Category: People

Jason P. Ross

Posted on by
Jason worked on several projects for us in the herpetology lab including Eastern Massasauga searches, Illinois Mud Turtle radio-telemetry, and Blanding’s Turtle work in the Chicago Region.  He completed his M.Sc. in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois in 2016.  His project examined the population and spatial ecology of the Smooth Softshell Turtle (Apalone mutica) in the Kaskaskia River.  In particular, he studied how high rates of flow affected the spatial biology and behavior of this species.  The project focused on two reaches of the Kaskaskia River, below the Lake Shelbyville Dam and below the Carlyle Lake Dam.  Jason then moved to be an Associate Herpetologist with the Illinois Natural History Survey in the Urban Biotic Assessment Program. Currently, Jason has started his own environmental consulting firm focusing on turtle conservation and ecology.
INHS Report
Link to Thesis

Dr. Ethan J. Kessler

Posted on by

Dr. Kessler then remained in the lab to begin as a postdoctoral researcher, where he began work on numerous projects. He has continued the Alligator Snapping Turtle reintroduction project for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. He has since expanded his research repertoire to include eDNA sampling methods. Currently, Dr. Kessler has ongoing eDNA projects covering the Alligator Snapping Turtle, Mudpuppy, and Salamander Mussel.

Dr. Kessler began work in the herpetology lab aiding with herpetofaunal surveys, a large-scale assessment of ephemeral wetlands quality for amphibians, and aided in the radio-telemetry of the Smooth Softshell Turtle.  He began his research under my advisement in the spring of 2014 as a master’s student in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois. He later switched to the Ph.D. program and graduated in 2020.  His project was part of a multi-state effort to recovery the Alligator Snapping Turtles (Macrochelys temminckii ).  Specifically, he examined how wildlife health, habitat use, behavior, and thermal ecology affected survival rates in repatriated turtles raised under different conditions. His project aided in determining measures of success or failure for the repatriation efforts and hence help guide future recovery efforts of the species in Illinois.
Dissertation
News Gazette Article

Dr. Sarah J. Baker

Posted on by
Dr. Baker received her Bachelor’s degree in zoology from North Dakota State University, Fargo.  She has always held a keen interest in pit-vipers and moved to Illinois to receive her Master’s in Biology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in Dr. Christopher A. Phillips’ Herpetology Lab.  She completed her Master’s work in 2009 on the “Ecophysiology of the Eastern Massasauga (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus) at Carlyle Lake, Illinois”.  She then continued to pursue a doctoral degree in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental sciences expanding on the long-term demographic data collected on the Eastern Massasauga.  In 2016, she completed her Ph.D. and was a post-doctoral fellow in the Urban Biotic Assessment Program.  Dr. Baker then worked briefly as a Herpetologist for Arizona Game and Fish Department but has now settled as an Assistant Professor in the Biology Department and McNeese State University, Lousiana.
Dissertation
SFD Article

Dr. Jonathan K. Warner

Posted on by
Dr. Warner received his Bachelor’s Degree in 2004 from the University of Illinois in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science.  After graduation, he worked as a field technician in Dr. Christopher Phillips Herpetology Lab assisting on many different projects.  In 2005, he began his Master’s Degree at the University of the Witwatersrand studying the conservation biology and ecology of the Gaboon Adder (Bitis gabonica).  In 2009, he began his Doctoral work at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (Pietermaritzburg) working on a large-scale ecological study of the Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus).  After completing his doctoral work, Dr. Warner joined the Urban Biotic Assessment Program as a postdoctoral fellow in 2016.  In early 2017, he became the Alligator Program Leader for Texas Parks and Wildlife.  Dr. Warner’s research interests are broad and revolve around the conservation and management of crocodilian and snake species.
ResearchGate Profile