Outstanding Ph.D. Student Award
The Outstanding Ph.D. Award honors a doctoral student whose research demonstrates exceptional scientific depth, strong collaboration with management agencies, and meaningful contributions to applied fish and wildlife science.
Neil Paprocki
Neil Paprocki was a PhD student with Dr. Courtney Conway at the Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit (ICFWRU). Dr. Paprocki received a prestigious Graduate Research Fellowship (GRFP) from the National Science Foundation to fund his exceptional dissertation research which involved testing 8 hypotheses to explain variation in migration distance in birds. Neil traveled throughout the U.S. and Canada during several winter field seasons to capture >150 Rough-legged Hawks (Buteo lagopus) and attach GPS transmitters so he could document variation in migration distance among hawks throughout the species’ entire range in North America. Neil also provided exceptional technical assistance and outreach. Neil routinely guided undergraduates and community members when he was in the field trapping Rough-legged Hawks, giving individuals an experience of a lifetime. Having spent countless hours volunteering for various events, Neil also helped initiate a collaborative international research group called the “Red-tailed Hawk Project Research Group” to promote collaboration among scientists and managers who work on Red-tailed Hawks throughout North America.
Research Overview and Select Publications:
The underlying causes of differential migration are not known and remain a topic of debate. Research attempting to understand the underlying causes of differential migration have primarily focused on three mechanistic hypotheses: the arrival time hypothesis, the body size hypothesis, and the social dominance hypothesis. Despite extensive research attempting to distinguish among these hypotheses, the mechanisms underlying differential migration are still equivocal. Partnering with biologists from agencies and universities throughout North America, Paprocki deployed GPS transmitters to document migration of Rough-legged Hawks throughout their annual migratory cycle on the North American continent. Paprocki published 7 papers summarizing the results of his dissertation, which highlight how stressors such as disease and anthropogenic factors can affect migration behavior and increase mortality.
Paprocki, N., and C. J. Conway. In Press. Causes of interspecific variation in avian migration distance. Ecology, in press.
Paprocki, N., J. Kidd, and C. J. Conway. 2026. Cost of migration increased during an outbreak[CC1] of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus. Journal of Avian Biology 2026:e03616. DOI:10.1002/jav.03616.
Paprocki, N., J. Kidd, R. Warne, A. Macedo, and C. J. Conway. 2025. Causes of differential migration distance: test of seven mechanistic hypotheses in an arctic raptor. Behavioral Ecology 36:araf072. DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araf072.
Paprocki, N. and C. J. Conway. 2025. The underlying causes of differential migration: assumptions, hypotheses, and predictions. Biological Reviews 100:764–789. DOI: 10.1111/brv.13160.
Paprocki, N., J. Kidd, and C. J. Conway. 2025. Increased mortality rates caused by highly pathogenic avian influenza virus in a migratory raptor. Ecology and Evolution 15:e71715. DOI: 10.1002/ece3.71715.
Paprocki, N., S. Blair, C. J. Conway, J. Adams, S. Nerkowski, J. Kidd, and L. P. Waits. 2024. Comparison of seven DNA metabarcoding sampling methods to assess diet in a large avian predator. Environmental DNA 6:e70000. DOI: 10.1002/edn3.70000.
Maron, M. W., N. Paprocki, J. P. Owen, and C. J. Conway. 2024. Differential effects of chewing lice on body condition across host age and sex in Rough-legged Hawks (Buteo lagopus). Journal of Wildlife Diseases 60:991–995. DOI: 10.7589/JWD-D-24-00013.
Awards Committee Comment:
The Awards Committee was impressed with the depth and breadth of Dr. Paprocki’s graduate research, commitment to education and outreach, and commitment to working with management agencies on practical applications of ecological science. Especially notable was his work with undergraduate researchers at the University of Idaho, especially in the Doris Duke program and the substantial number of management agencies with whom he collaborated during his time as a student. Dr. Paprocki’s achievements and efforts stand out in a program fundamentally dedicated to conducting applied ecological research to support management agencies while mentoring students and future fish and wildlife biologists.