Williams Lab

Education and Experience

Rod Williams is a Professor in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources at Purdue University. He received his B.S. in Wildlife Science in 1996, his M.S. in Conservation Genetics in 1998, and his Ph.D. in Evolutionary Genetics in 2007 from Purdue University. Before joining the faculty in 2008, he served as the vertebrate curator and coordinator of laboratory instruction for eight years. During that time he managed the vertebrate teaching collection, taught five courses related to ecology and systematics of vertebrates, and co-authored two field guides: the Salamanders of Indiana and the Turtles of Indiana.

Selected Publications

• Unger, S., Burgmeier, N., & Williams, R. N. (2012). Genetic markers reveal high PIT tag retention rates in giant salamanders.. amphibia-reptilia, 33.
• Williams, R. N., Brooke, J., Dishman, K., Hamilton, D., Hubley, J., McCausland, K., & Mills, M. (2012). ashes to ashes we all grow up.
• Boyles, K., Fink, H., Kapitan, E., Lyttle, S., Pakan, N., Pfeifer, A., . . . Williams, R. N. (2012). coloration exploration.
• Kapitan, E., Lyttle, S., & Williams, R. N. (2012). Discovering the watershed.
• Kimble, S., & Williams, R. N. (2012). Temporal variance in hematologic and plasma bichemical reference intervals for free-ranging eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina).. Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 48.
• Currylow, A., MacGowan, B., & Williams, R. N. (2012). Short-term forest effects on a long-lived ectotherm.. PLoS ONE, 7, 40473.
• MacGowan, B., & Williams, R. N. (2012). snakes and lizards of Indiana.
• Williams, R. N., & Unger, S. D. (2012). the declining giant salamander.
• Olson, Z., Briggler, J., & Williams, R. N. (2012). An eDNA approach to detect eastern hellbenders using samples of water.. Wildlife Research, 39, 629-636.
• Brooke, J., Dishman, K., Hamilton, D., Hubley, J., McCausland, K., & Williams, R. N. (2011). Ashes to Ashes: We All Grow Up, 25+