Office Staff & Researchers
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Researchers

Christopher Bucher
Researcher I
Chris grew up in Michigan, fascinated by the Great Lakes. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science from the University of Toledo in 2022. He joined Dr. Garvey’s lab in the fall of 2023 and currently works on invasive carp telemetry on the Illinois and Wabash Rivers.

Amy Buhman
Researcher I
Dr. Heist's Lab

Dr. Peng Chen
Postdoctoral Researcher
Dr. Garvey's Lab

Dr. Chinthaka Sinhapura
Scientist
Dr. Lydy's Lab

Cameron Davis
Researcher I
Dr. Garvey's Lab

Paul Hitchens
Researcher II
Dr. Heist's Lab

Hannah Holmquist
Lab Manager
Dr. Garvey's Lab
Dr. Whitledge's Lab

Dr. Kara Huff-Hartz
Senior Scientist

Giovanni Molinari
Post Doctoral

Dr. Joe Mruzek
Associate Scientist
Joe completed his Ph.D. at the University of Texas at Arlington in 2022 under Dr. Sophia Passy. His dissertation focused on how dispersal limitation and habitat filtering shaped freshwater fish communities. Joe studied the effects of instream flow on fish biodiversity across South Carolina as a postdoc at Clemson under Drs. Brandon Peoples and Luke Bower. At SIU, Joe is working with Dr. Jim Garvey to study movement patterns and environmental preferences of invasive bigheaded carps. The goal of this research is to inform agencies working to mitigate invasion and conserve native biodiversity of the Ohio River Basin.

Kathleen Wells
Researcher I
Office Staff

Dan Richardson
Business Manager

Alysha Karns-Tellor
Office Administrator