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People of PRI
Prairie Research Institute

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  • A woman holding a box turtle

    Kaitlin Karl, PhD student

    Sep 24, 2024 3:00 pm

    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 man on a boat holding a fish

    Jeremy Facer, research assistant

    Sep 26, 2024 8:00 am

    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 with her arms outstretched in front of a mountain.

    Nina Athanasopoulos, undergraduate researcher

    Oct 2, 2024 8:00 am

    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 stands on a ship on open water with a naval vessel in the distance.

    Aidan Neill, undergraduate researcher

    Oct 8, 2024 7:00 am

    Aidan Neill, a Midshipman second class in the United States Naval Reserve and an undergraduate geology student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, combines a passion for the outdoors with a drive to explore rare earth elements.

  • A woman in a coat enthusiastically holding a bag of water.

    Ellie Snyder, postdoctoral researcher

    Oct 10, 2024 7:00 am

    Ellie Snyder recently joined the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS) as a postdoctoral researcher. At INHS, Ellie is exploring the potential of eRNA in fish monitoring, collaborating with Mark Davis and Sarah Molinaro.

  • Afeefa Rahman, research assistant

    Oct 15, 2024 7:00 am

    Afeefa Rahman is a research assistant and a PhD candidate in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

  • Hongxu Zhou, postdoctoral researcher

    Oct 23, 2024 8:00 am

    Hongxu Zhou is a postdoctoral researcher at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center. Hongxu's current research targets biochar systems for the destruction of Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS.

  • Molly Carlson, wetlands scientist

    Oct 24, 2024 11:00 am

    Molly Carlson is a visiting scientific specialist in the wetlands geology section at the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS). With a B.S. in Wildlife and Conservation Biology from Ohio University and an M.S. in Freshwater Conservation from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Molly brings expertise in wetland ecosystems.

  • Sarah stands in front of a museum display, smiling with one hand on hip.

    Sarah Manderbach, water safety researcher

    Oct 29, 2024 8:00 am

    Sarah Manderbach is a water safety researcher at the Illinois State Water Survey, where she conducts vital research on private wells. At PRI, Sarah is researching testing for Legionella in private wells in Illinois. 

  • A man in a cave wearing a fluorescent vest and hard hat.

    Alexander Rushing, historic mining specialist

    Oct 30, 2024 8:00 am

    Meet Alexander Rushing, who usually goes by Sasha, a Visiting Scientific Specialist in Historic Mining & Geology at the Illinois State Geological Survey. At PRI, he is apart of the Abandoned Mine Lands and Mined Out Areas projects team.

  • A woman holding a bird in her hand.

    Hannah Grushon, research assistant

    Oct 31, 2024 8:00 am

    Hannah Grushon is a first-year Master's student at the University of Illinois in the Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences program and a graduate research assistant with the  Illinois Natural History Survey. Her passion for conservation drives her research, which aims to identify effective management strategies to support these critical ecosystems.

  • A woman standing in front of a mounted Triceratops skeleton.

    Amanda Quealy, undergraduate researcher

    Nov 5, 2024 11:00 am

    Amanda Quealy is a sophomore majoring in history and anthropology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. As an undergraduate researcher at the Illinois State Archaeological Survey, Amanda plays an essential role in organizing and cataloging artifacts, ranging from bones to botanical materials and lithics.

  • A woman wearing a pink scarf and gloves and black winter hat is standing on top of a mountain and giving the "peace" sign". Snow-covered mountains and evergreen treen can be seeing in the distance.

    Fatima Tuz Zafrin Tuli, geoscience data R&D scientist

    Nov 7, 2024 7:30 am

    Meet Fatima Tuz Zafrin Tuli, who goes by Tuli, is a geoscience data R&D scientist with the Illinois State Geological Survey. Her work at ISGS focuses on managing and advancing the use of scientific data—particularly GIS data—in research. 

  • A woman standing on a boat facing the camera. She is proudly holding a large gar fish using both of her hands.

    Rachel Prostko, water quality technician

    Dec 3, 2024 7:00 am

    Meet Rachel Prostko, a water quality technician at the Illinois Natural History Survey. Rachel brings her passion for lab and fieldwork to PRI, where she monitors water quality and studies zooplankton communities in the Mississippi watershed.

  • Josh Smith, smiling in front of yellow autumn leaves.

    Josh Smith, economic geologist and affiliate researcher

    Dec 17, 2024 7:00 am

    Josh Smith is a research specialist with the University of Illinois' Department of Earth Science & Environmental Change and a research affiliate with the Critical Minerals group at the Illinois State Geological Survey.

  • A woman wearing an orange shirt and with glasses giving the "peace" sign with her fingers.

    Hannah Anderson, environmental data specialist

    Dec 19, 2024 7:00 am

    Hannah Anderson joined the Illinois Natural History Survey (INHS), a division of the Prairie Research Institute (PRI) as an environmental data specialist. In this role, she’s embedded in the Illinois Department of Transportation’s (IDOT) Central Office in Springfield, Illinois.

  • A woman standing on a wilderness trails carrying a baby in a sling. Mountains and evergreen trees are in the distance.

    Gustava Curtin, graduate research assistant

    Feb 24, 2025 7:00 am

    Gustava Curtin is a graduate student in the Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences. at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a research assistant at the Illinois State Water Survey.