Research Rooted in Place, Impact Beyond Borders
The 2026 Biota Awardees, alongside other reputable Chicago biodiversity project leaders and their institutions, are advancing conservation efforts regionally, nationally, and globally
Across the globe, biodiversity is under increasing pressure. Scientists estimate that up to one million species are threatened with extinction, while ecosystems that support food production, clean water, climate resilience, and human health continue to face mounting challenges. Yet alongside these challenges is hope: there is an expanding movement to better understand, protect, and restore the natural world through science, partnership, and innovation.
On the surface, Chicago may seem an unlikely place to sit at the center of that effort. But the region is home to a remarkable concentration of biodiversity expertise — from world-renowned museums, zoos, botanical institutions, and universities, to conservation organizations working across local and global ecosystems. Together, these institutions contribute expertise spanning research, conservation, education, and community engagement.
Supporting that work is the Biota Awards, a Walder Foundation program that invests in early-career scientists pursuing research to better understand and conserve biodiversity. Now in its fifth year, the program has supported emerging researchers based at Illinois institutions whose work informs area conservation knowledge and practices but also stretches beyond the state's borders.
The 2026 Biota Awardees are tackling biodiversity challenges in environments ranging from urban wetlands to coral reefs. Despite their different research contexts, each scientist is exploring the same fundamental question:
How can a deeper understanding of biodiversity help build a more resilient future?
"Biodiversity research requires both depth of expertise and connection to place," said Elizabeth Walder, President and CEO of Walder Foundation. "This year's Biota Awardees are advancing knowledge in ways that are grounded in local ecosystems while contributing to broader scientific understanding. Their work reflects the kind of thoughtful, field-based inquiry that is essential for real conservation impacts."
Jack Westwood, senior program director of environmental sustainability at the Foundation adds, "The strength of this year's cohort lies in how they connect rigorous science with real-world application. These exceptional scientists are generating knowledge that can help address some of today's most pressing conservation challenges while contributing to a more resilient future."
Biodiversity Challenges, Global Relevance: Research Efforts of the Five 2026 Biota Awardees
Jaelyn Bos researches corals underwater. Photo courtesy of Bos.
Mapping Coral Diversity to Strengthen Marine Conservation
Coral reefs support an astonishing diversity of life and provide critical benefits for coastal communities. Yet many reef systems remain poorly understood, creating challenges for conservation planning at a time when ocean ecosystems face growing environmental pressures.
At Loyola University Chicago, Jaelyn Bos is working to fill important gaps in scientific knowledge by studying coral diversity within a conservation area in Mozambique. Using genetic sequencing and field-based research, the project will identify species diversity, rarity, and potential endemism while supporting collaborations with university and non-governmental organizations in Mozambique.
The work highlights an important reality of biodiversity conservation: effective protection begins with understanding what exists. By helping scientists build a deeper picture of coral diversity, the research can inform future ecosystem management and conservation decision-making in one of the world's most biodiverse marine regions.
Lexi Frank performing field research. Photo courtesy of Frank.
Connecting Human, Animal, and Environmental Health in Guyana
Conservation science increasingly recognizes that the health of people, wildlife, and ecosystems are deeply interconnected. As landscapes change and biodiversity shifts, understanding those relationships becomes more important for both conservation and the public’s health.
Field Museum researcher Lexi Frank is exploring those connections through a project that examines how land-use change and cultural practices influence bat diversity and the transmission of trypanosomes (parasites that can cause disease). Working alongside the Waiwai Indigenous community in Guyana, the project integrates biodiversity surveys, molecular analysis, and Traditional Ecological Knowledge.
The research reflects a broader shift toward "One Health" approaches that recognize the interconnectedness of environmental health, animal health, and human well-being. It also demonstrates the important role that community partnerships and Indigenous knowledge play in advancing biodiversity research.
Leo Gaskins by a muskrat mimic lodge. Photo courtesy of Gaskins.
Learning from Nature's Engineers to Restore Wetlands
Wetlands are among the planet's most productive ecosystems, providing habitat for wildlife, helping manage floodwaters, storing carbon, and improving water quality. Global conservation efforts increasingly identify wetland restoration as a critical component of biodiversity protection strategies.
University of Chicago researcher Leo Gaskins is focused on a species that quietly helps shape those ecosystems: the muskrat. Muskrats are considered ecosystem engineers because their activities create habitat conditions that benefit a variety of other species. Research shows significantly higher animal use around muskrat lodges than in surrounding wetlands. However, challenges exist that jeopardize lodge creation and how those ecological functions can be maintained.
To address this challenge, Gaskins will develop and test muskrat-inspired mimic lodges designed to recreate the ecological benefits that muskrats naturally provide. Through field experiments and satellite analysis, the project aims to improve wetland restoration strategies and support bird conservation efforts across the region.
Nora Gavin-Smyth with Impations cinnabarina. Photo courtesy of Gavin-Smyth.
Preserving Plant Diversity While Unlocking Evolutionary Questions
Plants form the foundation of terrestrial ecosystems, yet many species remain vulnerable to habitat degradation, environmental change, and extinction. Understanding how plant diversity develops and can be protected remains a major challenge for conservation scientists.
At Chicago Botanic Garden, Nora Gavin-Smyth is focused on one of the world's most diverse plant genera: Impatiens. Her project will establish conservation collections in Tanzania and Chicago to safeguard threatened species while investigating how new species emerge through evolutionary processes.
The research will explore questions of reproductive isolation and speciation while simultaneously strengthening conservation capacity in both regions. The project bridges evolutionary science and conservation, helping safeguard threatened species while expanding scientific understanding of how biodiversity develops.
Sarah Jacobson explores optimizing delivery mechanisms. Photo courtesy of Jacobson.
Reimagining Urban Biodiversity Solutions
Conservation challenges are not confined to distant landscapes. They are also found in cities, where human activity and wildlife often intersect in complex ways.
One such challenge involves rodent management. Conventional rodenticides can help reduce rat populations, but they may also harm non-target wildlife and contribute to broader ecological impacts within urban ecosystems.
At Lincoln Park Zoo, Sarah Jacobson is investigating fertility control as a potential alternative. By studying rat behavior and optimizing contraceptive delivery methods, her project seeks to reduce reliance on rodenticides while supporting both public health goals and urban biodiversity.
The work reflects a growing interest in conservation approaches that are not only effective, but also more sustainable and less disruptive to surrounding ecosystems.
See how this work is unfolding, as shared with our community on social media:
Chicago's Growing Leadership in Biodiversity Science
All five 2026 Biota Awardees are connected to Illinois-based institutions that have become important contributors to biodiversity research and conservation – institutions that are part of a broader ecosystem of organizations helping elevate Chicago’s role in global conservation efforts. They all bring unique strengths to biodiversity science, from museum collections and genomic research to species conservation and ecological restoration.
Beyond the Biota Awards, Walder Foundation has supported biodiversity initiatives that connect Chicago institutions with global conservation efforts across Latin America, Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific. The impact of these global biodiversity investments is now visible. Supported projects have:
helped establish two International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Centers for Species Survival in Chicago
trained more than 200 conservation practitioners, students, and local leaders across more than 15 countries
led to the discovery of 35+ species potentially new to science
fostered dozens of partnerships linking Chicago institutions with organizations working in some of the world's most important regions
As governments, researchers, nonprofits, and communities work toward halting and reversing nature loss, progress depends on scientific discovery by individual researchers and strong institutions, durable partnerships, and sustained investment in a community of leaders. The work of the 2026 Biota Awardees, partnered with the efforts of global biodiversity project leaders and their institutions, helps build knowledge while helping build the foundation for future conservation action.
Investing in the Next Generation of Conservation Leaders
Research may begin in a specific place, but its impact can extend far beyond it. Through the work of the 2026 Biota Awardees — and the broader community of institutions and partners advancing conservation around the world — Chicago continues to demonstrate how local leadership can contribute to global solutions.
Learn more about Walder Foundation's environmental sustainability work: walderfoundation.org/environmental-sustainability
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