PEOPLE

Dr. Cathy M.B. Jachowski - Principal Investigator
Associate Professor of Wildlife Ecology, Clemson University, Clemson, SC

PhD, Fish & Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, 2016
MS, Wildlife & Fisheries Science, University of Missouri, 2010
BS, Environmental Science, Georgetown College, 2001

Research Interests: Stream ecology, population ecology, behavior, global change, quantitative ecology, monitoring./ecology of cryptic species

I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation at Clemson University where I am Principal Investigator for a research team focused on advancing conservation through ecological research. I'm broadly interested in how animal behavior, population ecology, and how each interface with environmental change to impact populations. I work primarily in freshwater systems but many of the research questions and quantitative techniques I use translate seamlessly to terrestrial systems. I've had the privilege of contributing to hellbender salamander ecology and conservation for most of my career and advancing conservation of Appalachian streams that they depend on is a personal passion of mine. Prior to a career in academia, I spent several years in the field of environmental education and worked as a resource staff scientist for a state wildlife agency. In my personal time you can find me gardening, lounging on the lake, and spending time with family.

John Connock
Lab Manager and Senior Technician

Current Graduate Students

Dan Knapp, PhD Candidate
MS, Biology, University of Alabama, 2020
BS, Biology, Pennsylvania State University, 2012

Current Project: Investigating the ecological role of hellbenders (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) in southern Appalachian streams.

Dan has broad research interests including, but not limited to, nutrient cycling, behavioral ecology, morphological and developmental plasticity, and predator-prey interactions. For his Master’s research, Dan studied how development, interspecific morphology, and predators influence the body stoichiometry of larval anurans. In addition to extensive lab experience, Dan has spent a great deal of time in the field working for both the Jones Center at Ichauway in Georgia and for the USGS in California. In his free time, Dan likes to cook, snorkel, fish, and spend time with his wife and two cats.

Ben Dalton, PhD Candidate
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.

Matt Hanbury, MS Student (Co-advised by Dr. Todd Pierson, Kennesaw State University)
BS, Biology, University of North Carolina Asheville, 2012

Current Project: Distribution & Population Genetics of the Patch-nosed salamander (Urspelerpes brucei)

Newly Accepted Graduate Students - Starting Summer 2026

Nicole Hernandez, PhD Student

MS, Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida, 2022
BS, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, 2017

Current Project: Assessing Status and Guiding Recovery of Hellbender Populations following Hurricane Helene

Nicole Hernandez is a research biologist with experience studying native and invasive species across a variety of ecosystems. She earned both her B.S. in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation and M.S. in Forest Resources and Conservation from the University of Florida.
Throughout her career, Nicole has worked on projects ranging from tracking small mammal movement across African landscapes to monitoring endangered hicatee turtles in Belize, studying snake fungal disease in Louisiana, and conducting research on native and invasive herpetofauna throughout the Florida Everglades. Following her master's degree, where she focused on population health and movement of American alligators and crocodiles in southern Florida, Nicole spent four years with the U.S. Geological Survey in Fort Collins, Colorado, where she worked with state and federal partners to develop web applications that supported invasive species research and Chronic Wasting Disease surveillance.
Nicole is excited to begin her PhD research on eastern hellbender salamanders, where she will study the impacts of Hurricane Helene on hellbender populations and evaluate factors that can improve population monitoring and long-term conservation strategies. Outside of her research, Nicole enjoys photography, hiking, reading next to her cats, and spending time outdoors with her husband and daughter.

Faith Dunlap, MS Student
Current Project: Assessing Status and Guiding Recovery of Hellbender Populations following Hurricane Helene

Kaitlyn Dirr, MS Student
Current Project: Assessing Status and Guiding Recovery of Riverine Turtles following Hurricane Helene