People

Dr. Kyle Barrett, Professor

Dr. Kyle Barrett is broadly interested in the environmental and biological factors that set the diversity, distribution, and abundance of organisms (ecology!). Most of his work focuses on how large scale stressors such as urbanization and climate change affect animals. Kyle also freqently partners with state and federal agencies to better understand the issues that cause population declines, and develop strategies to protect rare species.

Kyle is currently serving as the chair of the Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation.

Kevin Hutcheson, Wildlife Biologist

Kevin Hutcheson (MS, 2026) completed his MS in the Barrett lab with a project that helped us better understand how eDNA can be used to sample for, and understand resource selection of, Red Hills Salamanders. Kevin currently works in the lab as a Wildlife Biologist.

Kevin has an interest in reptile and amphibian ecology and conservation with a special interest in Plethodontid salamanders. Kevin received his bachelor's from the University of Georgia in 2021. While there he used phylogenetic methods to determine the origin of a likely introduced population of Black-bellied Salamander which spurred an interest in biogeography. After graduating he went on to work for USGS, The Orianne Society, and Amphibian and Reptile Conservancy doing on-the-ground research and conservation on a variety of imperiled herp species. In his free time Kevin enjoys being outdoors experiencing and photographing the biodiversity the world has to offer. He also enjoys listening to music and gardening with native pollinators.

Zinia Hampleton

Zinia Hampleton (MS Student) is interested in burrowing crayfishes in Western North Carolina. Her work is part of the Hurricane Helene Recovery Project at Clemson, which supports US Forest Service response to recovery following Hurricane Helene. She earned her BS in coastal ecology at the University of South Carolina Beaufort, where she participated in projects on the impacts of water quality on phytoplankton and using eDNA to survey oyster biodiversity. After completing her undergraduate degree, she worked for the SC Department of Natural Resources, where she focused on native crayfish in wetland areas. Zinia's thesis will focus on the crayfish species Cambarus carolinus and Cambarus dubius. She is interested in the distribution, behavioral, and population genetics response in these species to Hurricane Helene-related disturbances within forested and urban ecosystems.

Zinia is co-advised by Dr. Zanithia Barnett, who is a US Forest Service Biologist stationed at Clemson.

Bryan Hudson

Bryan Hudon (PhD student) is broadly interested in reptile ecology and conservation. He received a BS in biology from Piedmont College where his honors thesis focused on the thermal biology of reproductive Timber Rattlesnakes in the Southern Appalachian Mountains of north Georgia. He completed an MS in biology from Georgia College and State University. His thesis focused on rare vertebrates along a series of unique low elevation rock outcrops. Over the years, Bryan has worked with the GA DNR on Bog Turtles and Green Salamanders, the Orianne Society on Timber Rattlesnakes, and Bibb County, GA on land assessments and conservation covenants. His research investigates how habitat management strategies and urbanization across multiple spatial scales can influence population trends and conservation planning for rare species and their associated habitats. His primary goals include evaluating the status of non-coastal Pine Snakes across the southern portion of their range, and helping agencies work with private landowners to create conservation corridors. In his free time, Bryan enjoys working with the GA DNR Ecoburners on prescribed fires, fishing, hunting, cooking, and trying new BBQ.

Hannah Meredith

Hannah Meredith (MS Student) is interested in reptile and amphibian ecology, particularly habitat characteristics, animal behavior, and species conservation.

She earned her bachelor's in environmental science at the University of South Carolina, where she researched sustainability in agriculture for her honor's thesis. She developed an interest in wildlife conservation and herpetology, which was solidified by her senior project studying habitat restoration for the Eastern hellbender. While taking classes, Hannah works as a chemist at the Clemson Agricultural Services Lab. She is continuing research from past student, Emma Rogers, by studying the effects of development on Eastern box turtle behavioral traits. She will also study the effectiveness of leveraging community scientists and novel technologies for data collection and outreach efforts for box turtle conservation.

Aidan Phillips

Aidan Phillips (MS Student) has an interest in reptile and amphibian population ecology and conservation. He earned his bachelor’s in biology and environmental studies at Gettysburg College where he researched predatory eavesdropping pressures on the mating calls of Túngara frogs. Following graduation, he worked with USGS where on a range of amphibian and reptile species monitoring efforts across Louisiana. From there, he moved to North Carolina to work with Tangled Bank Conservation, where he was able to work with many species of imperiled herpetofauna, including bog turtles and green salamanders. Aidan joined the Barrett Lab as a part of Clemson’s effort to assess the impact of Hurricane Helene on North Carolina species of interest and is working to expand our understanding of the current status and distribution of bog turtles and green salamanders in Southern Appalachia.

Lab alumni

Kevin Hutcheson (MS, 2026) evaluated whether eDNA was a viable means of survying for Red Hills Salamanders, and if that approach would change our understanding of microhabitat selection for Red Hills Salamander burrow placement within an occupied slope. Kevin's work did confirm that eDNA can greatly improve our ability to detect Red Hills Salamander activity, relative to visual encounter surveys. Kevin is now working as a Wildlife Biologist in the Barrett Lab in support of the Hurricane Helene Recovery project.

Josh Holbrook (PhD, 2025) researched the conditions that promote fish colonization in geographically isolated wetlands, and the impacts those fish have on invertebrates and amphibians when they arrive. Josh's sampling took him from Connecticut to Paraguay so he could focus on how the impacts of fish shift with the size of the species pool and the configuration of the surrounding landscape. Josh is currently an Assistant Professor of Biology at Montreat College.

Robert Chamberlin (MS, 2025) evaluated the impacts of herbicides on the interactions among animal species. His thesis included a review of the effects of glyphosate and atrazine on interactions among a wide group of animals, as well as an experiment that measured the impacts of atrazine on interactions among fish, salamanders, and amphibians.

Emma Rogers (MS, 2024) studied the movement and resource selection of box turtles in the Clemson Experimental Forest and adjacent residential areas. Her work demonstrated that turtles move less and select for different resources in more developed areas relative to forests. Her thesis provides insights into how we can better manage our backyards for box turtles!

Megan Novak (PhD, 2023) focused on green salamanders in Upstate South Carolina. Her dissertation addressed questions at the population and landscape level that will directly shape conservation strategies for the species. Megan identified that factors from very small scales (e.g., individual crevices within a rock outcrop) to very large scales (e.g., the landscape across the species' range in SC) both shape population dynamics. Megan is currently a Lecturer in the Department of Biological Sciences at Clemson University.

Marion Clement (MS, 2020) studied the influence of developed areas on Barred Owls for her master's thesis. Marion's research helped us understand what features in urban areas promote the presence of barred owls, and she used GPS transmitters to better understand the fine scale movements of owls in forested and developed landscapes. She is currently Biologist with the US Fish and Wildlife Service working out of Colorado.

Nick Masto (MS, 2019) was advised in conjunction with Drs. Rick Kaminski and Beth Ross. Nick was a graduate research assistant with the James C. Kennedy Waterfowl and Wetlands Conservation Center, where he researched optimal aerial survey design for wintering waterfowl. His thesis also addressed the habitat associations of wintering waterfowl along the SC coast. Nick recently defended his PhD at Tennessee Tech University.

David Hutto (MS, 2018) researched the effects of urbanization on frog and toad communities. Specifically, David was interested in the conservation value of urban open spaces as it relates to amphibian communities. David is currently a keeper in Zoo Knoxville's Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Center.

Mike Knoerr (MS, 2018) focused on the conservation of bog turtles (Glyptemys muhlenbergii) in western North Carolina. His thesis provided the most robust dataset available to date on bog turtle nesting success, and he used that information to build a population model for bog turtles that evaluated the influence of different management strategies on population growth rates. Mike works as a Wildlife Biologist with the US Forest Service.

Jill Newman (MS, 2017) provided the first resurvey for Green Salamanders in SC in over 20 years, and those data will enhance SC DNR's ability to manage and conserve the species. Jill also compared two different modeling techniques used to forecast the climate vulnerability of green salamanders. Jill is Herpetologist with the Department of Defense.

Nathan Weaver (MS, 2015) evaluated the influence neighborhood age had on stream systems in a rapidly developing portion of the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains. Nathan is working as a staff scientist at Geosyntec Consultants.

Bennie Johnson (MS, 2015) studied how different aquatic systems within an intensively managed pine landscape contribute to the occupancy and community structure of amphibians and reptiles, using multiple survey methods and taking a landscape approach. Bennie is currently a biologist for Collins Timber Company (CA).

Nikki Roach (MS, 2015) studied the influence climate change and urban development on marsh bird distributions in South Carolina. After earning her PhD in the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Science at Texas A&M University, Nikki took a job as a Conservation Coordinator for Amphibians and Reptiles at the Global Center for Species Survival.

Theresa Stratmann (MS, 2015) used bog turtles (Glyptemys muhlenbergii) as a case study for how we can resource efficiently locate and surveying for rare and elusive species. Theresa is currently a PhD student at Goethe University-Frankfurt in Germany.

Bill Sutton worked as a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the lab from 2013 - 2014. His primary job was to help assess the vulnerability of Priority Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Areas in the Northeastern US. Bill is now an Associate Professor at Tennessee State University.

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