People

Principal Investigator

Carena van Riper, Ph.D. (she / her / hers)

Dr. van Riper is the Director of this Research Group and an Associate Professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois.

Post-doctoral Researchers and Graduate Students

North Joffe-Nelson 

North Joffe-Nelson (he / him / his)

North is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences in the van Riper Lab, and he earned an M.S. degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences from the University of Illinois and a B.A. in Environmental Policy from Western Washington University. He is chiefly interested in how politics and economics affect the viability of conservation policy. Through the modeling of angler preference and behavior, he is interested in identifying and developing avenues for fisheries policy that are socially as well as ecologically sustainable.

Devin Goodson and his dog

Devin Goodson (he / him / his)

Devin is a Ph.D. student in the Program of Evolution, Ecology, and Conservation Biology (PEEC) at the University of Illinois (UIUC). He holds an M.S. in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences from UIUC, and a B.S. in Zoology from The Ohio State University. Devin’s present interdisciplinary research centers on understanding how urban communities engage with birds and how birds make decisions in human-dominated landscapes. He employs a wide range of methods (e.g., surveys, field experiments, spatial analysis, focus groups) and his passion lies in empowering BIPOC residents within the conservation process and understanding human-wildlife dynamics and coexistence. Explore his work further at https://devinjgoodson.weebly.com.

Shi Xue 

Shi Xue (she / her / hers)

Shi Xue is a PhD student in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Shi is dedicated to using transdisciplinary theories and methods to propose an adaptive framework that will advance the world’s transformation toward sustainability. To achieve this goal, her academic interests span social-ecological systems, resilience, ecosystem services, ecological economics, and land use planning. She has experience working on various sustainability issues in rural regions, national parks and urban areas. Here is a link to her website: https://jsxueshi1218.wixsite.com/shi-xue

Eden Rozing (she / her / hers)

Eden is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She is co-advised by Dr. Carena van Riper and Dr. Chloe Wardropper. She holds an M.S. in Forest Resources from the University of Arkansas at Monticello and a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Bard College at Simon’s Rock. Although her prior research explored public perceptions of hunting, her present work investigates the social aspects of freshwater ecosystem management and aquatic conservation, particularly in the context of anthropogenic climate change. Eden draws on multiple theoretical and methodological approaches to conduct her research and contribute to understandings of people’s relationships with the ecosystems that surround and support them.

Amy Exposito (she / her / hers)

Amy is an MS student in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences (NRES) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). She received her BA in Economics with minors in Anthropology and German from UIUC as well. Amy is interested in how the voices of underrepresented communities can be utilized in environmental management, particularly in urban settings. Throughout her master’s program, she will be looking at risk perception and place attachment to Chicago waterways, as well as providing evidence to support policy-makers’ decisions about how to balance recreational use with water quality concerns from community members. 

Undergraduate Research Assistants

Mia Seaton
Mia is an undergraduate student at the University of Illinois majoring in Psychology and Environmental Sustainability with a concentration in Earth Systems. She aims to continue to graduate school for Environmental Health and research water security. She is most interested in environmental justice and securing clean, dependable water for marginalized communities. Mia is currently involved in research to promote sustainable transformation in rural areas by evaluating social-ecological systems resilience.

Adam Transue (he / him / his)
Adam is an undergraduate student at the University of Illinois majoring in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences with a concentration in Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology and a minor in Political Science. He has strong interests in human-environment interactions, ecology, and conservation. He is currently involved in research assessing the psychological drivers of recreational angling participation.

Evelyn Ma (she / her / hers)
Evelyn is an undergraduate student majoring in Finance and Data Science at the Gies College of Business. She is deeply passionate about the intersection of business and environmental sustainability, with a particular focus on biodiversity conservation. Her commitment to addressing environmental challenges has led her to volunteer in Costa Rica for sea turtle conservation and organize beach cleanup events to combat marine pollution’s impact on wildlife. Currently, Evelyn is a research assistant on a project exploring the relationship between human psychology and bird populations.

Previous Graduate Students and Staff

NameTitle, Topic
Elizabeth GolebiePost-doctoral researcher: Human dimensions of fisheries management
Henry PollockPost-doctoral researcher: Human-bird interactions
Riley AndradePost-doctoral researcher: Inclusive conservation involving communities in Alaska
Max ErikssonPost-doctoral researcher: Angler preferences and behavior related to the spread of aquatic invasive species 
Suresh SharmaPh.D. student: Meanings and values of sustainable agriculture
Evan SalcidoPh.D. student: Values and sense of place among people around protected areas in Alaska 
Seunguk ShinPh.D. student: Values and pro-environmental behavior in children
Elizabeth GolebiePh.D. student: Risk perceptions and values in aquatic ecosystems
Nate ShipleyPh.D. student: Emotions and pro-environmental behavior in worked landscapes
Clinton Lum Ph.D. student: Values and benefits of backcountry experiences
Melissa ClellandM.S. student: Personality and values of protected area residents
Devin GoodsonM.S. student: Inclusive conservation in Alaskan protected areas
North Joffe-NelsonM.S. student: Values, trust and tradeoffs in fisheries management
Dana JohnsonM.S. student: Visions and preferences for conservation among protected area stakeholders. https://www.grad.ubc.ca/campus-community/meet-our-students/johnson-dana 
Lorraine [Stamberger] FoelskeM.S. student: Community resilience in the Midwest. https://lorrainestamberger.wixsite.com/stambergersite
Sophia Winkler-SchorM.S. student: Environmental values and protected areas. https://www.sophiawinklerschor.com/
Katie MimnaughM.S. student: The health benefits of nature through virtual reality. https://vrdevcat.com/
Bradley CarrM.S. student: Knowledge, attitudes, and social values of ecosystem services