, population dynamics, and the effects of habitat alteration, for various fauna across Illinois. Outside of research, I am an avid amateur wildlife photographer and can often be seen sneaking up on unsuspecting animals with my dog, Finn!

I am a postdoctoral research associate with NGRREC interested in forest ecosystem dynamics and quantifying how forests respond to ecological disturbances and climate change. Currently, I am working on a project in collaboration with scientists at NGRREC, USGS, and the US Army Corps of Engineers to evaluate how large-scale flood events impact floodplain forest vegetation communities of the Upper Mississippi River System.

As a research specialist at NGRREC, I work on a variety of projects in the terrestrial wildlife ecology lab and assist other scientists with their research. My previous work primarily focused on amphibian and reptile ecology, natural history, and conservation. Aside from herpetology, I am passionate about understanding the impacts humans have on wildlife and ecosystems, as well as working with species of conservation concern.

As a Research Specialist, I work with all the NGRREC scientists on their research projects, but I primarily focus on the Great Rivers Ecological Observatory Network (GREON) program. I maintain all water quality equipment, deploy buoys at locations of research interest, collect water samples for further analysis, monitor local plankton populations, communicate with collaborators, and retrieve data from the monitoring units.

As a Research Specialist, I support the research of senior scientists at NGRREC. My primary responsibilities are with the wildlife ecology lab. I am a co-principal investigator on the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Odonate project where we are focusing on the conservation and ecology of dragonflies and damselflies in Illinois. I direct and manage all fieldwork and collection pertaining to the Odonate project as well as develops field protocols and confirms identities of adult and larval odonates.

As a Research Specialist, I provide NGRREC with both lab and field support for several research projects. I lead field surveys for the State Threatened Bird-voiced Treefrog (Hyla avivoca) within state and federally-protected swamps in Southern Illinois. I help manage the Dell Ecology Lab and collaborate on research within the lab that includes the behavioral and physiological effects of microplastics on freshwater organisms. In addition, I assist with monitoring water quality through the Great Rivers Ecological Observatory Network and also serve as a co-advisor/support for interns whose projects include local acoustic monitoring of Eastern Whip-poor-wills, Effect of chloride & leaf litter on development & survival of Wood Frogs (Lithobates slyvaticus); effect of various mosquitofish densities on development and survival of Gray Treefrogs (Hyla chrysoscelis/versicolor); microplastic loads within wild fish in Illinois; physiological and behavioral effects of microplastics exposure on various fish species. I previously worked for the USDA Forest Service in the Sierra Nevada mountains leading a research team to collect data on the federally threatened Yosemite Toad and its habitat. My undergraduate and graduate research included lichen as bioindicators, herpetofaunal communities among upland and bottomland forests, and Anuran assemblages within the lower Missouri River Floodplain. I enjoy volunteering time to community science projects, notably Illinois Riverwatch and FrogWatch USA and love meeting new people and exploring cities and wild spaces.

As a Research Specialist at NGRREC, I specialize in bottomland forest ecology and botany. I am also a certified drone pilot and help gather aerial imagery for NGRREC studies. I am currently surveying birds in bottomland forests in collaboration with Riverlands Audubon Center and will be surveying plant species at the Palisades Nature Preserve in Grafton and monitoring communities of Boltonia Decurrens, a federally listed wetland plant species.