Current Graduate Students

Anahit Amiri

Research Interest:

Behavioral biology brings physiology, environment, and species interactions into a single lens, and behavioral ecology turns those insights into mechanism-focused conservation. Grassland birds have lost about half their numbers since 1970 and need timely action; they steady ecosystem health through insect control, seed dispersal, pollination, nutrient cycling, and other trophic roles.

Predation on grassland bird nests is high and a leading cause of nest failure. Anahit studies the grassland web, from insects and snakes to mammals, and steps into the predator’s role by following raccoons at night, examining how they move and forage across a heterogeneous landscape, and how individuals differ. These observations illuminate the nest line, where a raccoon’s nighttime choices can mean a depredated nest or a successful brood of fledglings, and that difference echoes into the next season.

Her path moved from Shiraz to France in high school, through a Bachelor of Sciences in Biology at Aix-Marseille University and a Master’s in Cognitive Neurosciences at Sorbonne University, then across the Atlantic to pursue a PhD in Wildlife Biology at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She believes that the ways disciplines and cultures connect can chart a better path. A cheerful conspirator in possibility, she trusts that the not-yet-done can be done and that imagination is the most practical, and empathy the most powerful, tools for change.

Email: anahit.amiri@siu.edu

Katherine Buckman

Katie Buckman

Advisors: Dr. Clay Nielsen and Dr. Brent Pease

Research Interest:

Katherine studies bobcat demography in north-central Illinois, with a focus on estimating survival and cause-specific mortality of adults, juveniles, and kittens. Bobcats are found throughout Illinois; however, little is known about their survival in agriculturally-dominated landscapes that characterize much of north-central Illinois and the greater Midwest. She will be looking at habitat and landscape-level factors influencing bobcat survival rates in this region.

Email: katherine.buckman@siu.edu

Jessica Cheng

Advisor: Dr. Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau

Research Interest:

Jessica joined the CWSR as a PhD student in Fall 2025. She is studying the population ecology, habitat requirements, and pathogen dynamics of muskrats. Despite being a familiar wetland species across North America, little is known about their distribution, survival, or role in disease transmission. Jessica’s work explores how habitat characteristics shape muskrat space use and pathogen exposure by comparing populations across sites with contrasting environmental conditions. She uses live-trapping and transmitter-based monitoring while testing out new approaches for tracking muskrats. She is also taking advantage of ongoing floodplain restoration projects to study muskrat recolonization and the implications for disease transmission. Together with her collaborators, she hopes this work will fill important gaps in our understanding of muskrat ecology, wetland restoration, and wildlife disease dynamics.

Before starting her PhD, Jessica earned a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Psychology and a Master of Public Health in Environmental Health from Emory University. Her master’s thesis examined how food availability and larval density-dependent competition influence the performance of Wolbachia-transinfected Aedes aegypti. Outside of research, Jessica loves playing ultimate frisbee, staying active, and hiking new trails. She’s also happiest in the kitchen, where she enjoys experimenting and making yummy food to share with friends.

Email: jessica.cheng@siu.edu

Patrick Clark

Advisor: Dr. Mike Eichholz

Research Interest:

Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) are a grassland-nesting quail species that have experienced significant population declines across their range in recent decades. According to the North American Breeding Bird Survey, estimated bobwhite numbers decreased by approximately 81% between 1966 and 2019. The major factors contributing to these declines are thought to be habitat loss and habitat fragmentation.

The focus of Patrick's research is to evaluate bobwhite habitat use, nest success, and survival in southern Illinois. He is using radio-telemetry to track quail movements and find nests on grassland patches that are managed using prescribed fire. He also uses call count surveys to study quail occupancy and habitat use at broad spatial scales.

Email: james.clark@siu.edu

Kristine Cotten

Advisor: Dr. Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau

Research Interest:

I joined the SWEL and CWRL as a master’s student in January 2024. My research will focus on the impacts of sharpshooting on white-tailed deer behavior. Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is present in northern Illinois and is commonly managed through sharpshooting. I look forward to investigating how sharpshooting is impacting deer populations and helping to inform future CWD management. I am broadly interested in ungulate behavior and ecology. Much of my past work has focused on survival and cause-specific mortality of various ungulate neonates like white-tailed deer, mule deer, and elk. I received my B.S. in Natural Resources from the University of Minnesota Crookston and my A.A.S from Vermilion Community College in Ely, Minnesota.

Email: kristine.cotten@siu.edu

Kendall Frank

Advisor: Dr. Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau

Research Interest:

Kendall is a master's student who joined the GCIE and SWEL in the fall of 2026. She was awarded her B.S in Natural Resources and Environmental Science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in the spring of 2026. She is interested in ecology and how native species respond to different ecosystem management approaches. At SIU, she studies deer browse availability following invasive species management. Her project also focuses on pine invasion in oak forests and the effects of management on native plant community re-assembly.

Email: kendall.frank@siu.edu

Noelle Grabowski

Advisor: Dr. Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau

Research Interest:

Muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) are keystone species of wetland ecosystems that have historically been observed in every county in the state of Illinois. Over the past few decades populations have declined throughout the United States. To address the decline, it’s important to have reliable strategies for assessing population size and distribution. Noelle’s work aims to evaluate the use of UAVs (drones) as a method for sampling muskrat abundance. Additionally, she will investigate terrestrial and aquatic habitat characteristics impacting muskrat survival throughout the state of Illinois. Prior to joining the CWSR in 2025, Noelle completed her Bachelor of Science in Biology at Butler University in 2022 and spent time working as a field technician around the country.

Email: noelle.grabowski@siu.edu

Kevin Kellk

kellkcropped

Advisor: Dr. Michael Eichholz

Research Interest:

I have a bachelor's degree with a focus on wildlife biology from Grand Valley State University. My research focus evaluates management practices for waterfowl.

A current practice used by state wildlife managers is to attract waterfowl to habitats by planting corn and flooding the fields during the fall and winter. This is supposed to act as a cheap and effective supplemental food source to attract waterfowl to the landscape. However, we suspect that this does not provide an adequate diet or help sustain a diverse group of species.

To continue to adapt management practices for quality habitat, while potentially attracting a more diverse group of species, I will be comparing habitat use of flooded corn and natural food sources on the presence and diversity of waterfowl along the Illinois river watershed. This could help in making informed decisions on the importance of waterfowl management in attracting and maintaining populations and increasing diversity on the landscape.

Email: kelvin.kellk@siu.edu

Brier Klossing

Advisor: Dr. Michael Eichholz

Research Interest:

Brier studies grassland birds in southern Illinois, using long-term data to investigate breeding ecology and how direct and indirect interactions with small mammals, insects, snakes, raptors, and habitat influence their survival.

Prior to joining the CWSR in 2026, Brier earned her two Bachelor's of Science in Biology and Animal Ecology from Iowa State University before earning her Master of Science in Population and Conservation Biology from Texas State University. Outside of research, Brier enjoys hunting, fishing, hiking, reading, and playing games with her friends.

Email: brier.klossing@siu.edu

Cullen Mackenzie

Cullen Mackenzie holding a snake

Advisor: Dr. Michael Eichholz

Research interest:

Prescribed burns are an effective management strategy for grassland vegetation restoration. This controlled disturbance helps eliminate woody vegetation encroachment that degrade grassland habitat when left unattended. Additionally, prescribed burns have been documented to support the imperiled North American grassland birds. However, despite these successes, very little is known about the implications prescribed burns might have on grassland snakes.To better understand this knowledge gap, Cullen will be studying grassland snake movement(American racer [Coluber constrictor] radio telemetry), community assemblages (coverboards), habitat use (telemetry/coverboards/vegetation surveys) and predator/prey biodiversity (small mammal Sherman traps/meso-predator camera traps/grassland bird nesting videos) in non-burned and recently burned tall grass prairies in Southern Illinois. This data will be useful for both the ecological understanding and applied conservation for grassland snakes, birds, and otherassociated biota.

Email: cullen.mackenzie@siu.edu

Seth Morelock

Advisors: Dr. Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau and Dr. Brent Pease

Research Interest:

Seth is a PhD student who joined SWEL and CWSR in the fall of 2025. Seth is using camera trapping, thermal imaging (UAV and vehicle surveys), and GPS collars to measure white-tailed deer densities throughout parts of Illinois. For his Master’s thesis at East Tennessee State University, he studied how regenerative grazed cattle farms impact bat activity in southern Appalachia. Seth enjoys hunting, fishing, and hiking during his free time.

Email: seth.morelock@siu.edu

Nadine Pershyn

Advisor: Dr. Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau

Research Interest:

Gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) populations have declined across the Midwest over the past several decades without clear causation, although possible influences include canine distemper, coyote predation, and habitat loss due to land-use changes. The gray fox is a relatively understudied furbearer, and Nadine's research aims to contribute to addressing these knowledge gaps. She's investigating survival and cause-specific mortality, as well as home-range, habitat use, and landscape connectivity. Understanding the ecology of this struggling population will be critical in any efforts to slow or reverse the decline.

Email: nadine.pershyn@siu.edu

Jason Rosales

Advisor: Dr. Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau

Research Interest:

Jason joined the Freshwater Ecology Lab under Dr. Narr in Fall 2026. He will be studying the effects of relocation on mussels and the role of parasite/pollutants in daphnia ecology. With a fascination for freshwater invertebrates of all sizes, he is excited to start work in the field for collection of organisms and conducting mesocosm experiments in the lab. Working with other members of the lab and collaborators, gaps in the knowledge of these topics will be minimized to allow for future management recommendations.

Prior to his arrival at SIU, Jason completed his Bachelors of Science in Marine Biology in 2024 from Nova Southeastern University. Afterwards he was a research intern and wildlife technician working in Florida's different ecosystems on long-term research projects.

Email: jason.rosales@siu.edu