Matt has overseen the Idaho Department of Fish and Game's fish genetics lab since 2001.  He started in the field of fisheries genetics in 1995 working in Matt Powell's lab at the University of Idaho.  Most of his initial research focused on resident fish:  Hybridization between northern pikeminnow and chiselmouth; hybridization between rainbow trout and cutthroat trout.  Early on with IDFG he spent a significant amount of time researching the genetic population structure and phylogeography of Idaho's state fish the cutthroat trout.  More recently, he has focused on developing genetic programs that assist in the management and conservation of anadromous steelhead and Chinook salmon populations.  Outside of work, Matt enjoys spending time with his wife Tami and two dogs (Avery and Petty).  Some of his hobbies include hiking/camping, pottery, listening to music, movie watching and reading.  Education M.S., Fisheries, University of Idaho, 2001.

Dave is originally from Ohio (Go Browns!), but school and work pulled him west. He earned a B.S. in Biology from South Dakota State University and an M.S. in Fish and Wildlife Management from Montana State University. He joined the Department in 2000, and has worked in the fish research branch evaluating different types of Chinook salmon supplementation including; the Chinook Salmon Captive Rearing project, the Idaho Supplementation Studies program and the Chinook Salmon integrated broodstock research biologist. He is excited to add sockeye to his life-list of species he has worked with. Dave’s fishing and hunting buddy recently went off to college, so he is looking forward to showing his wife, Anne, the ins and outs of catfishing on the Snake River and hosting a revolving cast of characters in his duck blind this fall.

Katharine started at the EFGL in the fall of 2018.  A brief bio from Katharine is below:

I grew up near the Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee, but bewilderingly, wanted to be a marine biologist since 4th grade.  This passion led me to get my marine science undergraduate degree at the University of South Carolina, where I began working in a conservation genetics lab that focused on aquatic and marine species.  My studies led me to a PhD in Genetics at the University of California, Davis, where I conducted my research at Bodega Marine Lab on the effect of hatchery supplementation on the genetic diversity of the wild population of white seabass.  After my PhD, my path veered toward the deep sea where I conducted research on the population connectivity of the hydrothermal vent worm, Riftia pachyptila between vent systems along the East Pacific Rise and other projects developing microsatellite markers to uncover phylogenetic and population genetic relationships of Anomuran crabs (squat lobsters!) and methane seep mussels and their bacterial symbionts.  I look forward to getting back to my conservation genetics roots and applying the skills I’ve developed (and learning more!) to discover sex determining loci and performing genetic stock identifications of important Pacific Northwest aquatic species.

Outside of work, I write for The Molecular Ecologist science blog, ferret out trivia nights, hike, tube lazy rivers, and road bike when the weather is fair and the road is mostly flat.  I have found being in or near the ocean and the Appalachians to be my happy places, but so far, Boise and the wilds surroundings have plenty of contentment to offer.

John began his studies in fisheries at the University of Washington where he received a Bachelor of Science the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences. He received both his master’s degree (Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences) and Ph.D. (Wildlife Ecology and Conservation) from the University of Florida. His dissertation work was focused on Largemouth bass and looked at the evolutionary consequences of species introductions as well as the impacts of angling during the spawning season on reproductive success and parental contributions to recruitment.

Outside of work, John enjoys all things outdoors; fishing, surfing, gardening, hiking, camping, and backpacking.

Audrey joined the Eagle Fish Genetics Lab in the fall of 2021. She holds a B.S. in Biology from Oklahoma City University and an M.S. in Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology from Colorado State University. During her time at CSU, Audrey used microsatellites and SNPS to understand spatial population structure of nonnative brook trout and investigate cutthroat trout gene flow and movement via an interbasin water transfer. Her graduate research provided scientific support for a large-scale effort to establish a metapopulation of Colorado’s state fish, the greenback cutthroat trout. Outside of the genetics realm, Audrey has an extensive background in fisheries and has previously worked with marine, anadromous, and resident freshwater fishes. In her spare time, Audrey enjoys hiking and backpacking, tending to her (too) many houseplants, and cuddling with her cat, Fio.

My name is Odbayar Tumendemberel, and I am from Mongolia. I received my bachelor's and master's degrees from the National University of Mongolia. For 9 years, I worked at the Institute of Biology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, where I collaborated on several animal species projects, including argali sheep, wild boar, Eurasian red squirrel, Korean field mouse, snow leopards, and mainly focused on brown bears in Mongolia. I pursued my Ph.D. at the University of South-Eastern Norway, where I studied the demography of the endangered Gobi bears found in the Gobi Desert and the evolutionary history of brown bears in Central Asia. After completing my Ph.D., I worked as a postdoctoral research scientist for two years at the University of Wyoming. I worked at the Eagle Fish Genetics Laboratory in Eagle ID as a fisheries laboratory technician II for 6 months. Recently, I was promoted to Fisheries Biologist/Geneticist overseeing the genetics work associated with the Redfish Lake sockeye salmon broodstock program and monitoring of integrated hatchery Chinook Salmon programs at McCall, Pahsimeroi, and Sawtooth hatcheries.

Jesse graduated from Hendrix College in 2010 with a B.A. in Biology and a minor in Computer science. He coordinates the shipping of sampling materials to various hatcheries and agencies across the Pacific Northwest, as well as the inventory of all returning samples. Jesse’s primary responsibility is the oversight and maintenance of the EFGL genetic database, which currently houses metadata and genetic data for over 3,000 collections comprised of over 1,000,000 fish. He is also actively involved with research involving effective population size of salmonid populations, as well as the use of genetic analysis software to estimate various population metrics. When Jesse is not at work, he enjoys spending time with his black Labrador (Trout) and Catahoula cross (Tuna), gardening, playing Frisbee, cooking, fishing, camping, hiking, and homebrewing beer.

Kelly has worked as a genetics lab technician at the Eagle Fish Genetics Lab since July 2007. Her job duties in the lab are focused on generating data for analysis and reporting. She works on many small and large projects extracting DNA and genotyping samples using RAD sequencing technology and GTseq protocols. She still does some occasional Microsatellite DNA work as well.

Outside of work, she stays busy keeping up with the schedules of her children and attempting to take care of their acreage and home. When the family isn’t busy with kid activities, they love to hike, camp, fish, walk with the dogs, and hang out at home.

Kelly really enjoys the genetics crew, the projects she works on and the varied genetic technologies employed in the lab

Growing up, I’ve always been fascinated by the why and how things work. It was not till my internship project in Singapore on the Molecular Characterization of Aedes albopictus that made me realize that these research projects are the starting point to make that happen.

Originally from Singapore, moving to the US provided me an opportunity to pursue a higher education overseas that I couldn’t decline, and I’m glad I didn’t. Since then, it has led to a BS in Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology from University of Washington, and a MS in Biotechnology majoring in Bioinformatics from Johns Hopkins University. I’m excited to be working as a fisheries genetics technician here at EFGL!

Outside of work, I usually spend time outdoors hiking, or on my woodworking hobby which includes everything from making full sized furniture to small keychains.

Nathan was born in downtown Boise, ID at St. Lukes hospital Feb. 24th, 1980. He grew up in a family of hunters and fisherman. Either curled up with a dog in the bow of a boat or running through a thicket to flush grouse. He graduated high school from West Anchorage high in 1998. Idaho was always home though, so no matter how far he ventured off he would always end up back here again. After earning a biology degree in 2022 he found a passion for lab work and was fortunate enough to land a job with PSMFC. These days Nathan enjoys time spent with his family. He can be found at just about every Steelheads hockey game when the season is underway and occasionally gets out to fish for Kokanee or to just relax near the water with a tasty beverage and a good meal.

Lynn started work at EFGL in 2008 as a data technician.  She catalogues genetic samples; locating, verifying and matching information to samples collected before 2008, and prepping and moving existing collections from the old database to Progeny.  Some days it’s kind of a cross between Puzzle-Mania and Sherlock Holmes, but she loves what she does. She also travels every year to the Pahsimeroi Hatchery and the Henrys Lake Hatchery to sample broodstock for PBT projects.

Born and raised in North Dakota, Lynn received her B.S. degree in Elementary Education from Minot State College and taught in North Dakota, Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. In 1990, she moved to Idaho with her husband and two children, and home schooled till their oldest began high school. Having lived in Salmon, Idaho Falls, and Nampa, the family has explored and experienced much of this beautiful state. She thoroughly enjoyed those school days, but says that archiving genetic samples offers “calmness” heretofore elusive!

When not matching data to corresponding sample vials, she enjoys sewing, reading, Sudoku, walking with friends, co-teaching 3rd grade girls’ Sunday school, and singing in the NFC choir.

My name is Mark Griffith and I’m currently pursuing a B.S. in Biology with an emphasis in molecular and cellular biology from BSU. This will be my second bachelor’s degree, the first having been a B.A. in Theater from Chadron State College, class of 2006. I worked as a scenic carpenter for theater, opera, and musical theater companies from coast to coast. I arrived in the treasure valley from Boston in 2014. I decided to return to school in 2021 with the vague feeling that I wanted to work in environmentalism or conservation. As I continue to pursue this education, I’ve found that I enjoy genetics, microbiology, and chemistry the most. If it’s small and complicated I find it fascinating.

Yuritzi recently graduated from the College of Western Idaho with her A.S. in Human Biology. She is preparing to start her B.S. program in Medical Laboratory Science at Idaho State University in the fall. In her down time, she enjoys spending time with her friends, attending concerts, and caring for her pets at home.

Yuritzi is excited to start her internship at the Eagle Fish Genetics Lab, where she looks forward to meeting new people and learning all sorts of new things!