I graduated from Beardstown High School ( Beardstown, Illinois) in 1987, after high school I attended Culver - Stockton College in Canton, Missouri. I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in General Biology in 1991, following a seasonal internship with Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

I was employed by the Illinois Natural History Survey during the fall of 1991 as a fisheries technician for the Long Term Resource Monitoring Program (LTRMP) and Habitat and Rehabilitation Projects (HREP) at the Illinois River Biological Station (IRBS) in Havana Illinois. Currently, I am a Large River Ecologist and the Assistant Field Station Director at the IRBS. My research interests are monitoring long-term trends in fish populations on the Illinois River for LTRMP (LTRM fish monitoring component). Also, I have been involved with several projects researching non-native fish species, Asian Carp. Currently, myself and other IRBS researchers are analyzing the effects habitat projects may have on fish abundances in the Illinois River using LTRMP data. Furthermore, I continue to assist with research such as the Long Term Electrofishing (LTEF) project and LTRMP water quality, vegetation, macroinvertebrates components. I am a member of the Illinois Chapter of the American Fisheries Society.

Some of my personal interests are; spending time with my wife Christy and three sons Fletcher, Fisher and Grady. I enjoy outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing and traveling.

Matt O'Hara's CV