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Christopher Rounds
Aquatic Ecologist | PhD Candidate, University of Minnesota
I study fishery bright spots, populations that outperform expectations, and what environmental and management factors drive unexpected resilience. My master’s work developed eDNA protocols for detecting multiple aquatic invasive species simultaneously. I use quantitative approaches including mixed models, occupancy modeling, and machine learning to understand how climate change and invasive species reshape aquatic ecosystems.
Education
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Ph.D. Conservation Sciences — Fisheries & Aquatic Sciences
St. Paul, MN
Present - 2023
Thesis: Spot the difference: Implications of fishery bright spots for climate change adaptation
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
M.S. Conservation Sciences — Fisheries & Aquatic Sciences
St. Paul, MN
2023 - 2021
Thesis: Optimizing eDNA for Detecting Multiple Aquatic Invasive Species
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
B.S. Fisheries, Wildlife & Conservation Biology
Minneapolis, MN
2020 - 2016
Minors: Computer Science, GIS, Marine Biology
Recent Professional Experience
Climate Change Policy & Planning Student Worker
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
St. Paul, MN
Present - Jul 2024
- Co-organized the fish and wildlife climate change committee and three subcommittees.
- Wrote and distributed a quarterly newsletter on climate change impacts to fish and wildlife.
- Co-led the Fish and Wildlife Division Climate Action Conversation seminar (4×/year, ~100 attendees) and the all-DNR Climate Conversation (~500 attendees).
- Collaborated with managers and biologists to draft major management plans including the Muskellunge Long Range Plan.
Graduate Research & Teaching Assistant
Fisheries Ecosystem Ecology Lab, University of Minnesota (Gretchen Hansen Lab)
St. Paul, MN
Present - Sep 2021
- Organized fisheries-independent data from state and federal agencies — thousands of surveys over nine decades — to identify walleye bright spots across multiple states.
- Collated, cleaned, and modeled water chemistry, phytoplankton, and zooplankton data from 30 MN lakes over 40 years using GAMM and hurdle models to examine invasive species and climate effects on lake food webs.
- Developed and carried out eDNA sampling and lab protocols across 21 Minnesota lakes in collaboration with researchers from multiple institutions; used multispecies occupancy models to inform sampling recommendations.
- Mentored undergraduate and high school students from diverse backgrounds.
Undergraduate Technician & Junior Scientist
Fisheries Ecosystem Ecology Lab, University of Minnesota
St. Paul, MN
Aug 2021 - Jun 2019
- Independently developed an ImageJ-based method to extract area-at-depth data from bathymetric maps; applied to 1,000+ lakes in MN, WI, and SD.
- Created R scripts to compare seagrass abundance from GoPro footage vs. side-scanning sonar estimates.
- Collected fish and invertebrate samples using kick netting, ponars, electrofishing, and gill netting; processed samples for stable isotope analysis.
Refereed Publications
Phenology, food webs, and fish: The effects of shifted ice phenology across multiple trophic levels
N/A
2025
Rounds CI, Manske J, Feiner ZS, Walsh JR, Polik C, & Hansen GJA.
Bright spots for advancing ecological understanding and conservation decision-making
N/A
2025
Embke HS, Feiner ZS, Hansen GJA, Isermann D, Jensen OP, Rounds CI, Smith QC, & Vander Zanden MJV.
Variable phenology but consistent loss of ice cover on 1213 Minnesota lakes
Limnology and Oceanography Letters
N/A
2025
Walsh JR, Rounds CI, Vitense K, Masui HK, Blumenfeld KA, Boulay PJ, Thomas SM, Honsey AE, Blinick NS, Rude CL, Bacon JA, LaRoque AA, Leão TCC, & Hansen GJA.
Healing Ogaa (Walleye Sander vitreus) Waters: Lessons and Future Directions for Inland Fisheries Rehabilitation
Reviews in Fisheries Science & Aquaculture
N/A
2025
Embke HS, Feiner ZS, Hansen GJA, Mrnak JT, Price MW, Rounds C, Sass GG, Shaw SL, & Shultz A.
Aquatic invasive species exhibit contrasting seasonal detectability patterns based on eDNA: Implications for monitoring
N/A
2024
Rounds CI, Arnold TW, Chun CL, Dumke J, Totsch A, Keppers A, Edblad K, García SM, Larson ER, Nelson JKR, & Hansen GJA.
Environmental DNA storage and extraction method affects detectability for multiple aquatic invasive species
N/A
2024
García SM, Chun CL, Dumke J, Hansen GJA, Quebedeaux KB, Rounds C, Totsch A, & Larson ER.
Digitizing lake bathymetric data using ImageJ
Limnology and Oceanography: Methods
N/A
2023
Rounds CI, Vitense K, & Hansen GJA.
It’s Complicated and It Depends: A Review of the Effects of Ecosystem Changes on Walleye and Yellow Perch Populations in North America
North American Journal of Fisheries Management
N/A
2022
Hansen GJA, Ruzich JK, Krabbenhoft CA, Kundel H, Mahlum S, Rounds CI, Van Pelt AO, Eslinger LD, Logsdon DE, & Isermann DA.
Grants & Fellowships
Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
N/A
2026
Spot the difference: Implications of fishery bright spots and dark spots for climate change adaptation.
Identifying Climate-Resilient Fisheries to Guide Minnesota Lake Management
Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund
N/A
2026 - 2026
Hansen GJA, Mosley CM, Rounds CI, Embke HE. (7/2026 – 7/2029)
Moos Aquatic Biology Fellowship
Freshwater Sciences, University of Minnesota
N/A
2022
Optimizing eDNA for Multiple AIS.
Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
N/A
2019
Rounds CI, Hove M. Robot-assisted conservation research on two federally endangered mussels.
Selected Presentations
Human impacts on Minnesota’s aquatic ecosystems: challenges and a cause for hope (Invited)
Metro State University, St. Paul MN
N/A
2025
Rounds C, Hansen GJA.
Effects of anomalous ice-off on plankton and walleye in Minnesota lakes
Annual Meeting of the American Fisheries Society, Honolulu HI
N/A
2024
*Rounds C, Feiner Z, Manske J, Walsh J, Polik C, Hansen GJA.
Walleye bright spots in the upper Midwestern USA
Annual Meeting — MN Chapter of the American Fisheries Society, Brainerd MN
N/A
2024
*Rounds C, Embke HS, Feiner Z, Henningsen R, Isermann D, Smith Q, Jensen O, Vander Zanden MJ, Vasquez B, Hansen GJA.
Patterns and trends in Minnesota lake ice (Invited)
UW Madison Center for Limnology Seminar, Madison WI
N/A
2023
Rounds C, Walsh J, Vitense K, Hansen GJA.
Getting the most bang for our buck; optimizing sampling for multiple AIS using eDNA
Society for Freshwater Science, Brisbane AUS
N/A
2023
*Rounds C, Arnold T, Nelson J, Dumke J, Chun CL, Larson E, Totsch A, Garcia S, Edbald K, Hansen GJA.
Who, what, when, where, and how: Optimizing eDNA sampling for detecting multiple AIS
International Association of Great Lakes Research, Toronto CA
N/A
2023
*Rounds C, Arnold T, Dumke J, Chun CL, Larson E, Totsch A, Garcia S, Hansen GJA.
Teaching
Teaching Assistant — Analysis of Populations (FW 5051, 4 credits)
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
St. Paul, MN
Spring 2024
Guest Lecturer — FW 2001, FW 4107 and FW 5051
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
St. Paul, MN
2024 - 2026
Guest Speaker — AP Biology Classes, Minneapolis South High School
Minneapolis, MN
N/A
2021 - 2025
“Limnology, aquatic invasive species, and everything in between”
Select Awards & Recognition
John Skinner Memorial Fund — American Fisheries Society
N/A
N/A
2024
Baldwin Fishery Science Scholarship — IAGLR
N/A
N/A
2022
Science Communication & Outreach
Star Tribune — “Scientists warn federal funding cuts could undermine walleye recovery in Minnesota”
N/A
2026
Opening Conversation with Young Professionals
Opening Plenary, MN DNR Roundtable hosted by Commissioner Sarah Strommen & Governor Tim Walz
N/A
2024
MAISRC Showcase — “Optimizing eDNA for multiple AIS”
Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center
N/A
2021 - 2023
“Minnesota Lake Ice” — UMN Extension Master Naturalist Classes
University of Minnesota Extension
N/A
2022 - 2023
Service
Peer Reviewer
Journals: Minnesota Undergraduate Research & Academic Journal (3), Neobiota (1), Canadian Journal of Fisheries & Aquatic Sciences (1), Environmental DNA (1), Canadian Water Resources Journal (1)
N/A
Current
UMN Conservation Sciences Seminar Board
University of Minnesota
N/A
2024 - 2021
Student Planning Committee — Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting
N/A
N/A
2022 - 2021
Fisheries and Wildlife Club — Vice President
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
N/A
2020 - 2019
Professional Memberships
American Society of Limnology and Oceanography
N/A
N/A
Current
Society of Freshwater Science
N/A
N/A
Current
American Fisheries Society
Minnesota Chapter | Percid Chapter | North Central Technical Committee
N/A
Current