Current Graduate Students
Major Advisor - Dr. Ruth H. Carmichael (rcarmichael@disl.org)
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Name: Allen Aven Program of Study: Ph.D. Thesis or Dissertation title: Ecology and movements of the West Indian manatee (Trichechus manatus) in Alabama and the northern Gulf of Mexico |
Academic training: BS Biology Email: aaven@disl.org
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Name: Elizabeth S. Darrow Condon Program of Study: Ph.D. Thesis or Dissertation title: Evaluating historical and spatial anthropogenic impacts in a coastal estuary system using chemical and microbial indicators. |
Academic training: BA in Biology, Environmental Sciences (double major) from University of Virginia, MS in Marine Science from College of William and Mary Email: econdon@disl.org |
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Name: Kayla DaCosta Program of Study: Ph.D. Thesis or Dissertation title: Population connectivity and habitat utilization of the West Indian manatee in the northern Gulf of Mexico |
Academic training: BS in Conservation Biology from Brigham Young University Email: kdacosta@disl.org |
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Name: Haley Nicholson Program of Study: Ph.D. Thesis or Dissertation title: Larval oyster (Crassostrea virginica) settlement, distribution, and growth in a freshwater dominated and human influenced estuary |
Academic training: BS in Marine Biology from University of Miami Email: hnicholson@disl.org |
Major Advisor - Dr. Just Cebrian (jcebrian@disl.org)
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Name: Aaron Macy Program of Study: Ph.D. Thesis or Dissertation title: Functional Shifts with Tropicalization in the Louisiana Marsh-Mangrove Ecotone |
Academic training: BS in Oceanography from Florida Institute of Technology Email: amacy@disl.org |
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Name: Shailesh Sharma Program of Study: Ph.D. Thesis or Dissertation title: Restored Oyster Reefs: Potential Impacts on Water Quality, Submerged Aquatic Vegetation,
Saltmarsh Flora and Associated Organisms |
Academic training: BS in Environmental Science from Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, MS in Environmental Science from Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur Email: ssharma@disl.org
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Name: Caitlin Wessel Program of Study: Ph.D. Thesis or Dissertation title: Marine Debris in the northern Gulf of Mexico |
Academic training: BS in Secondary Education from The University of Pittsburgh, MS in Coastal, Marine and Wetland Studies from Coastal Carolina University |
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Name: Laura West Program of Study: Ph.D. Thesis or Dissertation title: Primary Productivity across a gradient of water quality in the northern Gulf of Mexico |
Academic training: BS in Biology from Gordon State College Email: lwest@disl.org |
Major Advisor - Dr. J. Marcus Drymon (mdrymon@southalabama.edu)
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Name: Emily Seubert Program of Study: MS Thesis or Dissertation title: Trophic Ecology of Apex Predators in the northern Gulf of Mexico |
Academic training: BS in Biological Sciences from the University of California, Davis Email: emseubert@gmail.com
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Major Advisor - Dr. Kenneth L. Heck, Jr., (kheck@disl.org)
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Name: Maddie Kennedy Program of Study: MS Thesis or Dissertation title: What are the impacts of wintering redhead ducks (aytha american) on shoalgrass (halodule wrightii) in the northern Gulf of Mexico? |
Academic training: BA in Environmental Studies, Minor in Human Health from Ithaca College Email: mkennedy@disl.org
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Name: Whitney Scheffel Program of Study: MS Thesis or Dissertation title: Impacts of black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) range expansion on salt marsh faunal communities in the northern Gulf of Mexico |
Academic training: BS in Biology from Coastal Carolina University Email: wscheffel@disl.org
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Name: Anthony R. Marshak Program of Study Ph.D. Thesis or Dissertation title: Ecological impacts of climate-related ichthyofaunal shifts and invasive lionfish upon the northern Gulf of Mexico reef fish community |
Academic Training: BS in Marine Biology from Texas A&M University MS in Marine Sciences from the University of Puerto Rico Email: amarshak@disl.org |
Major Advisor - Dr. Ronald P. Kiene (rkiene@disl.org)
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Name: Molly Miller Program of study: Ph.D. Thesis or Dissertation title: Anthropogenic Nutrient Input and its Influence on Plant Competitive Outcomes: Implications for Habitat Degradation and Community Shifts |
Academic training: BS in Biology, University of South Alabama, 2006 MS in Biology, University of South Alabama, 2010 Email: mmmiller@disl.org
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Name: Jessie Motard-Côté Program of Study: Ph.D. Thesis or Dissertation title: Significance of slowly-degrading dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) pools in the biogeochemical cycling of sulfur and carbon in marine waters. |
Academic training: BS in Biology from Université Laval (Québec) MS in Biology from Université Laval (Québec) Email: jmotard-cote@disl.org
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Name: Alison N. Rellinger Program of Study: Ph.D. Thesis or Dissertation title: A Comparison of DMSP Cycling in Phaeocystis Spp. |
Academic training: BA Biology, St. Mary's College of Maryland, MS Marine Sciences, University of South Alabama Email: arellinger@disl.org |
Major Advisor - Dr. Jeffrey W. Krause (jkrause@disl.org)
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Name: Israel A. Marquez Program of Study: Ph.D. Thesis or Dissertation title: Copepod grazing selectivity of diatoms based on organic matter content and the degree
of frustule silicification M.S. thesis - The biogeochemical consequences of mesoscale eddies in the Sargasso Sea
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Academic training: BS in Environmental Studies from UC Santa Barbara MS in Marine Science from University of South Alabama Email: imarquez@disl.org
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Major Advisor - Dr. Will Patterson (wpatterson@disl.org)
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Name: Justin Paul Lewis Program of Study: MS Thesis or Dissertation title: Use of vertebral chemistry to infer natal origin of the blacktip shark (Carcharhinus limbatus) in the northern Gulf of Mexico |
Academic Training: BS in Marine and Aquatic Biology, Stetson University Email: jlewis@disl.org
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Name: Michael Norberg Program of Study: MS Thesis or Dissertation title: Population Dynamics and Trophic Ecology of Tomtate, Haemulon aurolineatum, in the Northern Gulf of Mexico |
Academic training: BS in Marine Biology at University of West Florida Email: mnorberg@disl.org
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Name: Kristen Dahl Program of Study: Ph.D. Thesis or Dissertation title: Ecology of Invasive Lionfish in the northern Gulf of Mexico and their Direct and Indirect Impacts on Native Reef Fish Communities |
Academic training: BS from University of West Florida Email: kdahl@disl.org |
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Name: Steve Garner Program of Study: Ph.D. Thesis or Dissertation title: Hook performance and gear selectivity of reef fishes in the northern Gulf of Mexico
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Academic training: MS Oceanography and Coastal Science from Louisiana State University Email: sgarner@disl.org |
Major Advisor - Dr. Sean P. Powers (spowers@disl.org)
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Name: Trey Spearman Program of Study: MS Thesis or Dissertation title: Effects of large-scale habitat modification on fish and invertebrate communities within Alabama's Reef Permitting Zone |
Academic training: BS in Marine Biology from Auburn University (2010) Email: tspearman@disl.org
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Name: Laura Claiborne Stone Program of Study: MS Thesis or Dissertation title: Estimating post-release mortality of Greater Amberjack (Seriola dumerili) in the nGOM using acoustic telemetry |
Academic training: BA in Environmental Studies from Dickinson College Email: lstone@disl.org
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Name: Pearce Cooper Program of Study: Ph.D. Thesis or Dissertation title: Assessing population and estuarine scale subdivision in Sheepshead, Archosargus probatocephalus, using population genomics and otolith chemistry |
Academic training: BS Fisheries Sciences, Virginia Tech Email: pcooper@disl.org |
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Name: Andrea Kroetz Program of Study: Ph.D. Thesis or Dissertation title: Movement and trophic dynamics of highly mobile estuarine-dependent fishes |
Academic training: BS in Integrative Biology from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign Email: akroetz@disl.org |
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Name: T. Reid Nelson Program of Study: Ph.D. Thesis or Dissertation title: Elucidating habitat use, movements, and growth of euryhaline species |
Academic training: Marine Biology BS University of North Carolina at Wilmington,
Fisheries MS Auburn Email: tnelson@disl.org |
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Name: Meagan Schrandt Program of Study: Ph.D. Thesis or Dissertation title: Distribution, habitat use and movement patterns of two coastal pelagic fish, Spanish Mackerel Scomberomorus maculatus and Florida Pompano Trachinotus carolinus |
Academic training: BS in Marine Biology from Florida Institute of Technology MS in Marine Biology from University of North Carolina Wilmington. Email: mschrandt@disl.org |