Austin Happel, Ph.D.
Research Biologist
Education
Ph.D., Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
M.Sc., Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
B.Sc., Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Purdue University - West Lafayette
Expertise
Freshwater ecosystems, the Great Lakes region, conservation and restoration
Austin Happel is a freshwater ecologist focused on the conservation, management and restoration of urban and Great Lakes ecosystems, with an emphasis on supporting diverse and resilient fish communities.
Happel’s research focuses on several urban freshwater ecology initiatives and draws on his Great Lakes region expertise. He is especially interested in investigating what benefits restoration activities, including Shedd’s floating island in the Chicago River’s Wild Mile, provide below the surface and how these benefits can be amplified elsewhere. Central to his work is a collaborative approach that leverages partnerships and the creative reuse of large, existing datasets to address new questions in urban ecology, aquatic biodiversity and restoration planning.
Happel previously studied what fishes eat and how their diets affect them or their offspring. He is an expert in the use of fatty acids in trophic ecology and has worked to decipher what sea lampreys prey on, how salmon and trout diets differ across the Great Lakes, and how formulated diets affect growth and spawning of hatchery-raised trout.
Prior to joining Shedd, Happel was an instructor in fish, wildlife and conservation biology at Colorado State University.