Saluki Pride: Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau receives Early Career Faculty Excellence Award

    Tim Crosby
    • May 29, 2025

    Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau, assistant professor in the School of Biological Sciences, is the 2025 winner of the Early Career Faculty Excellence Award at Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

    An ecologist focusing on understanding the drivers of the movements and habitat selection of animals in wildlife settings, Bastille-Rousseau conducts research out of SIU’s Center for Wildlife Sustainability Research. He makes heavy use of spatial data, including GPS telemetry.

    Get to know GUILLAUME BASTILLE-ROUSSEAU

    Name: Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau 

    Department/title: Assistant professor at the Center for Wildlife Sustainability Research and School of Biological Sciences

    Years at SIU Carbondale: 5

    Why did you choose SIU?

    One of the things that really excited me about the opportunity at SIU was the chance to have a dual appointment. I’m part of the School of Biological Sciences and also the Center for Wildlife Sustainability Research – which used to be called the Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory. The center has a long track record of working with federal and state agencies on collaborative research, and it offers a lot of support to help make that work happen. That support made it possible for me to hit the ground running and set up a research group pretty quickly after I got here. Now, it helps me manage several ongoing projects. Honestly, being part of the center gives me access to resources and opportunities that you don’t typically find at a university the size of SIU.

    What is your favorite part of the job? 

    Brainstorming with students, colleagues or sometimes just alone to solve problems. My whiteboard is always a mess because I always forget to erase it and just add stuff to it!

    I’m happiest when I am … 

    Spending time in nature. Nowadays, I especially enjoy trying to introduce my young daughters to outdoor activities, with moderate success.

    At the top of my “bucket list’ is …

    Spending time in the Canadian arctic. I got to spend a bit of time in Newfoundland and northern Quebec in the past, and I just really enjoy the remoteness, ruggedness and openness of those landscapes.

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