Ben Dalton, PhD Student
MS, Biology,
Missouri State University, 2013
BA, Biology,
William Jewell College, 2009
Current Project: Investigating predictors of hellbender population
status in NC streams.
While Ben officially got his start in biology by studying Coqui frog populations in Puerto Rico during his undergraduate career, he’ll tell you he knew he wanted to be a “naturalist” since third grade. Surely an effect of many childhood nature walks and growing up on TV shows like Marty Stouffer’s Wild America, Kratts’ Creatures, and the Crocodile Hunter. For his master’s, Ben studied Plethodon salamander agonistic behavior in Dr. Alicia Mathis’ lab at Missouri State University. After graduating, Ben returned to serve as Dr. Mathis’ laboratory supervisor.
A Missouri native, Ben moved to North Carolina in 2020 (fun!) to take a temporary technician job with the NC Wildlife Resources Commission monitoring the amphibian populations of the western NC mountains (including hellbenders—the largest salamander in the country). He must have done something right, because the temporary position rolled into another year, and another, and then into an agreement to begin a PhD while continuing his job part-time.
Aside from hellbenders, Ben has too many interests/hobbies to list succinctly. But, to name a few, Ben enjoys games of all types (tabletop, video games, TCG’s), fantasy and sci-fi series (books, movies, TV), arts and crafts of many varieties, photography, baking, hiking and other outdoor activities, and just being outside in general.
MS, Biology,
Missouri State University, 2013
BA, Biology,
William Jewell College, 2009
Current Project: Investigating predictors of hellbender population
status in NC streams.
While Ben officially got his start in biology by studying Coqui frog populations in Puerto Rico during his undergraduate career, he’ll tell you he knew he wanted to be a “naturalist” since third grade. Surely an effect of many childhood nature walks and growing up on TV shows like Marty Stouffer’s Wild America, Kratts’ Creatures, and the Crocodile Hunter. For his master’s, Ben studied Plethodon salamander agonistic behavior in Dr. Alicia Mathis’ lab at Missouri State University. After graduating, Ben returned to serve as Dr. Mathis’ laboratory supervisor.
A Missouri native, Ben moved to North Carolina in 2020 (fun!) to take a temporary technician job with the NC Wildlife Resources Commission monitoring the amphibian populations of the western NC mountains (including hellbenders—the largest salamander in the country). He must have done something right, because the temporary position rolled into another year, and another, and then into an agreement to begin a PhD while continuing his job part-time.
Aside from hellbenders, Ben has too many interests/hobbies to list succinctly. But, to name a few, Ben enjoys games of all types (tabletop, video games, TCG’s), fantasy and sci-fi series (books, movies, TV), arts and crafts of many varieties, photography, baking, hiking and other outdoor activities, and just being outside in general.
