Meet The Lab

A man in outdoor fishing gear holding a large fish near a riverbank.

  • Principal Investigator

    Dr. Matthew Acre is a quantitative ecologist whose research bridges field ecology, advanced modeling, and conservation action to restore connectivity and resilience in freshwater ecosystems. He leads the Quantitative & Conservation Ecology Lab, where his team integrates telemetry, population models, and experimental approaches to understand how fish populations respond to management, invasive species control, and large-scale restoration such as dam removals. His work connects data and decision-making to help recover native biodiversity and rebuild the ecological fabric of rivers across North America.

    Curriculum Vitae

    Google Scholar Profile

    ResearchGate Profile

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  • Postdoctoral Researcher

    Dr. Sophia Bonjour joined the QCE Lab in January 2024. Her research focuses on fish conservation through the lens of quantitative ecology, integrating advanced modeling approaches to understand how species respond to invasive pressures and habitat fragmentation. Using tools such as Hidden Markov Models and spatial movement analyses, her work is revealing how native fishes reclaim and utilize restored habitats following dam removals. These insights are helping to refine management strategies and improve the effectiveness of habitat reconnection and invasive species control efforts across large river systems.

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  • Postdoctoral Researcher

    Dr. Josh Hoekwater joined the QCE Lab in January 2025. He is developing quantitative models to evaluate the effectiveness of ongoing Grass Carp removal efforts in the Great Lakes. His research integrates removal data, telemetry records, and environmental drivers within hierarchical modeling frameworks to estimate population trajectories and assess how efficiently current control strategies are reducing invasive populations. By coupling rigorous analysis with management application, Josh’s work provides a data-driven measure of whether the regional Grass Carp control program is truly working.

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  • MS Student

    Madeline joined the lab in January of 2025. Her research examines the movement ecology of native stream fishes to understand how species respond to habitat fragmentation and restoration. Her work focuses on establishing ecological baselines in advance of the Gorge Dam removal on the Cuyahoga River, providing critical context for assessing post-removal responses. She is also developing colonization models to predict which species are most likely to recolonize and establish in newly reconnected habitats, informing future conservation and management strategies.

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  • MS Student

    Cade joined the QCE Lab in Summer of 2024. He is investigating invasive fish dynamics in large river systems through the integration of side-scan sonar, machine learning, and hierarchical population models. His work uses advanced image-processing and N-mixture modeling techniques to estimate the abundance of Silver Carp and evaluate the success of large-scale removal efforts. By pairing emerging technology with rigorous field data, Cade is building a framework that improves how managers detect, quantify, and ultimately control invasive species across the Upper Mississippi River Basin and beyond

  • Biologist

    Nick joined the QCE Lab in Summer of 2023. Nick is a biologist with the Quantitative and Conservation Ecology Lab, where he manages field gear, logistics, and data infrastructure across multiple research projects. He serves as the lead field biologist on several projects, coordinating sampling operations that span small to large river systems and the Great Lakes.

    Nick plays a central role in supporting student research, training new team members in field methods, maintaining high data quality standards, and ensuring that complex field campaigns run smoothly. His practical experience, technical precision, and leadership in the field make him an integral part of the lab’s success in bridging quantitative research and applied conservation.

Lab Alumni

  • Person in a boat holding a large fish with trees and water in the background.

    Tammy Wilson

    QCE Affiliation: student - MS 2024

    2020-2025

    Current Position: Biologist with USGS

    Read Thesis
  • Young man holding a large fish on a boat with water and trees in the background, wearing a USGS hat and gloves.

    Tyler Hessler

    QCE Affiliation: Biologist

    2021-2023

    Current Position: PhD Student at University of Missouri

    Read Sample Publication

  • Kailee Shulz

    QCE Affiliation: Biologist

    2021-2022

    Current Position: Lab manager at University of Tennessee

    Read Sample Publication

  • Dominik Chilleri

    QCE Affiliation: Field Technician

    2018-2021

    Current Position: Field Technician with Texas Parks and Wildlife

  • Caroline Jurca

    QCE Affiliation: Undergraduate Researcher

    2018-2021

    Current Position: Natural Resource Specialist with the Texas General Land Office

  • Eric Verwys

    QCE Affiliation: Field Technician

    2018-2019

    Current Position: Assistant Director of Tohono O’odham Nation Natural Resources Department

  • Heather Williams

    QCE Affiliation: Undergraduate Researcher > MS Student

    2015-2017

    Current Position: GIS Analyst

Lab Affiliates

  • A man standing in a river, giving a thumbs-up, wearing sunglasses, a hooded blue jacket, a life vest, and waders. He is near a fish trap or net, with a small dam and a waterfall structure in the background under a partly cloudy sky.

    Cody Hagloch

    2025-Present

    MS student at University of Illinois

  • A young woman with red hair smiling and holding a large fish inside a boat or fishing vessel, with water and sky visible in the background.

    Mikayla Kindler

    2025-Present

    PhD student at University of Toledo

  • A woman smiling by a river, wearing a gray cap, orange life vest, blue gloves, and a rain jacket, holding a plastic bag.

    Megan Booknis

    2024-Present

    MS student at Texas A&M University

  • A woman wearing sunglasses and outdoor clothing on a boat, holding a large fish she caught during a fishing trip, with trees and a clear blue sky in the background.

    Meghan Herbruck

    2024-Present

    MS student at The Ohio State University

  • A young girl with braids and sunglasses on her head holding a large fish on a boat by a river with trees in the background.

    Abbigail "Abby" Roussin

    2025-Present

    MS student at University of Illinois

  • Max Monfort

    2024-2025

    Graduated with MS, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse

    Read Thesis
  • Man in a red and black jacket smiling and holding a large fish on a boat.

    Dillon Weik

    2023-2025

    Graduated with MS, University of Toledo

    Current Position: Research Associate at University of Toledo

  • Kate Curtis

    2024-2025

    Graduated with MS, University of Toledo

  • Zach Steffensmeier

    2020-Present

    PhD Student at Texas A&M University

    Current Position: Faculty at The Ohio State University

  • Hayden Roberts

    2020-2024

    Graduated with MS, Texas A&M University

    Current Position: PhD Student at Texas A&M University

    Read Sample Publication

  • Max Klaus

    2019-2021

    Graduated with MS at Wageningen University - Netherlands

    Current Position: Biologist in Netherlands

  • Florian Kappen

    2019-2021

    Graduated with MS at Wageningen University - Netherlands

    Current Position: Fishing Guide