Meet The Student Researchers

Akshit is a wildlife biologist specializing in avian ecology. Born and raised in rural India, he earned a B.S. in Chemistry from Gujarat University and an M.S. in Environmental Science from Krantiguru Shyamji Krishna Verma Kachchh University, where he conducted a pioneering study on the avifauna of central Kachchh’s hilly thorn forest.

Akshit is currently pursuing graduate research at Clemson University under Dr. Jim Anderson, supported by a fellowship from the James C. Kennedy Waterfowl and Wetland Conservation Center. His work focuses on quantifying waterbird habitat relationships in South Carolina’s antebellum rice fields using drones and autonomous recording units.

His earlier research includes nest box ecology of House Sparrows, Sloth Bear interactions, and ecological assessments of Mugger Crocodiles. From 2014, he led community-based waterbird conservation and environmental education in Kachchh. Later, at the Gujarat Ecological Society, he contributed to ecological profiling, human-wildlife conflict mitigation, and coastal surveys. Notably, he rediscovered Smooth-coated Otters in Gujarat and received the Otter Oscar–2019 for his work on their conservation.

Akshit has published in and reviewed for national and international journals. He has also taught as visiting faculty at Gujarat University. His expertise includes population dynamics, quantitative ecology, and community-based conservation across diverse landscapes.

Outside of research, Akshit enjoys birdwatching, wildlife photography, hiking, playing cricket, and spending time with his family. He is an active member of the IUCN, The Waterbird Society, and The Society for Conservation Biology.

Aruã Yaym is an M.S. student at Clemson University’s James C. Kennedy Waterfowl and Wetlands Conservation Center. Raised near Brazil’s Pantanal—the world’s largest contiguous freshwater wetland—he developed a passion for wetland ecosystems while exploring the region from a young age at his godfather’s Araras Eco Lodge. Inspired by ecologists he met in 2017, he moved to the U.S. in 2018 to pursue higher education.

He earned a B.S. in Forestry with a focus on ecosystem restoration and management from the University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point in 2022. During his undergraduate studies, he conducted research in soil science and plant taxonomy. After graduation, he worked as a field technician for a Mississippi State University Ph.D. project in South Carolina, studying food availability and diet of dabbling ducks in historic rice field impoundments.

In spring 2024, Aruã began his M.S. research under Dr. James Anderson. His current project focuses on mercury bioaccumulation in wetland-dependent birds in Brazil’s northern Pantanal, specifically within the Bento Gomes River watershed. The research aims to assess mercury levels in birds, trace contamination sources, and evaluate ecological risks linked to historic gold mining.

Outside of academics, Aruã enjoys fishing, kayaking, hunting, birdwatching, and hiking. Indoors, he spends time reading novels and manga, playing RPGs and Dungeons & Dragons, and watching TV series.

Bobby, a native of Rocky Hill, CT, is a Ph.D. student at the James C. Kennedy Waterfowl and Wetland Conservation Center, advised by Dr. Jim Anderson. He is also a member of the Crocodile Research Coalition (CRC). His dissertation focuses on head-start methods and life history of American crocodiles in Lago Enriquillo, Dominican Republic, to support long-term conservation.

Bobby earned his B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Connecticut, where he began working with herpetofauna through Dr. Tracy Rittenhouse’s lab and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP). He went on to gain field and husbandry experience with crocodilians and lizards across Belize, Texas, and Connecticut, including projects on sagebrush lizard translocation, snapping turtle water quality, and surveys of rare and threatened reptiles.

During an internship with CRC, Bobby connected with Dr. Marisa Tellez, who introduced him to conservation work in the Dominican Republic. He completed his M.Sc. at the University of North Florida under Dr. Adam Rosenblatt, leading the first nationwide American crocodile survey in the DR since the 1980s. He also studied crocodile diet and behavior in urban versus natural habitats.

Before starting his Ph.D., Bobby worked in environmental consulting, conducting coral, seagrass, and wildlife surveys for agencies including the U.S. Army Corps and Navy.

In his free time, he enjoys herping, hiking, wildlife photography, riding his motorcycle, and travel.

Christopher Pettengill is a Ph.D. research assistant in Dr. James T. Anderson’s lab at the Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science, attending classes at Clemson University. His research focuses on wetland community ecology, ecosystem functions, and how these services respond to disturbance. He’s especially interested in stakeholder engagement and improving public perception of wetlands as vital ecosystems.

Christopher’s interest in ecology began early, shaped by exploring diverse habitats near his home. He earned his B.S. from SUNY Brockport, where he conducted research on stream macroinvertebrate and riparian plant diversity. He completed his M.S. in Biological Sciences at the University of Alabama, studying the effects of beaver dam removal on aquatic invertebrate communities. Surprisingly, despite declines in total invertebrate abundance, functional feeding group proportions remained stable.

He has also contributed to projects on fire suppression, hemlock woolly adelgid impacts, and volunteered for a herbarium in Rochester, NY, where he developed skills in plant ID and horticulture.

In summer 2023, Christopher began work on a saltmarsh restoration project at Edisto Island with Dr. Anderson, investigating how oyster beds enhance ecosystem services and how restoration affects regional ecological functions. He’s especially excited to study salt marshes—a long-time interest since his days at marine science camps on Wallops Island, VA.

Christopher enjoys sharing observations, especially of marine life, and looks forward to contributing to meaningful restoration work. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, fishing, kayaking, and traveling.

Cindy Von Haugg, AWB®, is a Wildlife Biology M.S. student at Clemson University’s James C. Kennedy Waterfowl and Wetlands Conservation Center. She is a student veteran who served nine years in the Air Force before receiving her B.S. in Wildlife Management from the State University of New York at Cobleskill. While pursuing her undergraduate degree, she was active in New York State’s Chapter of Ducks Unlimited and quickly developed a strong passion for waterfowl research. Various technician positions fostered her interest in nesting ecology. After working as a field technician on a southeast regional wood duck recruitment study through Clemson, she enrolled as a graduate student in August 2021.

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Her graduate research aims to pave the way for studies on cavity-nesting wood ducks. Besides being one of the most stunning waterfowl species, wood ducks are also extremely important economically. Wood ducks are the second most harvested waterfowl species in the Atlantic and Mississippi flyways. As such, they largely contribute to the billions of conservation dollars raised by hunters to conserve and protect our wetlands and waterfowl populations. These fragile ecosystems provide crucial services such as water purification and storage and flood buffering, and their abundant diversity supports far-reaching food webs, with us included. For such a critical game species, there are still many questions left to be answered so we can ensure their population continues to thrive. One key to sustaining a healthy population is monitoring and analyzing long-term trends, so policymakers stay informed. However, wood ducks are more secretive than other waterfowl species, and that works against our efforts to monitor their population using annual breeding surveys. As an alternative, population models could improve current assessments, but more data on the demographic vital rates of cavity-nesting wood ducks is needed. She aimed to help bridge this knowledge gap by developing a method to increase data collection efficiency, identifying which forest and tree characteristics are indicative of cavities, and evaluating activity patterns to increase trap success by directing efforts to the most appropriate seasonal and diel periods. Using her results as guidelines for future trapping efforts could greatly improve the trapping success of wood duck hens during the breeding season, thus increasing our understanding of the reproductive ecology of cavity-nesting wood ducks and best-informing management decisions.

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Her motivation is fueled by her love of the outdoors and the adventurous spirit she has gained from hiking, camping, fishing, and hunting with her family since her youth. She most enjoys spending quality time with her family and husband, Matt, two dogs, and a cat. You can often find them sightseeing around the country, wandering the woods, or yelling at a football game.

Hallie Cowan is a Latina from New Jersey with a passion for crocodilians. She is a master’s student at Clemson University working with Dr. Jim Anderson. Her research focuses on three caiman species in Suriname—spectacled caiman (Caiman crocodilus), smooth-fronted caiman (Paleosuchus trigonatus), and Cuvier’s dwarf caiman (Paleosuchus palpebrosus). She is studying the effects of small-scale gold mining on these species by analyzing total mercury in their tissue and blood, with attention to diet and age class to assess bioaccumulation at different trophic levels. Her goal is to support the use of caimans as bioindicators of waterway health in regions where fish are dietary staples.

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Before starting at Clemson, Hallie spent significant time in the Peruvian Amazon with the nonprofit Fauna Forever, assisting with long-term monitoring of caimans, reptiles, mammals, bats, and birds. There, she began a growth rate study using seven years of caiman data and is collaborating on a mercury accumulation project in the Tambopata River.

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Hallie is also a conservation photographer and writer for Photography Life magazine. She serves as a Girls Who Click ambassador and has won first place in photography from the Florida Society of News Editors. She is also a finalist in the Society of Professional Journalists' photo essay category. Hallie is passionate about using photography to make scientific research accessible and engaging to the public.

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She is excited to begin this new chapter at Clemson and collaborate with others dedicated to wetland and wildlife conservation.

Jordan McCall is an M.S. student at Clemson University’s James C. Kennedy Waterfowl and Wetlands Conservation Center, nearing the completion of her thesis research. Originally from Chapin, SC, she earned her bachelor’s degree in wildlife and fisheries biology from Clemson in 2021. During her undergraduate studies, Jordan gained valuable field experience contributing to the Southeastern wood duck project, maintaining wood duck boxes, and processing disease samples in the lab. This hands-on work ignited her passion for wetland and waterfowl management, opening doors for a career in the field.

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She also interned with the Nemours Wildlife Foundation, where she assisted with research surveys on black rails, red-cockaded woodpeckers, and alligators. After earning her bachelor’s, Jordan continued her studies at the Kennedy Center, embarking on her master’s research. Her M.S. thesis focuses on establishing baseline wetland conditions at Hobcaw Barony and DeBordieu Colony, areas with limited available data. Her primary objectives include examining migration chronology and habitat selection by waterbirds and conducting point-count, secretive marsh bird, and macroinvertebrate surveys to assess wetland productivity.

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Jordan has presented her research at several conferences, including South Carolina’s Wildlife Society Conference, the National Wildlife Society Conference, SEAFWA, and the North American Duck Symposium (Ducks 9). In her free time, she enjoys watching documentaries, reading on her Kindle, and exploring local breweries. She especially loves spending time at the beach or lake with her husband, Peyton, playing with their puppy, Cash, and hanging out with her five siblings.

Miriam, a Canadian native with a lifelong passion for crocodilians and reptiles, is a Ph.D. student under Dr. Jim Anderson at Clemson University’s James C. Kennedy Waterfowl and Wetlands Conservation Center. She earned her B.S. in Environmental Biology from Wingate University in North Carolina and worked with the NGO Iracambi in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, where she managed volunteers and led a wildlife camera-trapping program.

Her interest in crocodilians took her to Belize, where she began working with American crocodiles, inspiring her M.S. research at West Virginia University under Dr. Anderson. Her thesis produced the first time-activity budgets and vocalization study of wild American crocodiles.

Following her degree, Miriam joined the Crocodile Research Coalition in Belize, leading nationwide population surveys of crocodiles, implementing education programs, mentoring students, and managing international research efforts, including a project in Nicaragua.

She later returned to Canada as an environmental scientist, overseeing wildlife mitigation and regulatory compliance on large construction projects.

Now at Clemson, Miriam is conducting a pioneering study on American alligators in the southeastern U.S., investigating microplastic ingestion and PFAS contamination. Her work explores how these pollutants accumulate in top wetland predators and may signal broader ecosystem health risks.

Her research is supported by the Nemours Wildlife Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, the Clemson University Experiment Station, and the College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Life Sciences. Miriam is excited to continue her research and conservation work as part of the Clemson and Kennedy Center team.

Olaniyi Oluwatobi is a Ph.D. student at Clemson University developing a Decision Support Tool (DST) to help sustain Antebellum Rice Fields along South Carolina’s Atlantic Coast. His research blends geospatial technology, machine learning, and optimization to balance agriculture with the conservation of vulnerable coastal habitats.

He holds a master’s degree in Wildlife Management from the Federal University of Technology, Akure (Nigeria), and postgraduate certifications in remote sensing and GIS from the University of Twente (Netherlands) and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (Ghana). His academic path has been enriched by international research experiences and awards, including fellowships from TWAS/Universiti Putra Malaysia, WWF Prince Bernhard, and the A.G. Leventis Foundation.

As a Senior Lecturer and Researcher in Nigeria, Olaniyi led projects on wetland assessments, bird populations, and climate change impacts. His research fellowship in Malaysia further sharpened his skills in avian conservation and wetland management.

Beyond his research, he is committed to mentoring and international collaboration. He actively engages with global organizations such as the Society for Conservation Biology, the American Society of Primatologists, and Environment Science without Borders at UCLA.

At Clemson, his work contributes to historical ecology and offers practical tools for wetland and waterfowl conservation. Olaniyi hopes to continue leading global conservation initiatives and promoting sustainable environmental practices worldwide.

Rene Brown is a Graduate Research Assistant at Clemson University’s James C. Kennedy Waterfowl and Wetlands Conservation Center. Her passion for science began in Jamaica on her grandfather’s livestock farm, where she spent hours observing animal behavior. A failed attempt to keep river fish in a homemade aquarium sparked her curiosity about animal survival and adaptation, fueling her interest in wildlife science.

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Rene earned her B.S. in Biology from Allen University in Columbia, SC, where she studied animal-environment interactions and conducted research on microRNA biogenesis in corn, presenting her findings to the university’s Board of Trustees.

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In 2022, she gained hands-on experience through a volunteer role at Hope Zoo and an internship with the Caribbean Coastal Area Management Foundation in Jamaica. These opportunities helped her develop strong communication, teamwork, and time management skills.

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Currently, Rene is working on salt marsh restoration at the Little Edisto S-161 site in Charleston, SC. Her research focuses on improving bird habitat, water quality, and ecosystem services through the use of oyster beds. She is conducting water quality testing, bird habitat assessments, and leaf litter decomposition experiments to evaluate restoration outcomes.

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Since joining the Kennedy Center in August 2023, Rene has strengthened her research and presentation skills and continues to grow as a scientist.

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Outside of her academic work, Rene enjoys playing soccer, listening to podcasts and audiobooks, and going on nature walks.

Scott is a Ph.D. student at the James C. Kennedy Waterfowl and Wetlands Conservation Center, advised by Dr. James Anderson. Raised near Chicago and inspired by the Cook County Forest Preserves, Scott developed an early passion for wildlife and pursued his undergraduate degree at Southern Illinois University (SIU) after community college.

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At SIU, he became interested in ecological interactions and worked as a technician in a freshwater ecology lab. His research included studies on fish, amphibians, and aquatic invertebrates, with a focus on parasites and their responses to environmental change. He continued in the same lab for his M.S., examining how phosphorus enrichment affects parasite populations and developing bioenergetic models of parasite growth.

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Scott’s interest in landscape-scale ecological change brought him to Clemson University in fall 2024. His current research focuses on the biodiversity of Carolina Bay wetlands—unique habitats in South Carolina impacted by human disturbance. He is sampling macroinvertebrates, frogs, birds, and vegetation to create a wetland disturbance gradient and develop indices of biotic integrity. These tools will inform management strategies across different wetland sites.

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Outside of research, Scott enjoys hiking, biking, fishing, playing and recording music, attending concerts, and cheering on Clemson’s sports teams.