Bruce A. Kingsbury

Professor of Biology, Department of Biology

Director of the Environmental Resources Center

Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences

Purdue University Fort Wayne
2101 E. Coliseum Blvd
Fort Wayne, IN 46805-1499
Office: Science Bldg (SB) G56; Lab: SB 370
Phone: 260-481-5755
Email: kingsbur@pfw.edu

More details about me here.

CURRENT STUDENTS AND STAFF:

Old timers towards the top, newbies on the bottom.

Prospective students:

on joining the K-Team

Areli Gutierrez

Graduate Student
Office: SB G54 - across from the Environmental Resources Center office
Phone: 260-481-6316
Email: gutiam02@pfw.edu

Areli is currently Teaching Assistant for Human Anatomy & Physiology, and Intermediate Ecology. Her research focuses on decision-making behavior in snake thermoregulation. Areli joined the lab in 2015 after she earned her B.S. in Animal Behavior from Southwestern University.

Jillian Josimovich

Graduate Student
Office: SB G54 - across from the Environmental Resources Center
Phone: 260-481-5725
Email: josijm01@pfw.edu

Jillian joined the Kingsbury lab as a graduate research assistant in the spring of 2016.  Her master’s thesis is evaluating whether soft-release is a useful technique for improving success rates when translocating massasaugas, a federally threatened species of rattlesnake.  She has also been experimenting with artificial hibernacula to see if they can be used to supplement overwintering habitat for massasaugas, as it is thought to be limited in the northern parts of their range.  Jillian graduated from Vassar College in 2013 with a B.A. in biology and has worked on a wide variety of herpetological research projects throughout the southeastern United States, including amphibian studies with the Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center and invasive reptile research with U.S. Geological Survey.  She is passionate about applied conservation research and hopes that her findings will promote better management practices for conserving imperiled herpetofauna.  Jillian is particularly interested in squamate ecology and is currently seeking employment and PhD opportunities in conservation-related fields.  For more information on Jillian’s research, achievements, and publications, please visit her ResearchGate and LinkedIn profiles.

Monica Matthews

Graduate Student
Office: SB G53 - Environmental Resources Center office
Phone: 260-481-5725

Monica is a Research Assistant for the Environmental Resources Center. Her research interests consist of spatial ecology and microhabitat preference for the Massasauga rattlesnake in both natural, intact habitats and in heavily disturbed habitats on military property. She uses radio telemetry to track the snakes throughout numerous habitats including military gun ranges. Her degree is from University of California Santa Cruz in Politics and her background is in herp and raptor research. 

Jessica Hinson

Graduate Student
Office: SB G53 - Environmental Resources Center office
Phone: 260-481-5725

Jessica joined the Kingsbury lab in 2016. Her Master’s thesis is assessing the status of populations of two state endangered species of turtles in Indiana, the Spotted Turtle (Clemmys guttata) and Blanding's Turtle (Emydoidea blandingii), using visual encounter surveys and GIS. She is also creating habitat models for both species to identify other potential suitable habitat and populations throughout Indiana. She is passionate about the conservation of various threatened species. She is particularly interested in habitat management of such species, giving attention to how habitat modifications and urban stressors affect wildlife ecosystems and populations. She earned her B.S. in Biology from the College of Charleston in 2016. She has a background in herpetological surveying with the Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy in South Carolina and in ecotoxicology through her undergraduate research.

Rikki Ratsch

Graduate Student
Office: SB G53 - Environmental Resources Center office
Phone: 260-481-5725

Rikki’s research interests include reptile life history, spatial ecology, and conservation. He is currently investigating the use of environmental DNA, or eDNA, to survey for Kirtland’s snakes. The goal of his research is to determine if eDNA is an effective way to survey for Kirtland’s snakes and to design an eDNA sampling protocol for use in future Kirtland’s snake studies. Rikki attained his B.S. in Biology from University of Wisconsin Stevens Point in 2014 and joined the Kingsbury lab in fall of 2016.