• Research Interests
• Research Projects
• CV (pdf)
• Courses: 100% Research

My graduate students and I study wildlife ecology and management in a variety of landscapes, with a strong focus on habitat and populations. Primary field tools we use include wildlife capture, human dimensions surveys, population abundance surveys, radiotelemetry, remote cameras, and vegetation sampling. In the analytical laboratory, we work with GIS, multivariate statistics, and a variety of software programs (e.g., MARK, PRESENCE) useful for analyzing demographic and space-use data. I also frequently collaborate with behavioral ecologists, geneticists, and other wildlife ecologists who add a greater dimension to my work.

Since I began the position of Assistant Scientist (100% research appointment) in July 2003, I have graduated 8 M.S. students and am currently advising 11 graduate students (4 Ph.D., 7 M.S.) and have participated in 23 graduate committees for other M.S. and Ph.D. students. Since 2003, and from grants/contracts funded until 2011, I have secured >$4 million in extramural funding from myriad sources to support my research program. This level of grant support and research productivity contributed to my promotion to Associate Scintist in July 2008. I am also active with The Wildlife Society as the North Central Section Vice President, a Past President of the Illinois State Chapter, and the SIUC Student Chapter advisor, and as an Associate Editor for The Journal of Wildlife Management. I also serve as the Director of Scientific Research for the Cougar Network, and hold adjunct faculty status in biology, forestry, and zoology departments at 2 universities. In addition to having published >65 scholarly works and have given > 170 guest lectures and presentations at professional meetings, and my research has been showcased by major media outlets such as TIME magazine, NPR, and The History Channel.

• Deer Habitat Selection and Demographics
• Bobcat Movements
• Landscape Genetics of Swamp Rabbits and Bobwhite Quail
• Impacts of Outfitters on Deer and Turkey
• Conservation Genetics of Bobcats
• Deer Herbivory - Michigan
• Furbearer Survey Methods
• Demographics of Northern Deer
• Deer Herbivory – suburban Chicago
• Habitat Occupancy of Sympatric Carnivores in Southern Illinois
• Sonoran Jaguar/Puma and Prey

• Crawford, J. C., Z. Liu, T. A. Nelson, C. K. Nielsen, and C. K. Bloomquist. In press. Genetic population structure within and between beaver (Castor canadensis) populations in Illinois. Journal of Mammalogy.
• Kjaer, L. J., E. M. Schauber, and C. K. Nielsen. 2008. Spatial and temporal analysis of contact rates in white-tailed deer. Journal of Wildlife Management:in press.
• Crawford, J. C., Z. Liu, T. A. Nelson, C. K. Nielsen, and C. K. Bloomquist. In press. Sex determination in the North American beaver (Castor canadensis): a comparison of traditional and molecular techniques. Journal of Wildlife Management.
• Hubbard, R. D., and C. K. Nielsen. In press. White-tailed deer does attacking humans during the fawning season: a unique human-wildlife conflict on a university campus. Human Wildlife Conflicts.
• McDonald, P. T., C. K. Nielsen, T. J. Oyana, and W. Sun. 2008. Modelling habitat overlap among sympatric mesocarnivores in southern Illinois, USA. Ecological Modelling 215:276-286.
• Nielsen, C. K., and M. A. McCollough. In press. Using remote cameras to detect Canada lynx in northern Maine. Northeastern Naturalist.
• Roy Nielsen, C. L., S. M. Wakamiya, and C. K. Nielsen. 2008. Viability and patch occupancy of the state-endangered swamp rabbit metapoplation in southwestern Indiana. Biological Conservation 141:1043-1054.
• Kolowski, J. M., and C. K. Nielsen. 2008. Using Penrose distance to identify potential risk of wildlife-vehicle collisions. Biological Conservation 141:1119-1128.
• Crawford, J. C., Z. Liu, T. A. Nelson, C. K. Nielsen, and C. K. Bloomquist. 2008. Microsatellite analysis of mating and kinship in beavers (Castor canadensis). Journal of Mammalogy 89:575-581.
• LaRue, M. A., and C. K. Nielsen. 2008. Modelling potential dispersal corridors for cougars in midwestern North America using least-cost path methods. Ecological Modelling 212:372-381.
• Schauber, E. M., P. D. Scharine, C. K. Nielsen, and L. Rubert. 2008. An artificial latrine log for swamp rabbit studies. Journal of Wildlife Management 72:561-563.
• Rohm, J. E., C. K. Nielsen, and E. M. Schauber. 2008. Post-recruitment survival of fawns in southern Illinois. Proceedings of the 60 th Annual Conference of the Southeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies 60:59-63.