Bio

Dr. Jeff Tamplin is a Professor of Biology at the University of Northern Iowa who studies turtle behavior and is an accomplished researcher and scientific illustrator. Jeff has been using radio telemetry to study the ecology of the Wood Turtle in Iowa for over 20 years and generates knowledge on the distribution, habitat usage, population structure, and mortality causes of this endangered species. Besides studying turtles, Jeff was a member of two National Science Foundation expeditions to Antarctica that resulted in the discovery of hundreds of Mesozoic amphibian and reptile fossils, including Cryolophosaurus ellioti, the first terrestrial, carnivorous dinosaur known from Antarctica.

Jeff currently teaches courses in Introductory Biology, Ecology, Evolution, and Vertebrate Zoology at UNI. Prior to coming to UNI in 2001, Tamplin taught biology and zoology courses at Louisiana State University for 15 years, where he earned his M.S. and Ph.D in Zoology. Tamplin has authored over 60 published scientific journal articles, technical reports, book chapters, and two editions of a zoology textbook. In addition, over 200 of his scientific illustrations have been published in scientific journals and textbooks.

To date, he has generated over $425,000 in research funding and been awarded the LSU Tiger Athletic Foundation Award for College Teaching Excellence (1999), the UNI College of Natural Sciences Dean's Award for Teaching Excellence (2004), the UNI College of Humanities, Arts, and Sciences Dean's Award for Teaching Excellence (2013), and the Iowa Board of Regents Award for Faculty Excellence (2016).