Lab Members at North Dakota State University
Left: Lab photo from 5/2025 from Buffalo River State Park. Right: photo from Ekre Grassland Preserve electrofishing surveys 4/2026.
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Principle Investigator: Dr. Travis Seaborn
Photo by John Clary
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Principle Investigator / Assistant Professor
School of Natural Resource Sciences Current CV (updated 3/2026) I am a conservation biologist interested in how we impact fish and wildlife, including topics like land use and climate change. My research systems are diverse and heavily driven by stakeholder engagement and needs. I was an Idaho National Science Foundation EPSCoR Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Idaho. I was primarily in the lab of Dr. Chris Caudill, but I also worked closely with Lisette Waits and Paul Hohenlohe. I am part of the Idaho GEM3 project. I completed my PhD in the School of Biological Sciences at Washington State University in the labs of Dr. Erica Crespi and Dr. Caren Goldberg (now with USGS). I can be reached for professional/research reasons at travis.seaborn at ndsu dot edu. I can also be found on ResearchGate and Bluesky. |
Postdocs and Research Specialists
Dr. Meggan Alston
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Graduate Students
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Priest, MS
PhD Graduate Student I am a conservation biologist with a board scope of research interests. Before starting my graduate journey, I received my Bachelor's of Biology/Chemistry at Western Carolina University and conducted DNA testing under the watchful eye of Professor Hickman. For my master's, I worked under Dr. Rubino at the University of Arkansas at Monticello, specializing in forest resources and wildlife management (https://www.rubinoresearch.com/). Currently, I am working within this lab on a Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout project with a focus on landscape genetics modeling. Afterwards, I plan to continue working on conservative research projects using interdisciplinary approaches learned throughout my schooling. I aspire to also use these skills with sovereign nations to continue indigenous land management practices. |
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Travis Berg
MS Graduate Student I am an aspiring soil ecologist with a passion for integrating ecological principles with modern large-scale agronomy to develop sustainable agricultural management strategies. My primary focus lies in soil microbiology and the study of agroecosystem microbiomes, which hold immense potential for improving nutrient cycling, enhancing soil structure, and mitigating diseases and pests. I am particularly excited to join the GEM-C Lab, where I will develop skills in applying landscape genetics to study variations in soil microbiome populations. This will provide me with the conceptual framework to investigate the influence of management practices on the soil microbiome and the ability to test and develop biological inoculants. Looking ahead, I hope to integrate the traditional ecological knowledge of sovereign nations with modern agricultural practices to safeguard ecosystems while meeting the demands of a growing global population. |
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Ian Mott
MS Graduate Student I am an MS graduate student with a background in fisheries biology. Riverine habitat research and restoration is what drives me. My goal is to better understand and improve aquatic systems degraded by human activity. For my MS research, I will study patterns of Yellowstone cutthroat trout and rainbow trout hybridization using predictive modeling. Before joining the GEM-C Lab, I spent three years as a Fisheries Technician II in Salmon, Idaho. Before that I completed my BS in Aquatic Biology under Dr. Andrew Hafs at Bemidji State University. |
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Sophia Peissig
MS Graduate Student I am a MS graduate student with an interest in aquatic ecosystems, specifically with a focus on cool and coldwater fish communities. I plan to investigate stream restoration within a riparian ecosystem and the impacts of implementing beaver dam analogs (BDAs) within the Great Plains region. I am excited to discover how the surrounding biological communities respond to this type of restoration method. Prior to joining the GEM-C Lab, I have spent time as a fisheries technician in Idaho and Utah. My time in the West was spent working on native cutthroat trout restoration and on a Kootenai White Sturgeon research crew. My time in undergrad was spent at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point under Dr. Joshua Raabe, where I received my BS in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. |
Undergraduates
Olivia Hollerich
I'm currently an undergrad in Biology with an ecology and conservation emphasis. Before joining the GEM-C lab, I worked on Red-winged Blackbirds with Dr. Page Klug with USDA. My time spent out west with Swan Valley Connections and The Nature Conservancy influenced a newfound interest in fisheries and ungulate responses to climate change and human interactions. In addition to fieldwork experience, I'm hoping to research genetic connectivity and movement within riverscape habitats. After graduation, I hope to join a grad program out west and pursue a career in habitat restoration and population connectivity/abundance.
I'm currently an undergrad in Biology with an ecology and conservation emphasis. Before joining the GEM-C lab, I worked on Red-winged Blackbirds with Dr. Page Klug with USDA. My time spent out west with Swan Valley Connections and The Nature Conservancy influenced a newfound interest in fisheries and ungulate responses to climate change and human interactions. In addition to fieldwork experience, I'm hoping to research genetic connectivity and movement within riverscape habitats. After graduation, I hope to join a grad program out west and pursue a career in habitat restoration and population connectivity/abundance.
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Elliot Magcalas
I am a biological sciences undergrad with an emphasis in ecology and conservation. I am also interested statistics, evolution, environmental science, and outreach. I have been volunteering with the bio sci department's herp collection overseen by Dr. Matthew Smith going on 2 years, and I have been the volunteer coordinator in NDSU TWS for the same length of time. Additionally, I served with the Badlands Conservation Corps in the summer of 2025 and have been selected as NDSU's student liaison to the ND chapter of TWS for 2026. I plan on proceeding to grad school and would like to end up as a professor or agency researcher. |
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Thomas Banley
As a non-traditional undergraduate student, I am studying natural resource management and hoping to focus on plains restoration through large mammal conservation. It is also my passion to pursue native wisdom and culture, using new research and technologies together with ancient knowledge and practice. In the lab, I am investigating inbreeding depression in certain elk populations in North Dakota, Minnesota, and Canada. |
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