Jonathan Horn is currently the H2Ohio Rivers Program Manager for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). He believes his time in EEOB helped him with network building, skills development, and a variety of experience solving real academic and scientific problems. Jonathan advises current and future EEOB grad students to, "Put yourself and your work in front of as many folks in your intended career path as possible. Networking and relationship development is as important as your academic work. Take time to do internships, volunteer, and do other social and network building tasks that may not advance your dissertation or thesis."
 

Lara Metrione is Operations Manager for the South-East Zoo Alliance for Reproduction & Conservation. She coordinates scientific and business operations through research project management, communicating with zoo and aquarium members about specific reproduction and wellbeing cases, and organizational management, as well as participating in research collaborations. Lara states, "My graduate research was directly related to the same type of studies in which I and the company I work for are engaged, thus my time in EEOB provided the knowledge and training that are foundational to my career." She advises current and future EEOB graduate students to pick a research area that they are passionate about so that, when the inevitable challenges and obstacles occur, they are motivated to keep exploring.

Jonathan Hall is currently an Associate Professor of Biology at Eastern Michigan University. Jonathan states, "OSU EEOB helped prepare me for a career in academia through a rigorous formal education and valuable informal education. I learned a lot from the professors and also my peer graduate students. I developed a passion for teaching and learned that I was capable of high-quality scholarship...My general advice is to say yes to opportunities and focus on building and maintaining your network. I have my current job because of the contact I maintained with graduate school peers in the EEOB program. My advice for underrepresented students in this field is more specific, detailed, and nuanced. I'm open to having that conversation with such students if requested." You can read more about his research on his website.

Sarah Cusser is a Terrestrial Invertebrate Conservation Ecologist at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden where she leads insect-plant interaction studies to advance biodiversity conservation, habitat restoration, and urban habitat creation. Sarah states EEOB prepared her to start her PhD and execute field work. She advises current and future EEOB graduate students to adopt the following: "If something's going wrong, deal with it as soon as possible (don't put it off)."

Find out more about Sarah's work on the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden website.

Alex Champagne is an Associate Professor of Biology at the University of Southern Indiana, a regional public university that serves primarily undergraduate students. Alex teaches and conducts research with undergraduates. His general field of study is evolutionary and ecological physiology, with a focus on how the properties of lipid membranes regulate physiological processes such as evaporative water loss and metabolism. Alex states, "My time as a PhD student in EEOB taught me how to be an effective teacher, researcher, and mentor, and it also taught me a lot about myself and the kind of person I wanted to be going forward. The lessons I learned as a graduate student clarified my career goals and gave me a growth mindset. Along the way, I developed lifelong friendships and collaborations!" He encourages current and future EEOB graduate students to, "Set your own goals, and don't worry about what everyone else is doing or accomplishing. It's easy to feel like you're not doing enough. There are going to be highs and lows as you go through graduate school, and everyone experiences those at different times!" Find out more about Alex's teaching and research on the University of Southern Indiana's website.

Christopher Randle is a Professor in Biology at Sam Houston State University, an R2 university in Huntsville, TX. His day to day includes a balance of teaching and research, mostly with undergraduate students and masters students. In the last 20 years Chris has worked on a lot of different kinds of projects, mostly on the ecology and systematics of parasitic plants, but also on population genetics of turtles and fishes, forensic analysis of molecular data, phylogenetic theory, and most currently invasion biology using ecological niche models. His Ph.D. training in EEOB taught him that, "I can do hard things and that failures are valuable for growth. I was also exposed to many examples of how to be a scientist and an educator, which have helped me craft my own approach to my profession." He advises current and future EEOB graduate students to "work hard and have fun." Read more about Chris' research and teaching on the Sam Houston State University website.

Kali Mattingly is a private contractor for SpecPro Sustainment & Environmental, whose work supports the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). She remotely serves as statistician in Duluth, MN Great Lakes research office of USEPA. Kali credits her time in EEOB with her flexibility and problem solving, research and statistics/coding skills, ability to learn new things, and communicating science to fellow scientists of a variety of fields. You can view Kali's profile on LinkedIn.

Aaron Wenzel is currently a Scientific Engagement Manager on the commercial team at Seven Bridges Genomics, a cloud-based platform for multiomics bioinformatics analysis. Aaron works with the sales team to qualify deals, preform pre-sales demos, and works with current customers as they have questions/issues on our software platform. His customers are a variety of large pharma, mid-sized therapeutic, and government/academic researchers. Aaron says "My Ph.D. focused on plant evolutionary biology, which I don't use much of today, but a Ph.D. (and specifically the graduate program in EEOB) taught me flexible transferable skills beyond the science I was focused on (communication, writing, scientific engagement, etc)." Aaron advises current and future EEOB graduate students to, "Network, network, network. Regardless of your career goal, it's never too early to lean in and introduce yourself. Lean on the people you know - for example if you see that a colleague is connected on LinkedIn (or another social media platform) to someone you want to meet, reach out. The more you talk to people, the more doors could open down the road, and the better you will be at honing a concise and effective value proposition when you're looking for a job." You can view Aaron's profile on LinkedIn.

Rob Denton is an Assistant Professor of Biology at Ball State University, a midsized research university, where roughly half of his time is devoted to teaching and half to research. His lab works on problems in the evolution and conservation of amphibians. Rob states, "My time in EEOB helped me gain the confidence to know I could succeed in this career. Support from the university and department allowed me to make new connections beyond campus. My cohort was a strong group of early career scientists who set a high standard." You can read more about Rob's research on his website.

Mary Sagatelova is a Senior Advisor for Energy and Foreign Policy at Third Way and works at the intersection of clean energy, climate, foreign policy, and domestic politics. She explores the geopolitical implications of energy systems and the transition to cleaner technologies alongside political analysis and public opinion research related to Democratic campaigns and policy priorities. Her work focuses on analyzing public opinion trends, voter behavior, and messaging strategies to understand how energy and foreign policy issues resonate with different constituencies. Through this, she contributes to research and strategy that bridges policy and politics, helping to inform more effective, data-driven approaches to advancing Democratic priorities on energy and foreign policy. 

Mary says her degree from EEOB, along with her research focus on conservation, provided a strong foundation in scientific thinking, data analysis, and systems-level understanding that continues to inform her work today. She elaborates, "Studying complex biological systems also gave me an entry point into climate science and a deeper understanding of the environmental challenges connected to energy use. Alongside my time at EEOB, I pursued a Master of Public Administration from the John Glenn College, and completed both degrees concurrently, giving me valuable experience at the intersection of science and policy. This combination strengthened my ability to translate technical concepts into accessible insights and communicate effectively with a range of audiences, which has been central to my current work bridging energy, climate, and policy."

Mary advises current and future EEOB graduate students to develop the ability "to communicate your work clearly and concisely to a broad audience! Science and academia emphasize depth and precision, which are critical, but the ability to translate complex ideas into accessible, compelling language is equally important! I would encourage all students to actively practice writing for non-specialist audiences, whether through blog posts, Substacks, or other informal platforms. Learning how to be both accurate and brief will make your work more impactful and open up a wider range of opportunities beyond academia!"

You can view Mary's profile on LinkedIn and the Third Way website.

Christian King is an Environmental Scientist with Burns & McDonnell in Environmental studies and permitting for renewable development. When asked how his time in EEOB helped him, Christian states, "My technical skills were way ahead of the game compared to those with two years experience in industry. This included both field skills and technical writing skills. Christian advises current and future EEOB graduate students to "Have a career path clearly identified while getting your graduate degree so you can tailor your coursework and research to develop required skills. [It] Will make the transition much easier."

Drew Spacht states, "At Columbus State, I work as the Biosciences Program Manager, and as the Site Coordinator and Tech for the Amgen Biotech Experience Program. As the Biosciences Program Manager, I provide technical expertise and manage the Biotech program. As the Site Coordinator and Tech for the Amgen Biotech Experience, I help train local educators on biotech labs and provide them with the equipment and technical support so they can conduct those labs with their students. In my role as Technical Advisor for the Amgen Biotech Experience, I help troubleshoot technical issues experienced by other ABE sites around the world, and help design and test new curriculum in partnership with our Technical Director, Master Lab Technicians, and Curriculum Designers. I really love STEM outreach and education, and anything I can do to further the ability of All to participate in STEM is something I want to do! My positions allow me to teach, to experiment in the lab, to get real biotech equipment into the hands of high school students throughout Central Ohio, to shape laboratory curriculum for high school students around the world, and to help shape the future of biotech education at the college level in Ohio."

During his time in EEOB, Drew feels he was fortunate to have the oppotunity to try many different techniques in the lab and travel for research. He also gained a lot of teaching experience before he graduated. Drew says, "I never thought my many, varied interests would ever be able to fit into a cohesive role, so I'm as surprised as you that I am where I am today!" He advises current and future EEOB graduate students to get out of their comfort zone...and not just in the lab. "Cook, do something artistic, read and write for fun, take a philosophy class or two! The most important thing you can do if you want to be a good scientist is to take care of yourself and to take care of your hobbies. You contain multitudes, and that's what will make you succeed and what will fulfill you," he explains.

View Drew's profile on LinkedIn.