meet the team
Bryan L. Stuart
I am the Research Curator of Herpetology. I have a B.Sc. in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology from Cornell University, a M.Sc. in Zoology from North Carolina State University, a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago (in a joint program with the Field Museum of Natural History), and completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship with Jimmy A. McGuire at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley. I began my current position at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in 2008. Welcome to my website!
Jeffrey C. Beane
Jeff is the Collections Manager of Herpetology. He has worked at the museum since 1985 and has served in his current position since 1995. He has extensive knowledge of the collection and the natural history of North Carolina, especially amphibians and reptiles. His 2010 (2nd edition) Amphibians and Reptiles of the Carolinas and Virginia with Alvin Braswell, Bill Palmer and colleagues is the authoritative field guide to the amphibians and reptiles of the region.
C. Aubrey Wiggins III
Aubrey is the Herpetology Unit Technician. As our database guru, he provides invaluable assistance with digitizing the collection to increase its utility and accessibility.
Alvin L. Braswell
Alvin is Emeritus Curator of Herpetology. He joined the museum staff in 1968 and retired in 2014, returned in 2019 to serve as interim museum director, and retired a second time in 2021. He continues to contribute to the collection through regular field work, and serves on numerous committees and working groups focused on natural history and biodiversity conservation in North Carolina.
Some of our lab alumni
William M. Palmer
Heather L. Farrington
Jennifer A. Sheridan
Bill is Emeritus Curator of Herpetology. He joined the museum staff in 1951, and retired in 1995. Bill professionalized and built much of the early collection, and was lead author of the Reptiles of North Carolina. Bill continued to help with curating the collection until health forced him to fully retire in 2016.
Jennifer A. Sheridan
Heather L. Farrington
Jennifer A. Sheridan
Jen was my Postdoctoral Fellow at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences during 2012-2014, when she worked on systematics of frogs and biodiversity training in Laos. She is now Curator of Amphibians & Reptiles at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.
Heather L. Farrington
Heather L. Farrington
Heather L. Farrington
Heather was my Postdoctoral Fellow at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences during 2014-2015, when she worked on next generation sequencing of salamanders. She is now Curator of Zoology at the Cincinnati Museum Center.
Hannah E. Som
Samuel J. Eliades
Heather L. Farrington
Hannah was my intern at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences from January 2019 through summer 2020, and helped to generate, analyze and publish data on Southeast Asian herps. In Fall 2020 she begins graduate school in Rafe Brown's lab at the University of Kansas.
Samuel J. Eliades
Samuel J. Eliades
Samuel J. Eliades
Sam was my technician during 2015-2017 while an undergrad at NC State University. He helped to curate the collection and collect data on the systematics of Southeast Asian geckos. In Fall 2017 he began graduate school in Cameron Siler's lab at the University of Oklahoma.
Danielle L. Chek
Samuel J. Eliades
Samuel J. Eliades
Danielle volunteered in my lab during all four years of high school, when she helped with curatorial projects and to take morphometric measurements using digital software from photographs of museum specimens. She established the Youth Branch of the NC Herpetological Society. Danielle is currently attending Wake Technical Community College.