Researchers
Research Laboratory Faculty
Lee Kats
Professor of Biology
Vice Provost
Frank R. Seaver Chair of Natural Science
Dr. Lee Kats' current research is focused on the ecology and conservation biology of stream animals. This includes examining possible causes of amphibian decline. He and his students focus their studies on the effects of ultraviolet radiation, wildfire, and the introduction of exotic species. He has a significant background in the areas of animal behavior, conservation, animal ecology, tropical biology, and stream ecology. Dr. Kats conducts most of his research in the Santa Monica Mountains of Southern California; however, he also leads classes and conducts research in Costa Rica and Argentina.
Dr. Kats has taught at Pepperdine for over 30 years. He currently serves as the Vice Provost of the University, as well as Academic Director of the Center for Faith and the Common Good and a professor of biology. Dr. Kats has published numerous research articles on amphibian ecology and conservation ecology, served on the Board of Editors for the scientific journal Conservation Biology since 1996, and the editorial board of Hydrobiologia, the European scientific journal on freshwater biology, since 2000.
Research Laboratory Students
Max Sprute
Student Researcher
Max is a senior biology and history dual major with research interests in behavioral ecology, population genetics, genomics, phylogeography, and speciation. Max has been a member of Dr. Kats' lab for almost five years now helping on multiple projects and runs the animal care on campus for the laboratory. In addition he has been involved with the laboratory’s USGS work during the summers.
Nolan Gentile
Student Researcher
Nolan is a senior biology major whose primary interests are environmental stressors in the Santa Monica Mountains and the effect of steam geomorphology on stream inhabitants. He has been involved in the lab since his freshman year and is currently conducting research on steam geomorphology and the impacts of wildfires in the streams. In summers 2022 and 2023 he co-led the USGS partnership, and this summer he will help in a nature reserve with the lab.
Research Projects: Wildfire & Biodiversity
Conor Kramer
Student Researcher
Conor is a senior biology major and is currently working in Dr. Kats’ behavioral ecology laboratory on a year-long project with his partner Nolan Gentile. Conor’s research interests surround geomorphology of streams in riparian ecosystems, the effects of wildfire, and biodiversity. These three interests combine in the study of the effects of wildfire on the geomorphology of streams in riparian ecosystems in the Santa Monica Mountains, and how this could affect the faunal biodiversity in surrounding stream habitats.
Research Projects: Wildfire & Biodiversity
Merry Kimble
Student Researcher
Merry is a freshman biology major who is interested in zoology as well as environmental journalism. She is a new member of the lab, but is excited to be working with the USGS partnership this upcoming summer. She has a special interest in amphibian conservation, and hopes to continue to pursue that passion in the future.
Hayley Lunn
Student Researcher
Hayley Lunn is a senior biology major and has been working in Dr. Kats’ behavior ecology laboratory since her junior year. She is interested in behavioral, stream, and conservation ecology. Hayley has been a part of multiple experiments during her involvement and is currently analyzing and conducting experiments with poison dart frogs. This past summer she was involved in the USGS partnership, and collected data from streams throughout the Santa Monica Mountains. Additionally, Hayley is involved in animal care for the campus and is one of the student leaders of the lab.
Lucia Maldonado
Student Researcher
Lucia Maldonado is a senior biology major interested in studying the behavioral cues of animals. She has been a member of the lab since her junior year and has been a part of several projects focused on stream organism behaviors. Lucia collected data for the USGS stream database and is hoping to complete more projects this school year. Furthermore, she is involved in animal care for the campus and is one of the student leaders of the lab.
Ripley Conklin
Student Researcher
Kinkade Mcmurray
Student Researcher
Andrew Wang
Student Researcher
Andrew Wang is a freshman biology major and great books/chemistry minor who is interested in herpetological diseases, behavior ecology, and animal care. He joined the lab in November of 2022 and is excited to work with the USGS team during summers and to conduct experiments.
Connor McGaha
Student Researcher
Connor McGaha is a junior biology major who is interested in ecology and wildlife conservation, particularly as they pertain to vertebrates. Although he has only recently joined Dr. Kats’ behavioral ecology laboratory, Connor is excited to be a part of the USGS survey team this summer and run experiments throughout the school year with the lab.
Kyle Osornia
Student Researcher
Kyle Osornia is a recent Pepperdine alumni who graduated with a B.S. in biology in 2023 and joined the research laboratory the following summer. Kyle joined the laboratory to gain valuable experience in field-based research, with the hopes of exploring the relationship between the stream animals and the changing climate. Both the USGS and laboratory experiments conducted during his time in the laboratory will help prepare Kyle for the future graduate program he intends to pursue after an initial gap year.
Jack Curtis
Student Researcher
Recent Research Laboratory Student Graduates
David Addison
Former Student Researcher
David graduated as a biology major with interest in studying the effects of insecticides in stream ecology. He was a member of the lab since his freshman year and led a project focused on the effects of tetrodotoxin, a neurotoxin released by the California newt, on mosquito motility, morphology, and mortality. Furthermore, he collected data for the USGS stream surveys, and he was one of the student leaders of the lab.
Research Projects: Reclaimed Water & Tadpole Behavior
Elise DeArment
Former Laboratory Student Leader
Elise DeArment graduated as a biology major with interest in investigating the impact of wildfire on streams in the Santa Monica Mountains. She engaged in several semesters of research investigating how water quality changes after wildfire, and how this could impact both native and invasive species. She was also involved in the USGS partnership for three years and was one of the student leaders of the lab.
Research Projects: Wildfire, Water Quality, and Invasive Species
Jack Keoseyan
Former Student Researcher
Jack graduated as a biology major and with primary interest in the effects of urbanization and invasive species on native species’ behavior and how this affects conservation practices. He specifically researched how water quality affects the predator evasion capabilities of the Pacific tree frog’s tadpoles. He was involved in the laboratory’s USGS partnership and hopes to continue his work in conservation biology.
Research Projects: Bti (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis)
Analise Nash
Former Student Researcher
Analise graduated as a biology major with a minor in Hispanic Studies and Sustainability with interest in the effects of environmental changes on native and invasive species' interactions. She researched analyzing how chemical cues from invasive mosquitofish and native Hyre frogs influence crayfish aggression. She is also interested in environmental policy and will be attending Pepperdine's School of Public Policy.
Research Projects: Invasive Crayfish & Fish
Dani Rizzo
Former Student Researcher
Dani graduated with a BS in biology in December 2021. As an NSF Student-As-Scholar Fellow, she studied the impacts of melanized spots on invasive crayfish feeding behavior. Throughout her undergraduate career, Dani was committed to both conservation and outreach, presenting at research symposiums including the Southern California Conference for Undergraduate Research and the Seaver College Research and Scholarly Achievement Symposium.
Elyse Vetter
Former Student Researcher
Elyse graduated with a BA in biology in December 2021. She completed an honors thesis on the emergence of widespread disease symptoms in a local population of California newts. As an NSF Student-As-Scholar Fellow, Elyse studied the impacts of chemical cues on invasive crayfish aggression. She worked collaboratively with the USGS, serving as a fieldworker and survey coordinator. Elyse presented her research findings at the NPS and Partners Annual Stream Team Meeting and the Seaver College Research and Scholarly Achievement Symposium.