Title: Postdoctoral Researcher
Employer: Illinois Natural History Survey, University of Illinois
Previous Role: Ph.D. Student

Ethan graduated with his degree in Integrative Biology in 2011. He began working with reptiles and amphibians as a museum assistant during an undergraduate research internship with Dr. Chris Phillips and quickly transitioned to field research. Upon graduation he went on to work as a field technician on a variety of projects at the Illinois Natural History Survey, including Illinois pond-breeding amphibian surveys, nationwide chytrid fungus surveys, and riverine turtle telemetry.

He began graduate school in 2014 studying a reintroduction of Alligator Snapping Turtles in southern Illinois. He graduated with a Ph.D. in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences from the University of Illinois in Spring 2020 and now works as a postdoctoral researcher at the Illinois Natural History Survey. His current research includes remote detection of ephemeral wetlands, population modeling of reintroduced Alligator Snapping Turtles, species distribution models of Odonates, and environmental DNA surveys for Alligator Snapping Turtles.

If you are interested in working with wildlife, conservation, or going to graduate school, Ethan would be a great person to talk with. Contact Christina Swanson at alumnimentor@sib.illinois.edu if you would like to connect with Ethan. You can contact him directly at ekessle2@illinois.edu.