Dr. Hegrenes is an ecologist interested aquatic ecosystems, biodiversity, and animal behavior. His research interests are related to the interactions of species in nature and the field of conservation, for example the impact of non-native species on native flora and fauna. Dr. Hegrenes maintains aquaria in the Biology Department for the study of fishes and their feeding and reproductive ecology. He is a member of the North American Native Fishes Association and the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists.

Dr. Hegrenes's graduate research focused on the role of diet on phenotypic plasticity of feeding morphology in the Genus Lepomis (sunfish). His work incorporates aspects of behavior, ecology, evolution and systematics. He is a native of Hutchinson, MN, and as a Masters student he studied the ecology of the channel catfish in the Red River (of the North).

In January, Dr. Hegrenes travels with students to places like Costa Rica and Nicaragua to study tropical ecology and entomology.

Before coming to Carthage, Dr. Hegrenes taught at Winona State University in Minnesota.