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.
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.
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.
Jessica Cheng, PhD student
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Jessica joined the lab 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.
Seth Morelock, MS student
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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. He is co-advised by Dr. Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau in the Zoology Program and Dr. Brent Pease in the Forestry Program. 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.
Noelle Grabowski, MS student
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Noelle joined the CWSR and SWEL lab in the fall of 2025 as a master’s student. Her work will focus on evaluating the use of UAVs (drones) as a method for sampling muskrat abundance throughout the state of Illinois. Additionally, she will investigate terrestrial and aquatic habitat characteristics impacting muskrat abundance. Before coming to SIU, Noelle received her B.S. in Biology from Butler University in 2022 and spent time as a field technician around the country. She is a lifelong Illinoisan and enjoys going to concerts, watching movies, and hiking in her free time.
Lucy Cheeley, MS student
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Lucy joined SWEL as a master’s student in the fall of 2025. Her research uses bioacoustics to study Wild Turkeys in Illinois, with a focus on gobbling chronology. By analyzing patterns in vocal behavior, Lucy aims to inform hunting regulations and conservation strategies across the state. She is co-advised by Dr. Brent Pease. Lucy holds a Bachelor of Science with Distinction in Research in Animal Science from Cornell University. Her academic interests include bioacoustics, avian ecology, and wildlife conservation. Outside of research, Lucy enjoys birding, baking bread, and watching movies.
Chris Wemmer, MS student
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Chris joined the SWEL and PEASE labs in fall 2025 as a master’s student studying Wild Turkey Nesting Phenology in Illinois. His project will use “backpack” style radio-transmitters to track turkey throughout the nesting and brooding season to better understand habitat selection and space use decisions in wild turkey. He received a BS in biology from SUNY Fredonia. He is co-advised by Dr. Brent Pease. When not chasing birds Chris enjoys fishing, camping, reading and, watching movies.