Postdoctoral researchers
Jake Walsh, 2023-2025. Jake was a Presidential Postdoctoral Fellow working on aquatic ecology and management.
Shyam Thomas, 2019-2023. Shyam investigated joint impacts of climate and vegetation change in northern forest watersheds to assess threats to wild rice. Previously, he developed spatially explicit models to predict invasion risk and quantify socio-economic impacts of Eurasian watermilfoil invasion in Minnesota lakes (when he was co-advised by Dan with Gretchen Hansen).
Katherine Marchetto, 2018-2022. Katie worked on a project to 1) assess the efficacy of using goat browsing to control invasive plants, and 2) examine a control strategy to reduce the exposure of goats used in invasive plant management to a potentially deadly parasite, meningeal worm. Katie was co-advised by Dan with Tiffany Wolf in the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Jesús Pinto Ledezma, 2017-2020. Jesús is from the lowland region of Bolivia and his research focuses on the intersection between macroevolution and macroecology. He applies macroevolutionary theory and phylogenetic comparative methods to understand geographic patterns of species diversity and the assembly of local biotic communities.
Ranjan Muthukrishnan, 2016-2018. Ranjan's research focuses on integrating empirical and theoretical approaches to understand the dynamics of major shifts in ecological communities. This has included working in coral reef communities to evaluate how anthropogenic stresses can drive shifts between coral-dominated and algal-dominated community states and research on biological invasions focusing on the properties that make communities susceptible to invasive species and the community consequences of the displacement of native foundation species.
Evelyn Williams, 2015-2017. Evelyn was a postdoc and remains a Co-PI on our project testing the role of phylogenetic diversity in prairie restoration. Her work encompasses plant conservation, genetics, and ecology.
Research staff
Julia Bohnen, M.S. Julia managed the Ecological Restoration training program and invasive Phragmites australis surveillance, control, and research efforts. She previously worked with Dr. Sue Galatowitsch on ecological restoration and reed canary grass ecology and management and also has experience as a restoration consultant and practitioner. She received her M.S. in Horticulture from the University of Minnesota.
Wesley Glisson. Wes was a Research Fellow involved in many aspects of our field and laboratory research. For his M.S. with Dan at Northwestern University, Wes investigated the sensitivity of secretive marshbirds to vegetation condition in natural and restored wetlands in southern Wisconsin. Before coming to UMN, Wes worked as a researcher in plant biology at Chicago Botanic Garden and in wildlife biology at the USGS Coop Unit at the University of Idaho. He is now an aquatic botanist with the State of Washington Department of Ecology.
Graduate students
Sirena Torres. M.S. 2025. Manoomin/psiɳ (Zizania palustris) seed biology: Germination under a changing climate.
Janell Balmaceda. M.S. 2025. Experimental evidence of hybrid vigor in Phragmites australis.
Jaron Cook. M.S. 2024. Assessing the restoration of grassland plant communities and bird habitat in the Conservation Reserve Program.
Michael Verhoeven, Ph.D. 2022, M.S. 2018. Mike completed his Ph.D. in Conservation Sciences on Community assembly, invasion, and management of aquatic plant communities.
Sara Nelson, M.S. 2022. An evaluation of goat browsing and other restoration strategies in buckthorn-invaded woodlands and savannas.
Carli Wagner, M.S. 2021. Plant community impacts and environmental associations of the invasive macroalga Nitellopsis obtusa (starry stonewort).
Rafael Contreras-Rangel, M.S. 2021. Efficacy of copper-based algaecides for the control of starry stonewort (Nitellopsis obtusa).
McKaylee Duquain. McKaylee was a Master's Student in Conservation Sciences working as part of the Kawe Gidaa-Naanaagadawendaamin Manoomin Project. This project was created in collaboration with Tribes of the Great Lakes region to better understand threats to and protect wild rice.
Rebecca Barak, Ph.D. 2017. Using trees to seed prairies: incorporating phylogenetic information to guide tallgrass prairie restoration.
Ryan Disney, M.S. 2016. Effects of harvest regime on an assemblage of native prairie species grown as a biofuel crop
Rebecca Tonietto, Ph.D. 2015. Effects of habitat restoration on wild bee communities.
Paul Hartzog, Ph.D. 2015. The effects of restoration and plant community change on denitrification and investigations into denitrification measurement techniques.
Wes Glisson, M.S. 2012. Habitat requirements and restoration targets for secretive marshbirds in southeastern Wisconsin.
Byron Tsang, M.S. 2012. Environmental factors affecting woodland legume restoration.
Amy Price, M.S. 2011. Genetics and ecology of Phragmites australis invasion in Chicago-area wetlands.
Elizabeth (Riley) Donovan, M.S. 2010. Comparison of three common wetland-assessment methods.
Undergraduate researchers
Amalia Galvan (REU, 2023)
Isabel LaLonde (UROP, 2022)
Jonah Bacon (undergrad research assistant, UROP, 2019-2020)
Jackson Millasovich (undergrad research assistant, 2020)
Noah Berg (undergrad research assistant, 2018–2020)
James Dickson (undergrad research assistant, 2019)
Carolyn Kalinowski (undergrad research assistant, 2018)
Carli Wagner (UMN UROP, 2015-2017)
Meghan Kramer (CBG REU, 2015)
Alyssa Wellman Houde (CBG REU, 2015)
Gabrielle Carr (NU, 2014–15)
Laura Bofill (CBG REU, 2012)
Hannah King (CBG REU, 2012)
Becky Cotteleer (Albion College, 2011)
Evan Eifler (UW–Madison, 2011)
Thea Klein-Mayer (NU thesis, 2011)
Lisa Mithun (NU thesis, 2011)
Tyr Wiesner-Hanks (NU, 2011)
Allegra Mount (NU thesis, 2011)
Cat Collins (DePaul University, 2010)
Joseph Boyer (CBG, 2010)
Dayani Pieri (Oakton Comm. College, 2010)
Bridgette Moen (CBG REU, 2010)
Chad Zirbel (CBG REU, 2010)
Jackie Beard (NU, 2010)
Rachel (Hesselink) Gentile (CBG REU, 2009)
Max Wilson (NU, 2009)
Michal Olszewski (LUC, 2007–2008)
Jeff Price (UM Biol. Station REU, 2007)
Cindy Stowell (LUC, 2006–2007)
Mike Lucero (San Diego State U., 2004–2005)
Tasi Rodriguez (Pt. Loma Nazarene U., 2004)