Evidence-based Restoration Lab
Pursuing basic ecological science to help conserve and restore ecosystems
Evidence-based
Restoration Lab
Welcome to the Research Laboratory of Associate Professor Holly Jones
We train students to foster curiosity about how ecosystems work and their underlying ecology and to pursue ecological research that enhances environmental stewardship. Our research focuses on how best to prioritize restoration, the links between ecosystem restoration/conservation and human well-being in the face of global climate change, and maximizing restoration gains and investigating restoration trajectories at the local, regional, and global scale. We work with non-profit organizations, governmental organizations, land-managers, and the public to ensure our research has on-the-ground applications.
Check out Dr. Jones' British Ecology Society Talk!
Lab News
Congratulations to PhD candidate Erin Rowland who received a grant for her research in prairies from Friends of Nachusa Grasslands!
Welcome to your new position in the lab Lizzy Small, who's starting a MSc project on plant/small mammal interactions at Nachusa Grasslands!
Welcome to the lab new Postdoctoral Fellow Katharine Hogan! She's working on the Community Assembly in Prairie Ecosystem Restoration (CAPER) project!
Congratulations to MSc Student Jessica Sikora, who won 2nd place at the Ecological Society of America's Restoration Section Poster contest!
Congratulations to Tony Del Vallé, who successfully defended his MSc thesis and started his new job as a Research Coordinator at Morton Arboretum!
Congratulations to Lab Technician Sam Berk, who won a grant from the Illinois Native Plant Society!
Congratulations to Andrew Dreelin who won a grant for his research on birds and prairie dogs in Montana from American Ornithological Society!
Many members of the lab have co-founded NIU's Inclusive Birding Club!
Dr. Jones and collaborator Dr. Nick Barber won a National Science Foundation to study the functional consequences of species losses and gains in restored prairies! See more about that here.
Huge congrats to Tony Del Vallé who earned a prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and a grant from Bureau of Land Management to study grassland bird responses to bison grazing!