Lab Members at North Dakota State University
Below: Lab photo from 5/28/2025 from Buffalo River State Park
Principle Investigator: Dr. Travis Seaborn
Photo by John Clary
|
Principle Investigator / Assistant Professor
School of Natural Resource Sciences Current CV (updated 11/2025) 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
|
|
Graduate Students
|
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. |
|
|
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. |
Post-Baccalaureate
|
Paige Cmelik
NSF RaMP CHANGE Participant Paige joins the lab from South Dakota and is currently working on low-coverage whole genome sequencing to determine if there are genomic differences (and signs of local adaption) between two walleye strains that have been shown to have higher survivorship in local waters. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons |
|