Than J. Boves, Ph.D.

I was born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago and I became fascinated with birds and nature at an early age. I have since formalized my broad interests into a diverse research program that covers many topics within ornithology, ecology, evolution, and conservation. I love my job and also love travel, music, sports, beer, forests, mountains, and rivers. I have a wife, son, and daughter that also love travel, music, sports, and nature.
Graduate Students
Kevin Krajcir
MS Student
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kevin.krajcir@smail.astate.edu

Although I was born and raised in the Natural State (Hot Springs, AR specifically), my interest in the natural world did not begin until college when I started exploring the outdoors through bird watching. My curiosity of the natural world is part of my overall intrigue with life which includes nature and human cultures. To begin to satiate my desire to understand our world, I earned my BA in Biology and in Spanish from Hendrix College. I became involved with various bird-related research projects on campus throughout my years, but my passion for ornithology was solidified by birding trips across the state, country, and internationally and by developing field skills such as banding and mist netting. I’ve joined the Boves Lab to earn my Master’s in Biological Sciences while researching feather mite and host warbler ecology. I otherwise enjoy cooking, playing video games and trivia, and traveling.
Alix Matthews
​PhD Student (co-advised with Asela Wijeratne)
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alix.matthews@smail.astate.edu

I'm from North Little Rock, Arkansas and have always been intrigued by how species coexist and how ecosystems function. I earned my BSc in Environmental Sciences from Rhodes College in 2014 and my MSc in Biological Sciences from Arkansas State University in 2017. My interest in symbioses has primarily focused on exploring birds and their "endos-and-ectos" (passerine haemoparasites, feather mites), but I also dabbled in the fungus-farming ant world (an incredibly interesting symbiosis) at the University of Texas at Tyler as a research lab manager from 2017-2019. Now I've migrated back to the Boves Lab, blazing the trail as a Molecular Biosciences PhD student, where I'm building off of my master's research to test ecological and evolutionary hypotheses regarding the fascinating symbiosis between feather mites and warblers.
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Emily Donahue
​PhD Student
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emilyrdonahue@gmail.com

Growing up exploring Pennsylvania State Game Lands with my dad, our yellow lab blazing the trail, I developed a fascination for the organisms around me. While earning my bachelor’s degree at Penn State University, I dove into my first nature job as a guide for an outdoor orientation program, using backpacking to connect incoming freshmen with each other and the natural world. My love of ornithology sprouted while volunteering at the local bird banding station and led to a summer position as a technician for an avian research project at a remote field camp in Arizona. It was an honor to forgo many showers, chase many fledglings, and process many samples with the fellow nature-enthusiasts of Bird Camp! I am now pursuing my master’s degree while studying the winter ecology of the endearingly fierce Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus), a declining predatory songbird, and possible effects of agricultural practices across the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. Wherever my career may take me, I know my true home will always be waiting in the great outdoors.
 William "Cayce" Guy
MS Student (Co-advised w/ Michele Reba)

william.guy1@smail.astate.edu
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I was born and raised in Arkansas and have always been in love with nature. Growing up as a “free-range” child, I grew up exploring wilderness areas. I became passionate about wildlife, nature, and the drive to protect wildlife during my wilderness excursions. While earning my bachelor’s degree at Hendrix College, I learned the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to answering complex scientific questions. As a master’s degree Environmental Sciences student in The Boves Lab, I am interested in the relationships between people and wildlife. I plan on investigating agricultural practices that are better for birds and for the environment. I am also fascinated by avian evolution and biodiversity. Some of my hobbies are fishing, archery, ultimate frisbee, and enjoying live music. 
Undergraduate Students
Elizabeth Corbin (Fall 2020-Present) - Loggerhead Shrike Prey Choice
Bill Page (Spring 2019-Fall 2020) - Various projects
Tryniti Garrad (Fall 2019-Present) - Raptors as Pest Control
Alumni
Graduate Students
Emily Donahue (M.S. Fall 2020; Studied non-breeding ecology of Loggerhead Shrikes in agricultural landscapes) - Currently a PhD student in Molecular Biosciences at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, AR. 
Jacob Wessels (M.S. Spring 2020; Studied Cerulean Warbler Ecology in the Ozarks) - Currently living in Knoxville, TN working as seasonal field tech.
Joe Youtz (M.S. Spring 2020; Studied the manifestation of Bergmann's Rule in PROW and Landscape ecology in the Mississippi Delta) - Currently a PhD student at LSU studying marsh bird management and conservation.
Lee Bryant (M.S. Spring 2018; Studied the impact of the decline of eastern hemlock on Lousiana Waterthrush) - Currently working for the city of Flagstaff, AZ Sustainability Sector as the Climate Education Coordinator and teaching biology at Coconino Community College.
Alex Worm (M.S. Fall 2017; Studied range expansion and hybridization of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers and Western Kingbirds) - Currently teaching at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, AR.
Jennifer Wilcox (M.S. Fall 2017; Studied forest management in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley) - Currently living in Las Vegas, NV and working for WEST, Inc. doing avian fieldwork in the western United States.
Morgan Slevin (M.S. Summer 2017; Studied Prothonotary Warblers in bottomland forests) - Currently PhD student in Neurobiology at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, FL.
Alix Matthews (M.S. Spring 2017; Studied avian-feather mite co-ecology and evolution) - Currently PhD student in Molecular Biosciences at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, AR.
Doug Raybuck (M.S. Fall 2016; Studied post-fledging habitat selection by Cerulean Warblers) - Currently PhD student in Wildlife Ecology at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN.
Undergraduate Students
Cody Barnett (Fall 2017-Spring 2020) - Feather mite biology and ecology
Rhett Raibley (Fall 2015-Spring 2020) - Jack of all trades
Brett Harken (Spring-Fall 2019) - Various projects
Callie Wilson (Fall 2017-Spring 2019) - Using raptors as pest control in the Mississippi Delta
Emily Orfanos - Loggerhead Shrikes in agricultural landscapes (2016-17)
Kara Oliver - Loggerhead Shrikes in agricultural landscapes (2016-17)
Kassidy Richardson - Mites and warblers; Bird-window collisions (2015-16)
Sarah Wilcox - Mites and birds; Scissor-tailed Flycatchers and Western Kingbird Hybridization (Fall 2014 - Fall 2015)
Courtney Francois - Mites and birds; Physiology of biliverdin; Window collisions (Fall 2015 - Spring 2016)
Mitchell Curtis - Nest behavior of Prothonotary Warblers (Spring 2015 - Spring 2016)
Breaunna Jackson - Provisioning of Prothonotary Warblers in natural cavities and nest boxes (Fall 2014 - Spring 2015)
Luke Methvin - Effects of forest management on nest behavior (Fall 2014 - Spring 2015)
Peter Hasik - Range expansion of Western Kingbirds and Scissor-tailed Flycatchers (Summer 2014)
Arin Vann - Factors driving Bird-Window Collisions (Fall 2014)
Brent Wagner - Factors driving Bird-Window Collisions (Fall 2014)
Erica Olney - Factors driving Bird-Window Collisions (Fall 2014)
LeeVi Haas - Comparative Study of Biliverdin and Prothonotary Warbler Nest Box Project (Spring 2014)
Jennifer Reed - CORT as a mediator of carry-over effects in Cerulean Warblers (Fall 2013)