Jake Shurba

Ph.D. Student - Wildlife and Fisheries Biology
James C. Kennedy Waterfowl & Wetlands Conservation Center
Forestry and Environmental Conservation Department, Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science

Office: FEC 301
Phone: 630-267-2068

Email: jshurba@clemson.edu

Educational Background

M.S. Wildlife and Fisheries Biology
Clemson University 2022

B.S. Wildlife Ecology Research & Management
University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point 2018

Courses Taught

WFB 4720 Ornithology
WFB 4100 Wildlife Field Techniques
WFB 4440 Wildlife Damage Management
WFB 4300 Conservation Policy
FNR 4990 Natural Resources Seminar

Profile

I am a wildlife disease ecologist specializing in the health and conservation of waterfowl in the Atlantic Flyway. My research focuses on understanding how environmental contaminants, particularly PFAS, influence physiological condition, immune function, and disease dynamics in waterfowl. I am a graduate of the wildlife program at the University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point, where my passion for “diseases, dead things, and ducks” blossomed due to relationships and mentorship with the UWSP Kennedy Center professor and the disease ecology professor. I graduated with my M.Sc. in wildlife and fisheries biology from Clemson University and joined Dr. Jim Anderson’s lab for my Ph.D. in 2025. My work integrates field ecology, laboratory diagnostics, and quantitative approaches to evaluate contaminant pathways, co-infection associated with contaminants, and One Health outcomes for the environment, wildlife, and humans. I am passionate about science communication and student education, and I strive to make complex ecological and wildlife health topics accessible and engaging for students and the public. Following graduation, I will be seeking a position in academia training the next generation of disease ecologists. In my free time, I enjoy trying new recipes in the kitchen, reading fiction (especially horror) and talking science with my fiancé (and co-Ph.D. student) Jack and our three cats.

Research Interests

Wildlife disease ecology, waterfowl ecology, ornithology, ecotoxicology, health impacts of contaminants, epidemiology, bacteriology, parasitology, wildlife management, human dimensions of wildlife research, clinical disease diagnostics, diagnostic microbiology & virology, science communication.

Extension and Outreach

South Carolina Department of Natural Resources 2023 Technician Training - Invited Speaker- "What's that smell? A Crash Course in Wildlife Diseases"

Farmingdale State College Careers in Bioscience Seminar - Invited Panelist.

Ducks Unlimited Podcast Episode 33 - Public Service Announcement: Be on the Lookout for more than Bands.

Publications

Brule, John H., Micah B. Warren, Haley R. Dutton, Triet N. Truong, Steven P. Ksepka, Stephen S. Curran, Jacob A. Shurba, Larry L. Lawson, and Stephen A. Bullard. 2024. First taxonomic description of a gyrodactylid, Gyrodactylus cichlidarum Paperna, 1968 (Monogenoidea) infecting Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Cichlidae) in the United States. BioInvasions Records 13:281-291. https://doil.org/10.3391/bir.2024.13.1.25

Shurba, Jacob A., Kristi J. Whitehead, Hannah L. Schley, Beau A. Bauer, Russell K. Barrett, Greg D. Yarrow, and James T. Anderson. 2023. Effects of nesting material on wood duck nest box selection, reproduction, and eggshell bacteria. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 60:615-620. https://doi.org/10.7589/JWD-D-23-00013

Shurba, Jacob A., Rebecca A. Cole, Matthew Broadway, Jason D. Riddle, Scott Hull, and Shelli A. Dubay. 2021. Gapeworm (Syngamus trachea) presence and prevalence in Wisconsin greater prairie chickens (Tympanuchus cupido). Journal of Parasitology 107: 600-605. https://doi.org/10.1645/19-138

Links