Jake Shurba

Ph.D. Student - Wildlife and Fisheries Biology
James C. Kennedy Waterfowl and Wetlands Conservation Center
Forestry and Environmental Conservation Department

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

Profile

Jake Shurba (He | Him | His) is a Ph.D. student working under Dr. Jim Anderson at the James C. Kennedy Waterfowl and Wetlands Conservation Center. He is a wildlife disease ecologist with an emphasis on the relationships between pathogens and migratory waterfowl. He is a graduate of the wildlife program at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, where his passion for “diseases, dead things, and ducks” blossomed due to mentorship with the Kennedy Center Endowed Professor, and the resident disease ecologist stationed at UWSP. In 2022, Jake graduated with his M.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology at Clemson University, where he studied reproductive and disease ecology of wood ducks in the southeastern United States. He joined Dr. Anderson’s lab in Fall of 2025, where his dissertation research investigates the potential relationships between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and waterfowl along the coast of South Carolina. Additionally, he seeks to study any health implications that PFAS may have on waterfowl. Besides research, Jake has a strong passion for mentorship, teaching, and science communication with an end-goal of seeking a position in academia following graduation. He feels very strongly that science communication is the best way to inform the public of the work we do as scientists, and that making science as accessible as possible can shed light on the countless disciplines in science. Following graduation, Jake wants to continue working in education and plans on seeking an academic position to teach the next generation of disease ecologists. In his free time, Jake enjoys trying new recipes in the kitchen, talking science and spending time with his partner Jack (who is also a scientist) and their two cats.

Research Interests

Wildlife disease ecology, waterfowl ecology, 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