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People of PRI

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  • A woman with her arms outstretched in front of a mountain.

    Nina Athanasopoulos, undergraduate researcher

    Nina Athanasopoulos is an undergraduate researcher at the Illinois State Geological Survey and a junior at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she’s pursuing a degree in Earth, Society, and Environmental Sustainability. Starting with ISGS in January 2024, Nina spent the summer as a Potter Intern, exploring critical minerals research and geochemical analysis.

  • A man on a boat holding a fish

    Jeremy Facer, research assistant

    Jeremy Facer’s journey into the world of fisheries and environmental research began in the wilderness of Idaho, where he developed a deep appreciation for nature. Now a graduate student in the Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences and research assistant with the Illinois Natural History Survey under Joseph Parkos, Jeremy focuses on studying fish and their prey’s response to supplemental habitats in aging reservoirs.

  • A woman holding a box turtle

    Kaitlin Karl, PhD student

    Kaitlin Karl, a new PhD student at the Cooperative Conservation Genetics Lab at the Illinois Natural History Survey, brings a deep-rooted passion for preserving biodiversity. We sat down with Kaitlin for this edition of “People of PRI” to learn more about her journey, her favorite tools, and advice for aspiring conservationists.

  • A woman standing near a river holding a crayfish.

    Ellen Schonken, lab technician

    Ellen Schonken is a lab technician with the Population and Community Ecology Lab at the Illinois Natural History Survey and a junior majoring in Natural Resources & Environmental Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

  • A woman wearing sunglasses and face mask standing in front of a volcano.

    Bridget Dale, GIS specialist

    Bridget Dale recently joined the Illinois State Geological Survey as a GIS specialist working alongside Dave Grimley. A graduate of NC State University with a degree in Geology and Paleontology, Bridget’s academic background includes research in planetary science and remote sensing

  • Shah Bilawal Ali, research assistant

    Shah Bilawal Ali is an MS student in the Department of Earth Science & Environmental Change at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and a Research Assistant at the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS). He is now working on the Mitchell CarbonSAFE project, developing geologic models that could contribute to energy sustainability. Explore Ali’s story below to learn about his passion for sedimentology, his tools of the trade, and his ambitions for the future.

  • A man kneeling over an excavation site, removing dirt with a trowel

    Seth Allgeier, curation specialist

    Seth Allgeier recently joined the Illinois State Archaeological Survey as a curation specialist. At PRI, Seth is leveraging his fieldwork experience to assess, organize, and digitize Illinois Department of Transportation site documents

  • Stefan Ilic, visiting scientific specialist

    We sat down with Stefan Ilic, a new visiting scientific specialist on the GIS team at the Illinois State Geological Survey. In this interview, Stefan shares insights into his journey to becoming a GIS specialist, his passion for geography and cartography, and the tools he relies on for his work.

     

  • Carolina Diaz Garcia, postdoctoral research associate

    Introducing Carolina Diaz Garcia, a postdoctoral research associate at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, working under the mentorship of Dr. Wei Zheng. Carolina brings a wealth of experience and passion to her work in environmental research, focusing on innovative methods to improve water quality and tackle pollution challenges

  • A woman in sunglasses stands in front of a pool of water.

    Sunita Mahat, visiting scientific specialist

    Introducing Sunita Mahat, a visiting scientific specialist in GIS at the Illinois State Geological Survey. Sunita shares insights into her role in the Abandoned Mine Lands (AML) Inventory and Characterization Project, her passion for using technology to address environmental challenges, and her advice for aspiring GIS analysts.

  • Payton Ohler, summer research intern

    Payton Ohler recently completed her summer internship working with Sherilyn Williams-Stroud at the Illinois State Geological Survey. As a participant in the Graduate College’s Summer Research Opportunities Program, she focused on the social and technological implications of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) projects.

  • A woman in cold-weather attire stands in front of a snow-covered mountain.

    Katie Spaulding, GIS Specialist

    We spoke with Katie Spaulding, a recent graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the newest visiting scientific specialist of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) at the Illinois State Geological Survey. Katie shared her journey from her undergraduate career to her current role at ISGS, where she combines her passion for the environment with advanced mapping technologies. 

  • A woman with waders sitting in a stream holding a plastic bottle.

    Savanna Palmer, summer research intern

    Savanna Palmer, a student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign majoring in Integrative Biology Honors, recently completed an internship under Mark Davis in the Collaborative Conservation Genetic Lab (CCGL) at the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS).

  • A male in a blue jacket stands in front of the Sydney Opera House.

    Jake Vile, undergraduate researcher

    Jake Vile, a recent graduate from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in Atmospheric Sciences recently joined the Illinois State Water Survey, a division of the Prairie Research Institute. Jake's passion for weather began at a young age, and he plans to further his studies with a M.S. in Atmospheric Sciences at the University at Albany this fall. At PRI, he contributes to the MITTEN-CI project, focusing on collecting and analyzing meteorological data. Jake's dedication and enthusiasm, combined with his extensive global experience, make him a valuable asset to our team. We sat down with Jake to learn more about his experience and plans for the future.

  • A man stands in front of a lake at sunset.

    Rob Mooney, assistant research scientist

    Rob Mooney recently joined INHS as an assistant research scientist. His research interests span a range of aquatic science topics, from invertebrate behavior to ecosystem-scale stressors to fisheries management.

  • A woman kneeling with a dog.

    Lauren Dean, assistant research scientist

    Lauren Dean joined the INHS as an assistant research scientist focused on Hunter Research for the Learn to Hunt program. She previously conducted research focused on exploring waterfowl hunting regulation complexity as a constraint to adult novice waterfowl hunter recruitment and retention in Illinois in conjunction with the Illinois Learn to Hunt program. We sat down with Lauren to learn a bit more about her.

  • A woman wearing a hat and holding a toad.

    Hope Dermott, visiting scientific specialist

    Hope Dermott joined INHS in the Wetland Science Program on May 20th as a Visiting Scientific Specialist in Wetland Science. She is currently working on her Master's degree in soil science at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

  • Walt Kelly poses for a photo at the awards ceremony.

    Walton R. Kelly, 2024 Research Scientist Career Achievement Award recipient

    Walton R. Kelly is the recipient of the Prairie Research Institute’s 2024 Research Scientist Career Achievement Award, which recognizes the achievements of a PRI scientist whose fundamental discoveries, new theories, or insights have had a significant impact over the course of their career.

  • Atticus Zavelle, 2024 Distinguished Research Specialist/Technician Award recipient

    Atticus Zavelle, senior scientific specialist at the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS) has been selected as the recipient of PRI’s 2024 Distinguished Research Specialist/Technician Award.

  • Dr. Nohra Mateus-Pinilla, 2024 Distinguished Research Scientist Award recipient

    Dr. Nohra Mateus-Pinilla has been selected as the recipient of the 2024 Distinguished Research Scientist Award by the Prairie Research Institute. This prestigious recognition is bestowed upon individuals whose exceptional contributions to their field of research, environment, and society stand out as exemplary. Dr. Mateus-Pinilla, the director of the Wildlife Veterinary Epidemiology Laboratory at the Illinois Natural History Survey.

  • Scott Elrick accepting the Friend of PRI Award from Executive Director Praveen Kumar on behalf of Laurence Nuelle.

    Laurence Nuelle, 2024 Friend of PRI Award recipient

    Laurence Nuelle is the recipient of the Prairie Research Institute’s 2024 Friend of PRI Award, which recognizes service and commitment in helping PRI meet its mission of being the trusted science authority to the state of Illinois.

  • Mike DeYoung poses for a photo at the awards ceremony.

    Mike DeYoung, 2024 Outstanding New Support Staff Award recipient

    Project Manager Mike DeYoung is the recipient of the Prairie Research Institute’s 2024 Outstanding New Support Staff Award, which recognizes non-scientific support staff who have shown exceptional performance and outstanding service in their work and are making an impact on PRI.

  • Lori Walston-Vonderharr, 2024 Distinguished Support Staff Award recipient

    Human Resources Business Partner Lori Walston-Vonderharr is the recipient of the Prairie Research Institute’s 2024 Distinguished Support Staff Award, which recognizes non-scientific support staff who have shown exceptional performance and outstanding service in their work and are making an impact on PRI.

  • Mera Hertel, 2024 Distinguished Support Staff Award recipient

    Recognized for her exceptional contributions, Mera Hertel, a cornerstone of the Illinois State Archaeological Survey (ISAS), has been honored with the 2024 Distinguished Support Staff Award by the Prairie Research Institute.

  • Jameson Mori, 2024 PRI Early Career Investigator Award recipient

    Jameson Mori, assistant research scientist at the Illinois Natural History Survey’s Wildlife Epidemiological Lab, has been named the recipient of the 2024 Early Career Investigator Award by the Prairie Research Institute (PRI) for their outstanding contributions to environmental science and interdisciplinary research.

  • A woman with a hat standing on a mountain top.

    Ellie Callahan, visiting scientific specialist

    Introducing Ellie Callahan, a geochemistry researcher at the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS), a division of Prairie Research Institute. With a B.S. in Geology and Environmental Studies from the University of Wisconsin Madison and a M.S. in Geology from the University of Oklahoma, Ellie's journey is fueled by a passion for understanding the Earth’s complex systems and for interdisciplinary problem-solving. Currently, as a visiting scientific specialist in geochemistry, she delves into groundwater vulnerability assessments at Illinois nature preserves and leads an exciting project revisiting outstanding geological features across the state. We sat down with Ellie to hear how she navigates the fascinating intersection of research, industry, and the great outdoors.

  • A man riding a horse with one hand over his head holding a cowboy hat.

    Justin Remmers, postdoctoral researcher

    Justin Remmers recently joined INHS as a Postdoctoral Researcher.

  • Woman with a hat on holding a large black and yellow turtle.

    Claire Dietrich, field ecologist

    Claire Dietrich recently joined the PACE Lab as a field ecologist.

  • Reilly Durham, visiting scientific specialist

    Introducing Reilly Durham, who recently joined the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) at the Prairie Research Institute. Their role focuses on algal-bacterial bioaugmentation, aiming to revolutionize wastewater treatment and biofuel production.

  • Shaley Valentine, assistant research scientist

    Shaley Valentine recently joined Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) as an Assistant Research Scientist at the Illinois River Biological Station! Prior to joining INHS, Shaley completed a PhD at Southern Illinois University. We sat down with Shaley to learn more about them, what they’re passionate about, and hear any advice they have for future scientists.

  • Sara P. Villazan Perez-Girones

    Sara Villazan Perez-Girones, visiting scientific specialist

  • Jordan Hartman, postdoctoral researcher

    Jordan Hartman joined INHS and the Collaborative Conservation Genomics Laboratory on January 1, 2024, as a Postdoctoral Researcher with Dr. Mark Davis. She recently completed her Ph. D. at the University of Illinois under Dr. Eric Larson where she studied the process of the invasion of Eastern Banded Killifish in Illinois using different and genomic techniques. Today, she can found in the genomics laboratory where she will be researching little brown bats across the United States.

  • Amber Zilinger

    Amber Zilinger, visiting scientific specialist

    Amber Zilinger recently joined INHS as a visiting scientific specialist in soils and disease research in the Wildlife Veterinary Epidemiology Laboratory. 

  • Parikshit Gogoi, visiting research scholar

    Meet Dr. Parikshit Gogoi, a distinguished visiting research scholar currently immersed in a journey at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) under the Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence fellowship. Since September 25, 2023, Dr. Gogoi has been steering his research towards the catalytic conversion of lignin bio-oils components to aromatics and fuel range hydrocarbons.

  • Amber Schmidt

    Amber Schmidt: Grad Student and Illinois Indiana Sea Grant Scholar

  • Wei Dang

    Wei Dang, water resource engineer

    Wei Dang earned her Master of Geographic Information Science from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2022. Following graduation, she joined PRI as a Water Resource Engineer. Her primary responsibilities revolve around using GIS methodologies to present water resource data and information on surface water in a visually intuitive and accessible manner. She also works on the geospatial analyses of water resources systems, aiming to streamline water resources planning and management.  

  • Katrina Cotten

    Katrina Cotten, terrestrial ecologist

    Katrina Cotten recently joined INHS as a terrestrial ecologist. She received her B.Sc. in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. During her undergrad and after graduation, she worked in the Human-Wildlife Interactions Lab, where she was first introduced to working with bats. She completed a summer research project examining predation risks at natural versus artificial roosts in southern Indiana. She also contributed to a literature review examining the temperature buffering capacity of tree microhabitats at a global scale.

  • Chris Taylor

    Chris Taylor, senior curator of INHS fishes and crustaceans collection

    With 30 years devoted to the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), Chris Taylor, curator of the fishes and crustaceans collection, has been awarded the 2023 PRI Research Scientist Career Achievement Award. He has been described as a world-renowned expert in the systematics, ecology, and natural history of crustaceans, especially crayfish.

  • Allan Jones

    Allan E. Jones, hydrologist

    Allan E. Jones, a recently promoted assistant research scientist in hydrology, has received the Prairie Research Institute (PRI) 2023 Early Career Investigator Award for his excellence in research and leadership and his impact on the development of the groundwater flow model at the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS).

  • Tanner Jones

    Tanner Jones, irrigation and hydrology specialist

    Tanner works with the Illinois Water Inventory Program (IWIP), specifically on the irrigation side to find new ways to collect water usage figures that can help us understand the water status and water needs around the state and work on the data side to pair irrigator information with the information existing in the Water Survey. He also helps to communicate water usage analysis to the general public.

  • Hafiz Salih

    Hafiz Salih, head of business development for point source carbon capture

    Hafiz Salih is a chemical and environmental research engineer and serves as the Head of Business Development for Point Source Capture at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC). Hafiz earned his Ph.D. in civil and environmental engineering from the University of Cincinnati and has more than a decade of experience, but as a kid, he always thought he would go into biological science, before getting into engineering. 

  • scientist smiling and holding up a freshwater mussel

    Hugo Ruellan, aquatic ecologist

  • Abby Pagels in the field

    Abby Pagels, acoustic coordinator for the Illinois Bat Conservation Program

  • Anna Frailey

    Anna Frailey, field scientist/forest ecologist

    We're pleased to welcome Anna Frailey to the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) as a field scientist/forest ecologist! Anna brings her passion for land management to this role, and we look forward to having her on our team!

  • Tony Schutz

    Tony Schutz, primary desktop support

    The Computing and Data Services (CDS) team welcomes new staff member, Tony Schutz, as the primary desktop support. Tony has been working with PRI part-time for the past eight years and has now joined us as a full-time employee. He will be the primary desktop support person for staff at the Illinois State Water Survey (ISWS), but will be pitching in on desktop support across PRI and helping the CDS server team as well. Tony is a familiar face for sure, and we’re very glad to have him as a full-time member of the team.

  • Janice Enos

    Janice Enos, avian biologist

    Janice Enos, an avian biologist at the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS). Her research broadly focuses on how social interactions influence nesting ecology and habitat selection in songbirds. Janice has been an animal lover and interested in science for as long as she can remember, crediting David Attenborough and PBS documentaries like “NOVA” and “Nature” for sparking her interest in science, and the Massachusetts Audubon Society for convincing her to become an ornithologist!

  • Manisha Pant

    Manisha Pant, macroinvertebrates coordinator

    Manisha Pant recently joined the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) as a macroinvertebrates coordinator with the Illinois River Biological Station (IRBS)’s long-term resource monitoring (LTRM) program. Manisha is looking forward to once again sampling and studying freshwater macroinvertebrates, and has always been interested in STEM fields since she was a kid. If you wonder if she's grossed out by looking at bugs all the time – her answer, emphatically, “No! Bugs are cool!” 

  • Katelyn McLaughlin

    Katelyn McLaughlin, environmental science writer

    I grew up in the Northwest Chicago Suburbs and moved to Champaign in June of 2021 for work. I graduated from Illinois State University in 2018 with a bachelor's degree in English and a focus on publishing and I’ve worked a few jobs unrelated to my major since then. My role at PRI is as an environmental science writer for WaterOperator.org through the Water Survey and this is the first writing-based job I have had since graduating college so I am very excited about that!

  • Matt Finzel

    Matt Finzel, INHS graduate student researcher

    At 4 or 5 years old, INHS grad student Matt Finzel remembers exploring the great outdoors, letting curiosity be his guide! Now he's using large datasets from INHS to search for indicator plant species of high quality wetlands in Illinois.

  • Rohini Vembar

    Rohini Vembar, INHS graduate student researcher

    INHS graduate student Rohini Vembar grew up surrounded by science, and—even as an elementary school student—knew she wanted to go into some STEM field.