Research - Aquatic Sciences

Develop and disseminate knowledge about aquatic animals and their habitats, including aquaculture; interactions between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems; and fates and effects of pollutants; and appropriate management practices for the protection and use of aquatic ecosystems.

Areas of specialization in aquatic sciences include:

  • Fisheries Biology
  • Aquaculture
  • Aquatic Animal Nutrition
  • Aquatic Animal Physiology
  • Aquatic Toxicology

Faculty
Dr. Paul Brown - Aquatic animal nutrition, physiology, biochemistry

Dr. Mark Christie - Fish ecology, genetics, evolution, and pedigree analysis

Dr. Paris Collingsworth - Aquatic ecosystems, Great Lakes, organismal biology

Dr. Andrew DeWoody - Population genetics, molecular ecology and evolution

Dr. Reuben Goforth - Aquatic ecology, fish and insect species and communities in streams, species persistence, community ecology

Dr. Tomas Höök - Fish ecology and ecological modeling focusing on recruitment processes, foodweb interactions, bio-physical coupling, eutrophication effects and fish life history trait variation

Dr. ​Jason Hoverman - Herpetology, disease ecology, effect of multiple stressors on community dynamics

Dr. Maria Sepulveda - Ecotoxicology, development and application of molecular biomarkers of exposure and effects to environmental contaminants in vertebrate and invertebrate animal models

Dr. ​Rod Williams - Ecology and conservation of amphibians and reptiles, education and outreach, genetics

Dr. Mitch Zischke - Fisheries, fish population dynamics, fish ecology, fishery socioeconomics, tropical marine science, Great Lakes

Learn More About Our Research

View our nine research areas along with our world-class faculty, Research Areas.

Purdue centers seek to support and enhance the research and partnership enterprise at Purdue University. The centers are valued and encouraged at Purdue as they create a venue for faculty to come together to pursue common goals. Forestry and Natural Resources have faculty and staff involved in six centers here at the University.

The Department of Forestry and Natural Resources maintains an impressive collection of state-of-the-art research and education facilities. These labs, green houses, and educational facilities are a fundamental component that enables our faculty and students to learn, make new discoveries, and engage our clients in using these discoveries to sustain our nation’s ecosystems and natural resources.​

The mission of the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources is to develop and disseminate knowledge in the natural resource sciences associated with the protection, management, and sustainable use of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. One way the department accomplishes our mission is by owning and managing 24 properties located throughout the state to provide opportunities for research, extension, and education that achieves sustainable use of our natural resources.

See Aquatic Science Research Stories

Frimpong with graduate students studying native freshwater fish communities of Virginia.
Dr. Emmanuel Frimpong Honored as Distinguished Ag Alumnus

Dr. Emmanuel A. Frimpong was honored as a 2023 recipient of the Purdue Distinguished Agriculture...

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Paul Brown, professor of forestry and natural resources at Purdue University, oversees the lab’s experimental aquaponics systems.
$10 million USDA grant targets more Midwestern seafood production and consumption

Purdue University has received a five-year, $10 million grant from the U.S. Department of...

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2004 alumnus Tom Lang receives the 2022 Meritorious Service Award from the American Fisheries Society.
Alumnus Tom Lang Honored by American Fisheries Society

Tom Lang, a 2004 fisheries and aquatic sciences alumnus, was honored by the American Fisheries...

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Wisconsin river
Alumni Trio Creates Model to Help Prevent Spread of Invasive Carp

Imagine if something resembling a video game could help eliminate or reduce the spread of...

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Northern Leopard Frog
PFAS Publication Named Among Exceptional Papers of 2021

The article “Chronic Per-/Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Exposure Under Environmentally Relevant...

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Nearshore southern Lake Michigan coastline during sunset.
Research Looks at Changes in Lake Michigan Nearshore Fish Assemblage

How has the nearshore fish assemblage in Lake Michigan changed over the last 40 years and what...

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