Fisheries & Wildlife

Christine Brodsky smiling outdoors.

Aug. 7, 2025

Christine C. Brodsky

Christine Brodsky is an Assistant Professor of Urban Ecology at the University of Missouri in the School of Natural Resources. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Missouri, M.S. from the University of Delaware, and B.S. from the University of Massachusetts. Her dissertation research was conducted within the Baltimore Ecosystem Study, a Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) program. After completing her Ph.D., she worked as a faculty member within Pittsburg State University’s Biology Department. She is a Certified Wildlife Biologist and currently serves on the Advisory Board for the Urban Biodiversity and Design (URBIO) international network. Brodsky also has a…

Rick Relyea outside smiling.

July 18, 2025

Rick Relyea

Educational background Ph.D. in Ecology & Evolution, University of Michigan, 1999 Courses taught Ecology Animal Behavior…

Robert Jacobson

Aug. 9, 2023

Robert B. Jacobson

Robb Jacobson pursues interdisciplinary research in river ecosystems with a focus on large-river ecology, endangered pallid sturgeon, invasive Asian carps, indicators of aquatic ecosystem integrity, and ecosystem services of large-river floodplains. His research efforts are directed toward decision-relevant information needs for management and restoration of large rivers, with an emphasis on the Missouri River. Current research projects include: transport dynamics of pallid sturgeon larvae in the Missouri River; assessments of large-river restoration strategies; evaluation of ecosystem services and resilience provided by levee setbacks; spatial distributions of flooding and flood damages on large, regulated rivers. Educational background Ph.D., 1986, The Johns…

Portrait of Allison Pease with river in background

Aug. 2, 2022

Allison A. Pease

Pease is an aquatic ecologist who studies how flow alteration, climate change, and other habitat impacts affect river fish populations and communities. Her work is international in scope, with collaborative research in Mexico, Paraguay, and the Republic of Congo. She and her students also carry out local work in the U.S. with clear implications for better understanding and predicting effects of environmental change on fish populations and aquatic food webs. Educational background Ph.D., Texas A&M University Courses taught F_W 2700: Ichthyology F_W 4300: Fisheries Management F_W 4400: Techniques for Fisheries Management and Conservation…

Jacob Westoff

Aug. 27, 2021

Jacob Westhoff

The research conducted by Jacob Westhoff primarily focuses on the applied needs of state and federal cooperators as part of the Missouri Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. These needs often include study of life history, distribution, habitat use, environmental tolerances, and general ecology of aquatic organisms. Educational background Ph.D., Fisheries and Wildlife, University of Missouri M.S., Biology, Tennessee Technological University…

Samniqueka Halsey; glasses; grey suit coat

July 16, 2019

Samniqueka Joi-Weaver Halsey

Educational background Ph.D., University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, 2019 MBA, University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, 2020 M.S., Chicago State University, 2013 B.S., Northeastern Illinois University, 2011 Courses taught F_W 4600WI/7600: Ecosystem Management NAT_R 4110/7110: Natural Resource Biometrics F_W 4810: Wildlife Disease Ecology NAT_R 8200: Ecological Restoration…

Thomas Bonnot

Oct. 11, 2018

Thomas Bonnot

Educational background Ph.D., Natural Resources (with minor in Statistics), University of Missouri …

Joanna Whittier headshot in front of a waterfall

Dec. 15, 2017

Joanna (Jodi) Whittier

Whittier focuses on applied research typically at landscape scales to assess habitat condition and the association between condition and community composition. She works collaboratively with stakeholders from across the U.S. to identify conservation opportunities based on current and future conditions. Educational background Ph.D., Wildlife and Fisheries Ecology, Oklahoma State University…

Dec. 15, 2017

Frank Thompson

Thompson is the project leader for the U. S. Forest Service North Central Forest Experiment Station research work unit located at Columbia, Mo., as well as a cooperative faculty member in the School of Natural Resources. He conducts research on population ecology and habitat selection of birds in forest ecosystems and addresses these problems at local, landscape and regional scales for species ranging from neotropical migratory songbirds to resident gamebirds. Thompson’s research currently focuses on forest songbirds and the effects of silvicultural practices, effects of forest fragmentation, edge effects and ecological traps, cowbird and predator abundance and behavior, source-sink population…

Robert Pierce smiling.

Dec. 15, 2017

Robert Pierce

Educational background Ph.D., University of Missouri-Columbia, 1998…