Susan Wilde

Dr. Susan Wilde is an Associate Professor of Aquatic Science at the University of Georgia's Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. She holds adjunct positions at Clemson University, University of Charleston, and University of South Carolina. Her research focuses on impaired aquatic systems, invasive species, harmful algal blooms, and their impacts on wildlife. Notably, she discovered Aetokthonos hydrillicola, a cyanobacterium linked to Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy (AVM) causing eagle mortalities.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Forest Resources (1998), University of Georgia
• M.S. in Zoology (1989), University of Georgia
• B.S. in Ecology, Ethology & Evolution (1983), University of Illinois

Research Interests: Ecological impacts of harmful algal blooms, reservoir limnology, invasive plant-cyanobacteria interactions, and AVM transmission pathways. Current projects include developing detection tools for A. hydrillicola, studying toxin biomagnification in food webs, and assessing risks to semi-aquatic mammals like river otters.

Labs/Teams: Leads the Aquatic Toxicology Lab and collaborates with federal agencies on VM research. Active in projects like wood duck surveillance and LAMP assay development for field detection of the cyanobacteria.

Grants/Advising: Advises graduate students in fisheries, ecology, and environmental science. Research supported through grants focusing on toxin dynamics, invasive species management, and wildlife health.