Jennifer A.H. Koop, Principal Investigator
Assistant Professor
Department of Biological Sciences
Northern Illinois University
1425 W. Lincoln Hwy
DeKalb, IL 60115
jkoop [@] niu [dot] edu

Research Interests: Host-parasite interactions; invasive parasite ecology; evolution; population genetics; conservation; avian biology; animal behavior

Education and Training
Assistant Professor, 2015-2019, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Post-doctoratal NIH fellowship, 2011-2014, University of Arizona
Ph.D. in Biology, 2011, University of Utah
B.S. in Zoology, 2004, University of Wisconsin

Carly Crow, M.S. Student

I graduated from the University of Georgia in 2018 with a B.S of Ecology. I have mostly worked with birds in my undergrad and since graduating , but I have an intense fascination with parasites and want to study them. I enjoy road cycling, drawing, and birding in my free time.

Emma Grindle, M.S. Student
​
​I graduated from Norwich University in 2018 with a B.S. in biology.  During undergrad, I did research involving temporal variation in diversity of trematode and snail species in lakes and ponds in Vermont.  This sparked my interest in the field of disease ecology and the snail-trematode system which I am continuing to study as a masters student.  I also enjoy doing art, and hiking in my free time.

Cheyenne Beach, Ph.D. student

Hi everyone! My name is Cheyenne (she/her) and I am from a small town in upstate New York. I received my B. Tech degree in Renewable Resources Management from the State University of New York at Morrisville in 2016 and my M.S. degree in Biology from Western Illinois University in 2021. I have always been very passionate about learning as much as possible about natural resources conservation and management and for that reason, I have spent my free time during, and after, my undergraduate education volunteering or working for various federal, state, private, and non-governmental organizations around the country that are driven by conservation objectives. My work has always been focused around wetland conservation and management, but throughout the years, I have concentrated my efforts into researching, monitoring, and managing for waterbirds. My M.S. research was focused on evaluating the effects of sublethal infections of three trematode species (Sphaeridiotreama globulus, S. pseudoglobulus and Cyathocotyle bushiensis) in captive lesser scaup (Aythya affinis) to facilitate the improvement of management actions alleviating morbidity and mortality of this species due to trematode infections. I will be continuing that research here at NIU as a PhD student. In my spare time, I enjoy birding for waterbirds, hiking, camping, backpacking, and exploring wilderness areas.

Michaela (Misha) Plagwitz, M.S. Student

Hi everyone! My name’s Misha Plagwitz (she/her). I’m a first year graduate student who also graduated from Northern Illinois University, class of 2021 with a B.S. in Biological Sciences. As an undergrad, I worked on the study of native arthropod species abundance on Midway Atoll as part of a study on the diet of invasive house mice (M. musculus), which threaten the population health of native seabirds in the area. My interest in invasive species and their effects on native species and ecosystems led me to pursue similar research for my master’s degree. Currently I’m working primarily on snail husbandry, but I am also collaborating on a paper on geographical and temporal variation in trematode infections found in invasive faucet snails (B. tentaculata). In my free time, I enjoy drawing, playing video games, reading books (and comics), listening to podcasts, and hiking.

Alexis Traylor, Biology Undergraduate,
​NIU Research Rookie

I am a fourth-year biological sciences major with a minor in chemistry at Northern Illinois University. My goal after graduating in May of 2022 is to pursue a career in the medical field or the sciences in general. Current career paths that interest me are anesthesiology and psychiatry. 

Former Lab All-Stars
Chiedu Okonmah, B.S. Biology, Graduated Class of 2021
Rebecca Bachtel, M.S. Biology, Graduated Class of 2020 
Angel Depuy, B.S. Environmental Studies, Graduated Class of 2020
Nicholas Foster, B.S. Environmental Studies, Graduated Class of 2020
SteVen Rudzitis, B.S. Biology, Graduated Class of 2020
Harrison Tobi, M.S. Biology, Graduated Class of 2019
​Nicole Sardelis, B.S. Biology, Graduated Class of 2020
Arielle Enos, B.S. Biology
Alana McGraw, B.S. Biology
Mallory Keirnan, B.S. Biology, Graduated Class of 2020
​Joseph Cronan, B.S. Biology, Graduated UMassD Class of 2019
Gretchen Johnson, Summer REU Student
Stephanie Almeida,  B.S. Biology, Graduated UMassD Class of 2017
Madison Bailey-Schofield, B.S. Biology and B.A. English, Graduated UMassD Class of 2017
Allison Cambra, B.S. Biology, Graduated UMassD Class of 2017
Kaci Dumas, B.A. Graphic Design, Graduated UMassD Class of 2016
Jillian Reichert, B.S. Biology, Graduated UMassD Class of 2018
Suzanne Sussman, B.S. Biology, Graduated UMassD Class of 2017

Interested??  
If you are interested in learning more about the lab, please contact me at jkoop [@] niu [dot] edu.  If you are an undergraduate interested in joining the lab, please send me a brief statement of your research interests and how they relate to my lab, your current GPA, and your undergraduate major.  If you are a potential graduate student interested in joining the lab, please provide me with your CV inlcuding a list of relevant coursework,  a writing sample, and a brief statement of your research interests.