Michael Egan, PhD student
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White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are of concern to humans because of their abundance and the numerous impacts they have on the ecosystem. Therefore it is important to understand white-tailed deer behavior to improve our ability to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts, manage deer as a game species, and control the spread of diseases like CWD. GPS tracking of white-tailed deer provides data on their movement, behavior, habitat, and mortality. Combined with techniques such as resource selections functions, social network analysis, and statistical and simulation modelling this data can be used to answer questions about the factors impacting deer movement and behavior and the effects that movement and behavior have on deer populations.
Emily Buege Donovan, PhD student
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Emily joined the lab as a PhD student in spring of 2022. She is studying the intersection of movement and reproductive ecology of Galapagos giant tortoises. Despite being an icon of the Galapagos Islands, little is known about their reproduction. Emily's work aims to shed light on how tortoise migration affects the reproductive success and timing of nesting in female tortoises. She and her collaborators anticipate that this work will fill gaps in our understanding of the tortoise life cycle. Before coming to SIU, Emily worked as a research scientist for the trail camera monitoring project, Snapshot Wisconsin, through the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. She holds a Bachelor of Science from Winona State University and a Master of Science in Geography from the University of Alabama. Her master's thesis examined what physical habitat variables influence cichlid nest site selection in the Bladen River, Belize. In her free time, Emily enjoys spending time with her husband James, caring for her small collection of wayward animals, tending to far too many house plants, birding, paddle sports, and creating art.
Abby Weber, MS student
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Hi! I’m Abby, and I joined SWEL and the CWRL as a Master's student in November 2021. I will be examining mesocarnivore movement (specifically, bobcats and coyotes) and its potential impacts on white-tailed fawn survival throughout southern and central Illinois. In addition, I plan on exploring individual variation in predator movement and how it may relate to age and/or diet. When not in the field, I enjoy hiking, backpacking, rock climbing and spending time with my lazy dog, Juno.
Max Larreur, PhD student
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I joined the CWRL and SWEL lab in June 2021 as a PhD student researching factors influencing forest carnivore spatial distributions throughout southern Illinois. My study will analyze influences to the gray fox population here in southern Illinois, occupancy dynamics of a southern Illinois carnivore guild over a large temporal scale, and domestic carnivore influences on native carnivore spatial distributions. Some of my previous work and research has been studying semiaquatic mammals, mesocarnivores, shorebirds and seabirds, sea turtles, and whales. In my free time I love hiking, hunting, camping, scuba diving, and hanging out with my wife and our two golden retrievers.
Ellen Audia, PhD student
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Ellen joined the SWEL and CWRL as a PhD student in June of 2022 to study the spatial ecology of bobcats in north-central Illinois. Bobcats have been and are currently being studied in southern Illinois where there is more abundant habitat. However, little is known about bobcat space use and movement in the north-central part of the state where habitat is fragmented by urban and agricultural development. The goal of Ellen’s project is to fill gaps in the knowledge of bobcat spatial ecology in this northern region to better inform their management. Ellen received her B.S. in Natural Resources Management and Mathematics from Grand Valley State University and her M.S. in Wildlife Ecology from Iowa State University, where she also obtained a Certificate in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and developed a strong background in spatial modeling and statistics. Ellen is a proud Michigander and hopes to return there when she completes her PhD. She enjoys cooking, videography, reading, anything active and outdoors, and, above all else, spending time with the people and animals she loves!
Anihit Amiri, PhD student
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I joined CWRL in January 2023 as a PhD student to study the influence of grassland habitat on the grassland community at the Pyramid State Park study area in Southern Illinois. It has been largely accepted that one of the fastest-declining bird groups in Northern America is grassland birds. However, little is known about how habitat characteristics may influence grassland birds directly or indirectly mediated through changes in the grassland community ecosystem such as predator abundance, alternate prey availability, or food resources. Predation is known to be one of the leading causes of avian nest failure and predator avoidance creates selective pressure for grassland birds to minimize this risk. I am particularly interested in how habitat characteristics may indirectly impact grassland bird communities through changes in their predators' activity, behavior, and abundance. Before coming to SIU, I received my B.S in Life Sciences from Aix-Marseille Univeristé and my M.S in behavioral and Cognitive Neuroscience from Sorbonne Université in France. I enjoy traveling, living in new countries, and learning about different cultures. While in nature I feel at my place enjoying any kind of outdoor activities. I’m also a fan of creative cooking, philosophical readings or discussions and finally spending time with my furry travel companion Lucy the cat!
Nadine Pershyn, PhD student
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Nadine joined the CWRL and SWEL lab in fall 2022 to study gray fox habitat selection and survival. Gray fox populations in Illinois have declined dramatically over the past several decades without a clear cause. Nadine's research will hopefully shed light on the types of habitats that gray foxes prefer and additionally examine cause-specific mortality. This research aims to inform management decisions and promote a balanced ecosystem. Nadine earned her MS in Ecology from Utah State University studying habitat selection of desert carnivores, as well as a BS in Biology and a BA in Spanish from Wells College.
Derek Whipkey, MS student
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I joined SWEL and the CWRL as a Master's student in December 2022 to research the distribution of semi-aquatic mammals in southern Illinois. In addition to assessing the occupancy of native semi-aquatic mammals, my study will compare various methods of detecting nutria (Myocastor coypus) to better address their current population status in southern Illinois. The goal of this project is to inform management decisions and aid in reducing the spread of an invasive species. When I'm not in the field or studying, I enjoy rock climbing, backpacking, fishing, and spending time with my fiancé.
Holly Redmond, MS student
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Holly joined the SWEL and CWRL in fall 2023. She is particularly interested in the behavioral and evolutionary ecology of matrilineal social species, and her work at SIU will investigate impacts of stress physiology and immune condition on individual movement behavior in white tailed deer. Holly received a BS in Ecology and Conservation Biology from Montana State University and has previously conducted research in disease ecology and integrated management in vertebrate and invertebrate taxa. Holly enjoys short walks from her car to the lake with a paddleboard, stargazing from a (hopefully) tick-free hammock, and indulging in a fine cold brew coffee. Holly can often be found at home reading, doing arts or crafts, and hanging out with her cat, Frasier.
Kristine Cotten, MS student
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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. Outside of work I enjoy reading, hiking, and spending time with friends and family.
