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Graduate Students and Post-Docs (in chronological order)

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Chloe Moore Voorhees, Postdoctoral Fellow

 

I joined the Magoulick Lab as a postdoc in fall 2023 to continue the ongoing research on flow-ecology relationships for fish and aquatic insects in the Interior Highlands region, USA. More specifically, I am investigating relationships between flow regime and assemblage trait composition to identify thresholds along hydrologic alteration gradients wherein the functional composition is predicted to fundamentally change. I obtained my PhD from Virginia Tech researching spatial and temporal patterns and drivers of multidimensional biodiversity for anurans (frogs and toads). Prior to that, I received my BS from the University of Georgia and researched hellbender distributions using environmental DNA. Generally, my research revolves around identifying connections between species characteristics, the environment, and patterns of diversity, using tools from population genetics, community ecology, and spatial ecology.

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Kearstin Findley, Ph.D. student

 

I received my B.S. in Ecology and Evolution at Rockford University in my hometown of Rockford, Illinois in 2018. Subsequently, I earned my M.S. working with Dr. Kyle Piller at Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, LA in 2020. My master’s thesis focused on using ecological niche modeling and targeted field sampling to evaluate the distribution of six imperiled freshwater fish species in Louisiana. Currently, I am pursuing my PhD in Biological Sciences at the University of Arkansas. My dissertation research focuses on evaluating current and future climate impacts on Yellowcheek Darter (Nothonotus moorei) survival, growth, and refuge use. My research interests include freshwater fish conservation, ecological niche modeling, conservation of imperiled species, and fish ecology.

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Leah Bayer, Ph.D. student

 

I received my BS in Biology and Mathematics from Youngstown State University. I am currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Arkansas. My research interests include ecological modeling, population ecology, and conservation of imperiled species. 

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Sarah Sorensen, Ph.D. student

 

I received my B.S. from Purdue University and Masters of Environmental Science from University of California - Santa Barbara. While in California, I worked in the Los Padres National Forest and the Angeles National Forest, surveying sedimentation in waterways and establishing baseline habitat surveys for California steelhead trout. I am currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Arkansas. My research interests include looking at how stressors impact population and community dynamics.

Recent Past Graduate Students

J. Tyler Fox, Post-Doctoral Fellow - The Nature Conservancy River Conservation Programs

 

Tyler joined the Magoulick Lab in fall 2017 to research flow-ecology relationships for streams in the Ozark-Ouachita Interior Highlands and West Gulf Coastal Plains. The results of this work will form the basis for setting regional environmental flow standards and understanding impacts of land use and climate change. Tyler received his Ph.D. in Fish and Wildlife Conservation in 2015 from Virginia Tech, researching spatiotemporal patterns and drivers of surface water quality and landscape change in southern Africa.  He completed his M.S. at the University of Central Arkansas studying water quality in cave streams and resurgence springs in southeastern Missouri’s karst/sinkhole plains. His specific research interests include: quantitative landscape ecology for conservation and management of natural resources and wildlife, focused on complex coupled human-natural systems, and individual, population, and community responses to global change; human and environmental drivers of water quality and health; and geospatial analysis and modeling of multivariate time series.

Robert Fournier, Ph.D. student - Postdoc at University of California, Berkeley

 

I received a BS from Florida State University and a MS from Louisiana Tech University. I am currently pursuing a PhD in Biology at the University of Arkansas.  My research interests are community ecology, predator-prey ecology, and stream ecology.  My teaching interests are General Biology and Ecology.

Chris Middaugh, Ph.D. - working as Research Biologist for Arkansas Game and Fish Commission

 

I received my BS in biology from Lyon College and my MS in fisheries science from Purdue University. I worked as a fisheries biologist for Florida Fish and Wildlife for two years. At the University of Arkansas I examined how climate change and land use affect smallmouth bass population dynamics.

Nicky Graham, M.S. - working as Research Biologist for Idaho Dept of Fish and Game

 

I received a BS in Environmental Studies from Virginia Commonwealth University. At U of A, I examined effects of drought disturbance and invader source population on native crayfish population dynamics.

Allyson Yarra, M.S. - working for MA Department of Environmental Protection

 

I received my BS in Fisheries Ecology and Conservation at the University of Massachusetts where I studied the effects of anthropogenic alterations to flow regimes and impacts on aquatic biota. For my MS I focused on the influence of disturbance (drought, predation, invasive species) on crayfish in the Ozark Highlands with an emphasis on species of greatest conservation need.

 

 

Lindsey Bruckerhoff, M.S. - Assistant Professor at Ohio State University

 

I am primarily interested in stream ecology, especially factors driving population and community dynamics. While pursuing my BS in Wildlife Biology at Missouri State University, I looked into dispersal mechanisms for aquatic invasive species in northern Wisconsin. At U of A my research focused on the relationship between stream hydrology and fish assemblages. Specifically, I examined at how variation in hydrologic factors in Ozark streams influence recruitment success in fish.

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