John P. Friel

John Friel has worked in natural history museums for over 24 years, and has extensive experience in collections-based research, collections management, citizen-science programs, exhibit planning, fundraising, grant writing, and museum administration. He is currently the Director of the Alabama Museum of Natural History, as well as the Program Advisor & Internship Coordinator for the University of Alabama’s Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies. Prior to joining the University of Alabama in 2015, he was the Curator of Fishes, Amphibians and Reptiles at the Cornell University Museum of Vertebrates, and a Senior Research Associate in the Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Cornell University. While there he conducted field and collection-based research on South American and African freshwater fishes to help document the biodiversity of tropical river systems. His research specialties are catfishes of the families Aspredinidae (South American banjo catfishes) and Mochokidae (African squeakers and suckermouth catfishes).