Hello, my name is Dave Cooper Campbell, I go by Cooper. I am currently pursuing my Master's degree in Biology at Southeastern Louisiana University with Dr. Kyle Piller. I obtained my Bachelor's Degree at The University of Southern Mississippi working as an undergraduate in Dr. Jake Schaefer's lab. I graduated from USM as an Honors College member in 2014 with a degree in Biology, emphasis in Environmental Biology and minor in Geography.

 

My areas of interest include but are not limited to ichthyology, systematics, evolutionary biology, population genetics, and taxonomy. I want to answer questions looking at the relationships of organisms using molecular techniques to study them in a phylogenetic context and utilize this information to answer questions about their evolutionary history and ecology.

 

In the past, I have done work studying hybridization in Fundulus species and studied the evolution of body size in the order Siluriformes for my undergraduate thesis. Currently, I am studying the phylogeography and population genetics of the endangered subfamily Empetrichthyinae to better understand their relationships and population structure for my masters thesis in order to inform future conservation efforts. 

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I also have a secondary interest in scientific illustration for publications. I have skills with sketching, painting, and some digital media. If you are interested in my work, feel free to contact me.

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I will complete my masters program in the spring of 2017 and intend to continue on and pursue a PhD program. I am currently looking for PhD advisers to work with. My ultimate goal is to continue research within academia and advance work on the systematics and population genetics of aquatic fauna.