He also serves as the Research Associate Dean for the Warner College. He received his PhD in Biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-‑Champaign in 1993. He also has B.S. and M.S. degrees in Forestry from the University of Illinois. Dr. Paschke has been a faculty member in WCNR since August of 2005. Prior to 2005 he was a Research Scholar at CSU. His research focuses on the mechanisms controlling community assembly in terrestrial plant communities. For much of his research career he has worked across multiple scales, from the molecular to the ecosystem level, and across multiple disciplines. He currently teaches classes in Restoration Ecology, Ecological Restoration, Reconciliation Ecology and Disturbance Ecology.