Our Team — Fisheries Systems Ecology

Meet Our Dedicated Team!

DR. GRETCHEN JA HANSEN

Dr. Hansen is an assistant professor of Fisheries Ecology in the Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology department at the University of Minnesota. Prior to starting this position in August of 2018, Dr. Hansen worked for five years as a research scientist for the Departments of Natural Resources in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

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JENNA KR NELSON

Jenna is a Fisheries Research Consultant in the Hansen Lab. She holds a M.S. in Natural Resources with a Fisheries emphasis from the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point where she studied the genetic effects of a hydroelectric dam on seven fish species. She also has a B.S. degree in Biology from the University of Minnesota Duluth. In her free time, Jenna loves to Nordic ski year round, and participates in many Midwestern marathon ski races including the American Birkebeiner.

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Researchers

CONTACT ME:

ghansen@umn.edu

2003 Upper Buford Cir, 135 Skok Hall, Saint Paul, MN 55108

Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology Department
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

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TRISTAN BLECHINGER

Tristan is a researcher in the Hansen Lab. He graduated from UMNTC in 2022 with a degree in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology with an emphasis in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. He worked on zooplankton isotope correction factors for food web studies as an undergraduate, and is currently working on developing eDNA sampling methods for citizen surveillance of aquatic invasive species in Minnesota lakes. He is interested in food web ecology and human impacts on fisheries. In his free time he enjoys doing anything outdoors!

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DR. MICHAEL VERHOEVEN

Mike is an ecologist working on aggregating landscape scale multi-species fish survey data and using them to understand how climate change impacts inland fisheries. He also works on understanding the interactions between invasive and native species, and the impacts of inland lake management efforts (like invasive plant control). In his work he tries to incorporate both fundamental and applied ecology, and looks for ways to integrate observational studies and experimental work.

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Graduate Students

HOLLY KUNDEL - MS (2022), PHD

Holly is a PhD student in the Hansen Lab and an NSF Fellow. She completed her master’s in Conservation Sciences with a focus on Fisheries and Aquatic Biology at the University of Minnesota in the Hansen lab in January of 2022, where she investigated how invasive zebra mussels impact walleye recruitment using historical data collected by the MN DNR. Holly graduated with a B.S in Biology with minors in Environmental Studies and Mathematics from Augsburg University in 2019, where she worked on various freshwater ecology projects with Dr. Emily Schilling. In the Hansen lab, Holly will be collating sport fish data from the Midwestern United States. With this data, and collated environmental data, she will work to build models to estimate relative abundances of high priority fish species, and how those relative abundances may change as lake temperatures warm.

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DENVER LINK - MS

Denver is a master's student in the Hansen lab investigating the effects of zebra mussels on the success of walleye in Minnesota lakes. He graduated from St. Olaf College in 2021 with degrees in biology and environmental studies and enjoys understanding anthropogenic changes in aquatic environments. During his undergraduate studies, Denver spent two summers with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Bureau studying fish populations on the Upper Mississippi River. Outside of the lab, Denver enjoys fishing, alpine skiing, and supporting the Denver Broncos.

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OLIVIA NYFFELER - MS

Olivia is a master’s student in the Hansen and Waterhouse Labs studying drivers of cisco recruitment in Lake Superior. Her work focuses on identifying biotic and abiotic factors influencing cisco reproduction. She graduated from UW Madison in 2021 with a degree in Conservation Biology and Psychology, and received a certificate in Environmental Studies. During her time there, Olivia helped with a whole lake manipulation that studied impacts on walleye populations. In her free time, you can find her walking her dog Louie, reading a good book, or riding a bike.

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CHRISTOPHER ROUNDS - MS

Christopher is a master’s student in the Hansen lab following the conservation sciences track. He graduated from UMNTC in 2020 with a degree in Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology and minors in Computer science, GIS, and Marine Biology. As an undergraduate he worked on native mussel conservation and describing the life history of Minnesota native mussels. He has been a part of the Hansen lab since 2019 and he is currently working on optimizing eDNA to detect aquatic invasive species. In his free time, Christopher is a soccer player and a not so successful yet avid angler.

MAYRA VELASQUEZ - MS

Mayra is a graduate student in the Conservation Sciences program at the University of Minnesota. She recently graduated from Rhodes College where she received a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and studied the impact of nutrient inflows in altering biogeochemical processes; specifically focused on carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycling in lakes and watersheds located in the mid-south region. While she misses her southern food, Mayra is super excited to be joining Dr. Hansen’s lab and living in Minnesota. In her free time, Mayra enjoys trying out new restaurants with her roommates. Realistically, you’ll most likely find her eating chicken fingers once a week at Raising Canes.

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