Dr. Ross Vander Vorste
I am an Assistant Professor in the Biology Department at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Throughout my career, I have worked in a variety of freshwater ecosystems including lakes, wetlands, streams and rivers and studied macroinvertebrates, fish, amphibians, and plants within these systems.
I earned my Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of Claude Bernard Lyon 1 in Lyon, France. My Ph.D. advisor was Thibault Datry at the French National Research Institute of Science and Technology for Environment and Agriculture (IRSTEA now INRAE). Before my Ph.D., I earned my Master’s in Biological Sciences and Bachelor’s in Environmental Management from South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota. I also have 2 years of professional experience working with the North Carolina Division of Water Quality in Raleigh, North Carolina following my Master’s degree.
Following my Ph.D., I was a postdoc at Virginia Polytechnic and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia for ~2 years. My advisors/mentors at Virginia Tech were Stephen Schoenholtz, Serena Ciparis, Carl Zipper and Bryan Brown. Before beginning my position at UW- La Crosse in Fall 2019, I was a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, Berkeley working with Stephanie Carlson and Ted Grantham.
Graduate Students
Ben Patschull
Ben Patschull joined the Vander Vorste lab in Spring of 2023 and is being co-mentored by Dr. David Schumann. He is pursuing a master’s degree in biology with an aquatic science concentration at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse (UWL). He obtained his B.S. in Biology at UWL in 2020. Since graduating, he has worked for the Wisconsin DNR at the Long-Term Resource Monitoring field station as both a water quality and fisheries technician on the Mississippi River in La Crosse. He is interested in over-wintering habitats of fish on the Upper Mississippi River.
David Ellefson
David began working in the Vander Vorste lab during the Fall 2022 semester as an undergraduate. He is currently a graduate student working on a project in collaboration with Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Undergraduate Students
Steven Verhaalen
Steven is working towards a bachelor’s degree in Biology with a concentration in cell biology and molecular genetics. He started research in our mesocosm lab at UWL with Dr. Vander Vorste this spring semester. He is currently working with David and Matthew to build and operate the mesocosms to contain and study Chironomidae.
Presley Hasse
Presley joined the Vander Vorste Lab in Fall 2024 where she focused on identifying adult aquatic invertebrates from the Mississippi River. A senior majoring in Biology and minoring in Psychology, she has developed a strong interest in freshwater ecology at UWL and intends to pursue further education in the field. She has enjoyed her time in the lab and hopes to receive funding for an independent research project.
Blair Miller
Blair joined the Vander Vorste lab as an undergraduate researcher in the fall of 2024. She is majoring in Environmental Science with a minor in Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin – La Crosse. Blair is being co-mentored by Dr. Arthur Grupe II and was awarded a URC grant to study the “mycoloop” of the Mississippi, which is a nutrient pathway linking diatoms, chytrids, and zooplankton. Blair has interests in mushrooms, environmental ethics, and Star Wars.
Claire Rolbiecki
I am joining the lab in the Spring of 2025 to continue work on the identification of small aquatic invertebrates collected from the Mississippi River. I am a sophomore pursuing a degree in Environmental Science with an emphasis in biology and a Statistics minor. This summer I hope to work alongside Dr. Vander Vorste through the Dean’s Distinguished Fellowship program to study the emergence patterns of aquatic invertebrates on the Mississippi River. I am an active member of the UWL Waterski team and was the 2024 women’s captain. Outside of college, I attend Northside Community Church, enjoy hiking at Perrot State Park, am a coffee fanatic, and love the summer months because I get to waterski every day and catch some rays.
Katelynn Ripper
Morgan Schmidt
Cody Vlasaty
Former lab members:
Cheyana Bassham (2022-2024, MS Biology – Aquatic Sciences)
Kassidy Frame (2023, CSH Travel & Supply Grant Awardee)
Matthew Waite (2023, URCC Grant Awardee)
Harrison Zipperer (2023)
Zoe Engebos (2023-2024, URCC Grant Awardee)
Skylar Voigt (2023-2024, URCC Grant Awardee)
Brad Morris (2020-2023, MS Biology – Aquatic Sciences, UWL RSEL Grant Awardee)
Jaiden Lauer (2023)
Aaron Murphy (2023, UWL URCC Grant Awardee)
Kourtney Walter (2023)
Natasha Bebo (2022)
Ashlee Gander (2021-2022, UWL URCC Grant Awardee)
Spencer Reichart (2022, UWL Dean’s Distinguished Fellow 2022)
JD Golden (2020-2021)
Dirk Lueck (2020-2021)
Heidi Koehnke (2019-2020, UWL URCC Grant Awardee)
Aetia Oberman (2019-2020)
UWL Freshwater Ecology Lab 