{"id":27626,"date":"2026-05-06T18:49:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T01:49:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/?p=27626"},"modified":"2026-05-25T20:07:39","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T03:07:39","slug":"phd-student-studies-galapagos-tortoises-to-preserve-ecosystems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/phd-student-studies-galapagos-tortoises-to-preserve-ecosystems\/","title":{"rendered":"PhD candidate finds his field of dreams studying Galapagos tortoises"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n    \n                                                                        \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/charles-lehnen-profile-top-768x432.jpg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/charles-lehnen-profile-top-1920x1080.jpg 1920w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/charles-lehnen-profile-top-1280x720.jpg 1280w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/charles-lehnen-profile-top-768x432.jpg 768w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  alt=\"Man crouches near a giant tortoise among tall cacti and gnarled trees\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n      <div class=\"image-caption\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  USC Dornsife PhD candidate Charles Lehnen has helped introduce Galapagos tortoises to islands where the giant reptiles have long been extinct. (Photo: Felipe Qui\u00f1onez.)\n\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n          <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n        <ul>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\">News<\/a><\/li>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\/?category=commencement\">Commencement<\/a><\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/nav>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>PhD candidate finds his field of dreams studying Galapagos tortoises<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  As he nears completion of his degree, Charles Lehnen reflects on his research aimed at ensuring the survival of the giant reptiles \u2014 as well as his own harrowing survival story.\n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n           <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communication@dornsife.usc.edu\">Greg Hardesty<\/a><\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">May 6, 2026<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#copy_link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Link\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_copy_link\">\n              <svg height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" width=\"19\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m7.43475275 9.52380952-2.17490843 2.26076008c-1.08745421 1.058837-1.68841575 2.518315-1.68841575 4.0350275 0 1.5167124.60096154 2.9475732 1.68841575 4.0350274 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xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"m8.14285714 9.42857143c-.17142857 0-.34285714 0-.51428571.08571428l7.28571427 6.34285719c.3428572.2571428.6857143.2571428.9428572 0l7.2857142-6.34285719c-.0857142-.08571428-.2571428-.08571428-.4285714-.08571428zm-1.28571428 1.11428567v.1714286 8.5714286c0 .6857143.6 1.2857143 1.28571428 1.2857143h14.57142856c.6857143 0 1.2857143-.6 1.2857143-1.2857143v-8.5714286c0-.0857143 0-.0857143 0-.1714286l-7.2 6.3428572c-.7714286.6857143-1.8857143.6857143-2.6571429 0z\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" transform=\"translate(-6 -9)\"\/><\/svg>\n            <\/span>\n            <span class=\"a2a_label visually-hidden\">Email<\/span>\n          <\/a>\n                  <\/span>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n \n\n\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p>After earning his undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Minnesota, Charles Lehnen was about to apply to medical school when he began having second thoughts.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI felt like I was just checking another box on my to-do list,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n<p>His then girlfriend, Jilla Nadimi, asked him, \u201cWhat do you want to do with your life?\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_27627\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-27627\" style=\"width: 298px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-27627\" src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/charles-lehnen-profile-in-story-a-364x550.jpg\" alt=\"Man in leather hat stands on narrow, rocky path along cliff with ocean in background\" width=\"298\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/charles-lehnen-profile-in-story-a-364x550.jpg 364w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/charles-lehnen-profile-in-story-a-679x1024.jpg 679w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/charles-lehnen-profile-in-story-a-768x1159.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/charles-lehnen-profile-in-story-a.jpg 980w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 298px) 100vw, 298px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-27627\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Charles Lehnen\u2019s research on the Galapagos islands proved challenging but rewarding. (Photo: Juan Jose Gallardo.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cActually,\u201d he responded, \u201cI\u2019d like to go to the Galapagos Islands and study giant tortoises.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nadimi was shocked but supportive. She was working on elections for the City of Minneapolis but was craving a change.<\/p>\n<p>Soon after that discussion, the couple sold their belongings, bought some backpacks and moved to the Galapagos archipelago off the coast of Ecuador.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt felt like it was the place I was supposed to be,\u201d recalled Lehnen, who as a kid was obsessed with tortoises. He had a stuffed turtle collection and loved to hunt for insects.<\/p>\n<p>Now, a little more than a decade later, he\u2019s about to receive his PhD in <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/heb\/graduate-program\/\">integrative and evolutionary biology<\/a> from the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.<\/p>\n<h2>A model PhD candidate at USC Dornsife<\/h2>\n<p>Lehnen\u2019s research on rewilding Galapagos tortoises to the islands has earned praise from key mentors at USC Dornsife.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s done important and fascinating work,\u201d says Professor of Biological Sciences and Anthropology <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/profile\/craig-stanford\/\">Craig Stanford<\/a>, who has conducted extensive field research on wild great apes, monkeys and reptiles.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/profile\/cameron-egan\/\">Cameron Egan<\/a>, associate professor (teaching) of biological sciences and director of undergraduate studies for the department, nominated Lehnen for an outstanding teaching assistant (TA) of the year award, which Lehnen won. Only three TAs throughout the entire university win the award each year. As a TA in Egan\u2019s \u201cEcology and Biodiversity\u201d (BISC404) course, Lehnen designed the lab.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHis expertise, dedication and initiative have been nothing short of essential to the success of this course and the enrichment of our ecological course offerings at USC,\u201d Egan said.<\/p>\n<h2>Challenging field work on the Galapagos islands<\/h2>\n<p>Lehnen\u2019s research while at USC Dornsife involved several three-week field studies on Santa Fe Island, a small land mass in the middle of the Galapagos Archipelago. He and his team \u2014 in conjunction with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.galapagos.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Galapagos Conservancy<\/a> and the Galapagos National Park Directorate \u2014 researched the effects of introducing tortoises from a lineage similar to that of another, extinct lineage of the cold-blooded herbivores, which can grow to weigh hundreds of pounds.<\/p>\n<p>Giant tortoises once played a central role in shaping the island\u2019s ecosystems, and the researchers hoped bringing them back would rebalance the ecosystem. For example, just this February, after more than 180 years of absence, giant tortoises returned to Floreana Island, and Lehnen\u2019s studies help researchers predict the impacts of this reintroduction.<\/p>\n<p>Lehnen says the field work is very challenging. Santa Fe Island is treeless and rocky, with almost no flat ground. It\u2019s also home to spiders, snakes and giant venomous centipedes. And rats \u2014 lots of rats.<\/p>\n<p>During each trip to Santa Fe Island, Lehnen and his three or four assistants were virtually cut off from the world save for a satellite internet connection at camp. Many days, the humidity rose to about 90% and temperatures exceeded 90 F.<\/p>\n<p>There is no electricity and no fresh water, so each time a boat dropped them off, Lehnen and his team had to drag about four dozen, 5-gallon jugs up a steep hill to camp.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s extremely challenging to live there \u2014 physically but also mentally,\u201d Lehnen said. \u201cI\u2019ve learned how to guide people through the process.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"video-embed\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Tortoise Research: From USC to Galapagos\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fTj72Qwsl0U?si=Q24HSuXYpuHaLAT0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<h2>Galapagos island research mixes high- and low-tech<\/h2>\n<p>Lehnen employs sophisticated technology in his field research, including drones to detect minute changes in vegetation and machine learning to classify drone imagery. AI also is used to analyze images from camera traps set up around the island.<\/p>\n<p>Lehnen and his team also perform low-tech tasks such as sampling the tortoises toenails and shells. By analyzing isotopes from these samples, they\u2019re able to monitor the animals\u2019 diets. They also study the interactions between the tortoises and the island\u2019s iguanas.<\/p>\n<p>The payoff for such research, Lehnen said, has been priceless.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThroughout the world, it\u2019s becoming more common to translocate organisms to different areas through reintroduction,\u201d he said. \u201cCan we develop standards for measuring the impacts? I see this as the future of conservation.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>A harrowing survival story of his own<\/h2>\n<figure id=\"attachment_27628\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-27628\" style=\"width: 311px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-27628\" src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/charles-lehnen-profile-in-story-b-364x550.jpg\" alt=\"Man and woman wear face masks among jungle bushes as gorilla mother and baby forage behind them\" width=\"311\" height=\"470\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/charles-lehnen-profile-in-story-b-364x550.jpg 364w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/charles-lehnen-profile-in-story-b-679x1024.jpg 679w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/charles-lehnen-profile-in-story-b-768x1159.jpg 768w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2026\/05\/charles-lehnen-profile-in-story-b.jpg 980w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 311px) 100vw, 311px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-27628\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Charles Lehnen and Jilla Nadimi, seen here visiting mountain gorillas, plan to marry this fall. (Photo: Courtesy of Charles Lehnen.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In fall 2025, the unimaginable happened to Lehnen and Nadimi. The two were walking home from campus, about a block from home, when they were hit in the crosswalk by a car. They had been discussing dinner plans.<\/p>\n<p>Nadimi rolled onto the car and smashed through the windshield.<\/p>\n<p>Lehnen was flung at least 15 feet and landed in an intersection.<\/p>\n<p>Nadimi had to be cut out of the windshield. It took doctors 16 hours to pluck glass fragments out of her. She suffered serious bruising and muscle atrophy and still is undergoing physical therapy. She may also require surgery.<\/p>\n<p>Lehnen suffered severe back fractures that required emergency spinal surgeries.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoctors told me if I had tried to stand up and put weight on my spine, my spinal cord would have snapped and I would have been paralyzed at best,\u201d he said. \u201cThey told me I came inches if not centimeters from death.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He spent nearly a week in the hospital and underwent two weeks of inpatient rehab. He then spent months receiving at-home nursing and therapy followed by outpatient physical therapy that continues.<\/p>\n<p>As a testament to his dedication, Lehnen was in the classroom this past semester despite the seriousness of his injuries, supporting students without missing a beat, Egan notes.<\/p>\n<p>Nadimi also is graduating this spring with a master\u2019s degree in public administration from the <a href=\"https:\/\/priceschool.usc.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">USC Sol Price School of Public Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The couple are getting married in December. Lehnen\u2019s goal is to have recovered enough to be able to dance at his wedding.<\/p>\n<h2>Value in USC\u2019s interdisciplinary opportunities<\/h2>\n<p>After the wedding and honeymoon, when he completely heals, Lehnen plans to get back to field work. He is applying for post-doctorate jobs with the goal of someday becoming a professor.<\/p>\n<p>Lehnen said he appreciates the interdisciplinary nature of earning a PhD at USC Dornsife. He took many courses in the geospatial program and computer science and machine learning classes at the <a href=\"https:\/\/viterbischool.usc.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">USC Viterbi School of Engineering<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve worked with engineers, geographers, computer scientists and more,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019ve given me a totally different perspective on my studies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And how did Lehnen spend spring break in this, his final year? Helping a fellow professor teach an ecology course on the Colorado Plateau, Utah, and in the Mojave Desert.<\/p>\n<p>The course was on how to properly handle lizards.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s what I do for fun,\u201d Lehnen says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n  \n        \n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-related-stories \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-related-stories\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--section-title\">\n\n    \n  <h2>\n          Related Articles\n      <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n                  <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/venezuela-earthquakes-on-fault-similar-to-san-andreas-geophysicist-sylvain-barbot\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Venezuela\u2019s deadly earthquakes happened on a fault similar to the San Andreas, and the risks aren\u2019t over yet \u2013 a geophysicist explains<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/the-us-founders-other-revolutionary-choice-separating-religion-and-government\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >The US founders\u2019 other revolutionary choice: Separating religion and\u00a0government<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/usc-rotc-helped-allison-parra-find-confidence-and-her-calling\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >USC ROTC helped Allison Parra find confidence \u2014 and her calling<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n            <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As he nears completion of his degree, Charles Lehnen reflects on his research aimed at ensuring the survival of the giant reptiles \u2014 as well as his own harrowing survival story.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":27629,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[52,9,16,17,15],"tags":[149,65,121,1971,96],"class_list":["post-27626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commencement","category-dornsife-global","category-science-and-technology","category-student","category-sustainability","tag-class-of-2026","tag-environment","tag-graduate","tag-integrative-and-evolutionary-biology","tag-natural-sciences"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - 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