The GarLab Team
Dr. Solomon R. David (Principal Investigator)
An avid fan of “primitive fishes” and advocate for native fishes conservation, Solomon strives to effectively communicate science to both the research community and general public. He received his B.S. in Biology from Ohio Northern University, followed by an M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources and Environment. His graduate research focused on conservation ecology of Great Lakes fishes, including projects on Lake Trout, Chinook Salmon, and Spotted Gar. Solomon has also conducted postdoctoral research in fish ecology at Shedd Aquarium, University of Wisconsin-Madison, U.S. Geological Survey, and Michigan State University. He served as assistant professor of biological sciences at Nicholls State University, and is now an assistant professor of aquatic ecology in the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology at the University of Minnesota.
Photo Credit: Greg Seitz, St. Croix 360
Jenna Pearson (Lab Manager)
Jenna is a recent Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology graduate with a minor in Marine Biology. She has been working in the lab for a little over a year and loves her role. She has worked with the Minnesota DNR as an aquatic invasive species watercraft inspector, and as a student tech working in Dr. Mark Bee’s Animal Communication Lab here at the University of Minnesota. Jenna is interested in marine biology, zoology and hopes to build her career at a zoo or aquarium. She loves spending time with her friends and family, being outdoors, working with animals, reading, and going on coffee runs.
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Luxia Feyereisen (MS Student)
Luxi (‘Lucy’) Feyereisen has recently graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Madison with a bachelor’s degree in Biology and Environmental Sciences. She has recently joined the GarLab as an incoming Master’s student in Conservation Sciences here at the UMN. She is a passionate world traveler and loves to experience different cultures through their food, traditions, and aquatic life! Her first introduction to gar fish was from an episode on River Monsters, as Jeremy Wade reeled in a massive alligator gar. She studied abroad in Turks & Caicos and gained hands-on experience in marine resource research and scuba diving alongside barracudas, sharks, and sea turtles.
Gabrielle Gonzales (MS Student)
Gabrielle (Gabby) Gonzales is a recent graduate of the University of Michigan with a B.S. in Environment, specializing in conservation biology. Having grown up in Northern Michigan, her passion for the Great Lakes inspired her to pursue aquatic ecology, which she explored through two summers of research internships in Texas and Wisconsin. Currently, Gabby is working in the GarLab as a full-time research technician. In January of 2026, she will begin her master’s degree at the U, studying Conservation Science on a Fisheries & Aquatic Biology track. She’s eager to continue studying native fishes and explore the beauty of Minnesota!
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCHERS
Current: Raine Flynn, Isabella Terzian
Alumni: Ella Chmielewski, Aaron Featherstone, Katie Flitsch, Grace Tuttle, Jacob Wilson, Madeleine Thenhaus, Jonathan Wilson-Thieroff
GRADUATE STUDENT ALUMNI
Katherine (Kati) Wright, M.S.
THESIS: Ecology and life history of Alligator Gar metapopulations in the Mississippi River Basin and Gulf Coast
Kati is originally from Virginia and graduated from Virginia Tech in 2016 with a B.S. in Wildlife Conservation, as well as in Marine Fisheries Conservation. After her undergraduate degree, Kati went on to be a Northeast Fisheries Observer, deploying on a variety of commercial fishing vessels from trawls to gillnets. Since then, she has also worked with NOAA’s Shark Population Assessment Group, in addition to their Reef Fish Survey Group, and In-Sync Exotics Wildlife Rescue’s large cats. Her latest position was as a research technician, where she studied Gulf Sturgeon, Red Drum, Black Drum, and Sheepshead movement and ecology throughout Mississippi and the Mississippi Sound. Kati’s thesis research focuses on ecology and life history of Alligator Gar metapopulations across Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Florida.
Faith Kelly, M.B.S.
Faith was born and raised in Saint Paul, Minnesota and received her bachelor’s degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Biology at the University of Minnesota in 2015. During her undergraduate career, she taught Animal Diversity Laboratory, led tours at the Bell Museum of Natural History, and explored spatial relationships between neighboring Serengeti lion prides as a member of the Lion Lab. These experiences crystallized her passion for science communication, and she went on to lead program creation and redesigns for a variety of institutions and target audiences, covering topics such as the scientific method, biomes of the world, and the science of wine. She returned to the U of M to pursue a Master’s of Biological Sciences with the intention of eventually teaching college biology but made a sharp pivot after finding her happy place in the Bell Museum Ichthyology research collections. Her research uses social media platforms and publicly available DNR data to explore how public/institutional attitudes and media coverage differ between fish species and regulatory groupings.
Dinah Cador
THESIS: Utility of eye lenses to investigate habitat use, trophic ecology, and life history of Spotted Gar Lepisosteus oculatus and Alligator Gar Atractosteus spatula
Dinah was born and raised in Brusly, Louisiana and received her B.S. in Biology with a minor in chemistry from Dillard University. During her undergraduate career, she assisted with whole-organism performance research focused on the thermal regulation of alligators with varying skin colors in response to environmental conditions. Dinah is an activist artist who has a passion for environmental science and science education. During her senior year of undergrad, Dinah had art pieces featured in two art shows in New Orleans, Louisiana in which she was able to purpose her art to promote environmental and social equity.
Audrey Baetz
THESIS: Species-habitat associations and stable isotope ecology of gars (Lepisosteidae) in two restored Mississippi River floodplains
Audrey is originally from Michigan and graduated from Michigan State University in 2018 earning a B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife with a concentration in Fisheries Biology and Management. Her undergraduate research focused on the diversification of sensory systems in Threespine Sticklebacks Gasterosteus aculeatus. In addition to her research in undergrad, Audrey spent a summer working for South Dakota Game, Fish, & Parks studying game fish populations and angler pressure. Since completing her undergraduate degree, Audrey has worked for the U.S. Geological Survey researching maintenance and restoration of constructed spawning reefs in the Great Lakes.
Derek Sallmann, M.S.
Derek Sallmann was born in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran College with a B.S. in Biology (Ecology). He worked on a variety of projects with his mentor Dr. Bob Anderson, including scuba diving coral reef research in Grenada, a dam removal study on the Middle Bark River, nutrient analysis on Beaver Lake, a fish passage study on the Menomonee River, and many electrofishing surveys. His senior research project involved compiling a paper on “Population Trends of Northern Sunfish in the Lower Mukwonago River” which he presented at the Wisconsin chapter of the American Fisheries Society in 2016. Since his graduation he has worked as “Outreach and Engagement Coordinator” with the “Friends of the Mukwonago River” as well as “Water Resource Management Specialist” for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Derek also co-hosts two educational YouTube series (one about birds and one about fish) called Badgerland Birding and Badgerland Fishes. Derek’s current research includes floodplain restoration using gar as an indicator species and his interests include conservation science, ancient fishes, science communication, and more. Derek successfully completed his thesis in Summer 2022.
KristieRae Ellis, M.S.
THESIS: Trophic ecology of gars (Lepisosteidae) in a Mississippi River floodplain
KristieRae is originally from Wisconsin and graduated from Carthage College with a B.A. in Environmental Science. Her undergraduate thesis research focused on the impacts of urbanization on Northern Leopard Frogs Lithobates pipiens. Since completing her undergraduate degree, KristieRae has worked on several restoration and monitoring projects throughout the Midwest and Virginia. Her passion for restoration has led to many different opportunities, including adult and larval fish surveys, prescribed burns, and river building. KristieRae’s current research is focused on understanding fish assemblages within a newly restored coastal marsh habitat in southeastern Louisiana. KristieRae successfully completed her thesis in Summer 2021.
Sarah Fontana, M.S.
THESIS: Growth and development of the Spotted Gar Lepisosteus oculatus spawned out of season
Sarah was born and raised in Raceland, Louisiana, and received her B.S. in biology (marine biology concentration) from Nicholls State University (2018). Her undergraduate thesis research investigated the ability of invasive Apple Snails Pomacea maculata to host the parasitic Rat Lungworm Angiostrongylus cantonensis. While she enjoyed studying invertebrates, her current research involves studying the spawning and early life history of the Spotted Gar Lepisosteus oculatus in Louisiana. Sarah successfully completed her thesis in Spring 2020.
Anthea (Thea) Fredrickson, M.S.
THESIS: Comparing trophic ecology and life history in the development of a stable isotope model based on non-lethal sampling for Spotted Gar Lepisosteus oculatus and Alligator Gar Atractosteus spatula
Thea is originally from California and graduated from the University of California Santa Cruz with a B.S. in Marine Biology (2015). Her undergraduate thesis focused on understanding the difference in isotope concentrations between populations of stranded California Sea Lions Zalophus californianus. Since completing her undergraduate degree, Thea has worked and traveled all over the world studying a variety of creatures from tiny guppies in Trinidad, to massive Whale Sharks Rhincodon typus in Mexico. Her current research focuses on trophic ecology of the Spotted Gar Lepisosteus oculatus in the bayou and coastal regions of Louisiana. Thea successfully completed her thesis in Spring 2020.
Undergraduate Alumni – Nicholls State University
Ridge Arceneaux
Aimee Bertrand
Ross Candies
Katelynn Starkey
Kaylee Gleason (Undergraduate Alum)
Kaylee is from Denham Springs, Louisiana, and graduating with her bachelor of science in biology with a concentration in marine biology. She wants to continue doing research on Bowfin or other predatory fishes. Follow Kaylee on Twitter @KayleeEGleason
GarLab - Solomon R. David, PhD 