“Having a strong foundation to support me through my work was essential to my success.” Dr. Reed Crawford
Dr. Reed Crawford was born in Terre Haute, Indiana and obtained his M.S. degree in Biology from Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) in 2020. “I chose to do my master’s at EKU due to its reputation for having an incredible wildlife program. My undergraduate advisor is an alumnus of EKU and spoke very highly of the university. I was interested in continuing to do research with bats, and Dr. Luke Dodd was conducting some interesting research on the use of artificial roosts by the endangered Indiana bat,” Crawford said.
Dr. Crawford also holds a B.S. degree in Biology from Indiana State University (ISU) and graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2025 with a Ph.D. degree in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology.
Dr. Crawford chose to major in biological sciences due to his devotion for working with wildlife and conservation biology. During his time as an undergraduate at ISU, he developed a passion for working with bats and EKU offered an exceptional opportunity to continue to conduct research with these imperiled mammals.
He is currently a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences. He manages a long-term bat capture and acoustics dataset collected from conservation areas in north-eastern Missouri. His research focuses on understanding the responses of the endangered Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) to forest management.
His fondest memories of EKU are of the close-knit department. “My graduate cohort was a small group and we quickly became close friends. Sharing the same office and lab space facilitated collaboration and allowed each of us to experience different aspects of wildlife research.”
For current students aspiring to major in biological sciences, Dr. Crawford offers the following advice, “Take as many classes as you can and get involved with other students’ research if possible! Developing a diverse skill set is something that is very easy to do in this department as there are a multitude of different species being studied and field techniques being used.”
Dr. Crawford has stayed connected and engaged with EKU through research projects with his Master’s advisor, Dr. Luke Dodd. He also has lifelong friends from his graduate cohort that he routinely talks and texts with. He considers himself lucky to have had a very supportive family throughout his graduate school experience at EKU. “Having a strong foundation to support me through my work was essential to my success,” he concluded.