People & Projects

Dr. Casey Pennock
 Assistant Professor
Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology
pennock.17@osu.edu

Google Scholar: http://bit.ly/2oJN6LL

Link to CV

I am an aquatic ecologist with broad research interests spanning multiple levels of biological organization from populations to communities to ecosystems. I conduct my research in a wide range of freshwater habitats, and I am particularly interested in population and community dynamics and fish movement. I am interested in answering both basic and applied questions to inform conservation and management of freshwater ecosystems.

Postdoctoral Scholars

Allison Litmer, PhD  (2024-present)

Allie is a physiological ecologist with a research focus on factors regulating fitness and life history. Specifically, Allison studies variation in individual energetics and thermal physiology to better understand drivers of population dynamics. Her work often focuses on ectotherms and combines field, lab, and modeling approaches. Allison is currently working to develop a population model analyzing introduced channel catfish in the San Juan River to inform management and recovery of endangered species. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, baking, and spending time with her cat and dog.

Mack White, PhD  (starting September 2025)

Mack is an aquatic ecologist with broad interests in movement and food web ecology. His research centers on how animals drive and respond to nutrient and energy fluxes, providing a more holistic understanding of the natural world that informs conservation and management efforts. He enjoys spending time with his wife and two cats in his free time.

Graduate Students

James Dowling, PhD student (2024-present)

James is a PhD student from Lismore, Australia. James attended the University of New England, Armidale, completing a Bachelors degree in Environmental Science and Bachelor of Science Honours degree in Ecology, with research focusing on movement ecology. James’ research interests center on the movements and habitat use of freshwater species and how anthropogenic factors might influence them. He looks forward to answering questions related to fish movement, spatial use, and community composition in Ohio’s rivers.

Seth Drake, PhD student (2024-present)

Seth is a PhD student from Hendersonville, North Carolina. He completed a BS in Ecology at Appalachian State University, and a MS in Fisheries and Wildlife at Arkansas Tech University. He has worked with a range of aquatic taxa including stream-dwelling salamanders, freshwater mussels, and stream fishes. Seth’s research interests include community dynamics, understanding the effects of anthropogenic stressors on aquatic ecosystems, and species interactions. In his free time, he enjoys fly fishing, snorkeling, and cooking.

Abigail Duimering, MS student (2025-present)

Abby is an M.S. student from Philadelphia, PA. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology and an Honors Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies from Ursinus College, just outside of Philadelphia. Abby has broad interests in how ecological communities change over time and the environmental factors that drive these changes. Her current research will focus on community ecology of arctic zooplankton.

Sophia Holupka, MS student (2025-present)

Sophia is from St. Louis, MO and graduated with a BA in Pre-Professional Zoology from Ohio Wesleyan University. Her research interests are broad, and she is very interested in movement ecology and how anthropogenic stressors effect aquatic ecological communities. Her current research will focus on the movement ecology of invasive carp in the Ohio River.

Reagan Oller, MS student (2025-present)

Reagan is a MS student from St. Charles, Illinois. She completed her BS in Natural Resources and Environmental Science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Reagan’s main research focus is on the movement ecology of Sauger in the Ohio River. With this, she hopes to help inform management and gain a deeper understanding of fish movement in heavily modified habitats.

Research Technicians

Sawyer Olson (2024-present)

 

 

Michaela Palmieri (2025-present)

Michaela is from Pittsburgh, PA. She completed her B.S. in Environmental Biology at Clarion University of PA and her M.S. in Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture at Mississippi State University. In Mississippi, Michaela’s research focused on invasive bigheaded carp distribution patterns in oxbow lakes throughout the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. Her broad research interests include movement ecology and understanding and predicting species distributions to inform management.

Lab Alumni

Justin Furby, MS (OSU; 2023-2025). Current position: Research Fisheries Technician, Ohio Department of Natural Resources-Division of Wildlife, Fairport Harbor, OH

Chloe Lyles, MS (USU; 2022-2025). Current position: Native Fish Biologist, New Mexico Department of Game and Fish

Barrett Friessen, MS (USU; 2022-2024). Current position: Projects Director, Blue River Watershed Group, Silverthorne, CO

Benjamin Miller, MS (USU; 2021-2024). Current position: Fish Biologist, Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Flagstaff, AZ