Savannah River Ecology Lab Director Honored for Advancing Scientific Progress

AIKEN, S.C. — Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL) Director Olin 'Gene' Rhodes was named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), one of three University of Georgia (UGA) faculty members recognized in the organization’s recent announcement.

The AAAS Council elects fellows annually to acknowledge contributions that advance scientific progress. Since 1874, AAAS has recognized fellows, a distinguished group that includes notable figures such as Thomas Edison, Steven Chu, Ellen Ochoa, and others who have significantly advanced science in their respective fields.

Rhodes, who also serves as a UGA Athletic Association professor at the Odum School of Ecology, conducts diverse research that informs wildlife management and conservation. His work spans wildlife ecology and genetics, the application of genetic tools in conservation, refinement of reintroduction programs, and mitigation of wildlife diseases and human-wildlife conflicts.

Rhodes has longstanding connections with SREL and the Savannah River Site. He first joined SREL as a master's student in the 1980s, studying white-tailed deer populations, and later returned as a postdoctoral researcher in the 1990s to focus on theoretical population genetics. He became the director of SREL in 2012 following a recruitment initiative for new leadership.

“I am honored to have received this distinction and am thankful to the Department of Energy and our partners within the local community for providing the kind of career opportunities that merit such national recognition,” Rhodes said.

-Contributors: Katrina M. Ford, David Mitchell