Biological Scientists
Dr. Christine Rohal
[email protected]
Christine leads and collaborates on projects on plant selection and performance, implications of biodiversity, and seed germination cues,
[email protected]
Christine leads and collaborates on projects on plant selection and performance, implications of biodiversity, and seed germination cues,
Morgan Edwards
[email protected]
Morgan works on the Nature Coast Aquatic Preserve Project. She co-leads the monitoring program and is active in marine debris removal and outreach events.
[email protected]
Morgan works on the Nature Coast Aquatic Preserve Project. She co-leads the monitoring program and is active in marine debris removal and outreach events.
Johnny Polasik
[email protected]
Johhny works on the Nature Coast Aquatic Preserve Project. He co-leads the monitoring program and is active in marine debris removal and outreach events.
[email protected]
Johhny works on the Nature Coast Aquatic Preserve Project. He co-leads the monitoring program and is active in marine debris removal and outreach events.
Dr. Monica Wilson
[email protected]
Monica is the coordinator for our NOAA funded marine debris project, OPERATION TRAP.
[email protected]
Monica is the coordinator for our NOAA funded marine debris project, OPERATION TRAP.
Postdocs
Dr. Jamila Roth
Postdoc
NSF Fellow
[email protected]
Jamila is an NSF fellow syudying the implications of microbial seagrass interactions on disturbance response.
Postdoc
NSF Fellow
[email protected]
Jamila is an NSF fellow syudying the implications of microbial seagrass interactions on disturbance response.
Dr. Enie Hensel
Postdoc
Enie is an ecologist and educator interested in mitigating the effects of multiple stressors on coastal ecosystems to promote ecosystem resilience, conservation of biodiversity, and to aid in resource sustainability. She aims for her work to ensure coastal communities can continue a culture of being intimately connected with their natural surroundings. She has conducted ecological research in coastal ecosystems internationally for over a decade and integrates a diversity of disciplines, techniques, and communities into her research to ask complex ecological questions using real-life scenarios.
Postdoc
Enie is an ecologist and educator interested in mitigating the effects of multiple stressors on coastal ecosystems to promote ecosystem resilience, conservation of biodiversity, and to aid in resource sustainability. She aims for her work to ensure coastal communities can continue a culture of being intimately connected with their natural surroundings. She has conducted ecological research in coastal ecosystems internationally for over a decade and integrates a diversity of disciplines, techniques, and communities into her research to ask complex ecological questions using real-life scenarios.
Graduate Students
Alexandra Bijak
PhD Candidate
Soil Water and Ecosystem Sciences Department
FL Sea Grant Fellow
[email protected]
Alex is broadly interested in how biodiversity promotes ecosystem functioning in natural systems. For her dissertation, she is studying how seagrass species diversity affects meadow stability (or constancy in seagrass cover over time) and how both diversity and stability affect carbon cycling in seagrass meadows.
PhD Candidate
Soil Water and Ecosystem Sciences Department
FL Sea Grant Fellow
[email protected]
Alex is broadly interested in how biodiversity promotes ecosystem functioning in natural systems. For her dissertation, she is studying how seagrass species diversity affects meadow stability (or constancy in seagrass cover over time) and how both diversity and stability affect carbon cycling in seagrass meadows.
Audrey Looby
PhD Candidate
Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
[email protected]
Audrey is focusing on fish sound production and coastal soundscape ecology, both globally and locally in the Gulf of Mexico. She is the co-lead of the FishSounds website effort to compile fish sound production information and recordings and her other research interests include fish-habitat interactions, restoration ecology, and anthropogenic noise pollution.
PhD Candidate
Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
[email protected]
Audrey is focusing on fish sound production and coastal soundscape ecology, both globally and locally in the Gulf of Mexico. She is the co-lead of the FishSounds website effort to compile fish sound production information and recordings and her other research interests include fish-habitat interactions, restoration ecology, and anthropogenic noise pollution.
Bella Reyes
PhD Candidate
Soil Water and Ecosystem Sciences Department
NSF Fellow
[email protected]
Bella studies the abundance, distribution, structure, and function of urban mangroves.
PhD Candidate
Soil Water and Ecosystem Sciences Department
NSF Fellow
[email protected]
Bella studies the abundance, distribution, structure, and function of urban mangroves.
Adam Searles
PhD Candidate
School of Natural Resources and the Environment
NSF Fellow
[email protected]
Adam studies interactions between macrophytes (seagrass and algae) and animal communities.
PhD Candidate
School of Natural Resources and the Environment
NSF Fellow
[email protected]
Adam studies interactions between macrophytes (seagrass and algae) and animal communities.
Fia Campanino
PhD Student
School of Natural Resources and the Environment
[email protected]
Fia is studying the interactions between seagrass meadows and hard bottom areas dominated by sponges, algae, and corals.
PhD Student
School of Natural Resources and the Environment
[email protected]
Fia is studying the interactions between seagrass meadows and hard bottom areas dominated by sponges, algae, and corals.
John O'Connor
PhD Student
Soil Water and Ecosystem Sciences Department
[email protected]
John is a biogeochemist studying seagrass and clam interactions.
PhD Student
Soil Water and Ecosystem Sciences Department
[email protected]
John is a biogeochemist studying seagrass and clam interactions.
Catie Kaylor
MS Student
Soil Water and Ecosystem Sciences Department
[email protected]
Catie is studying differences in ecological functions of 2 clam species— Mercenaria mercenaria and Mercenaria campechiensis.
MS Student
Soil Water and Ecosystem Sciences Department
[email protected]
Catie is studying differences in ecological functions of 2 clam species— Mercenaria mercenaria and Mercenaria campechiensis.
Distance Education Graduate Students
Deborah Holt, non-thesis DE student in Soil Water and Ecosystem Sciences
Undergraduate Students
Bianca Ruiz
BS Student in Animal Biology
FL Sea Grant Intern
Bianca is working on characterizing carbon storage in seagrass meadows around Florida's Nature Coast.
BS Student in Animal Biology
FL Sea Grant Intern
Bianca is working on characterizing carbon storage in seagrass meadows around Florida's Nature Coast.
Faith Dunlap
BS Student in Zoology
FL Sea Grant Intern
Faith is helping on lots of lab projects
BS Student in Zoology
FL Sea Grant Intern
Faith is helping on lots of lab projects
UF Lab Alums
Biological Scientists / Technicians
Ashley McDonald, Biological Scientists, Nature Coast Biological Station
Whitney Scheffel, Senior Scientists Pensacola Perdido Bay Estuary Program
Samantha Tiffany, Miami Dade County
Graduate Students
Dr. Jamila Roth, Mote Marine Lab
Cayla Sullivan, MS Environmental Protection Agency
Theresa Gruninger, MS Great Lakes Commission
Distance Graduate Students
Devin Leonard, UF
Samantha Steffen, NC State
Chad Raimer, Consulting Firm
Aubrey Frye, South FL Water Management District
Talia Ayla, FL DEP
Arielle Taylor Manges, FL DEP
Postdocs
Dr. Diana Chin, Northeastern University
Undergraduate Students
Kaitlyn Tucker, University of Florida
C. Spengler, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry
Leah West, UF Law School
Xuechun "May" Wang , Washington State University
Kimberlie Vera, University of Wisconsin
Samantha Tiffany, Miami Dade County
Sara Koptman, UF Law School