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Growing up in Florida, I have always felt a deep connection to tropical and coastal ecosystems. Following my graduation from college in Miami in 2015, I set my sights on the Virgin Islands where I earned my master's degree from the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI). Seeking new challenges, I ventured to the "frigid north" of North Carolina in 2018 to pursue my PhD at UNC Wilmington. But my love for the Virgin Islands drew me back in 2023, where I now work as a reef resilience postdoctoral associate on the VI-EPSCoR Ridge to Reef Project.
The unifying theme of my research is Caribbean coral reef ecology. My graduate research focused on reef sponges, their effect on seawater chemistry and carbon cycles, and how they interact with corals, algae, and other benthic fauna. For my postdoctoral research, I am helping to analyze valuable long term reef monitoring datasets to tease apart what makes some reefs more resilient than others. I also hope to take a closer look at low-coral reefs (those that were once dominated by corals but are now dominated by other soft-bodied invertebrates, including sponges) to explore the capacity of future "worst case scenario" reefs to support biodiversity. Overall, I want to help better understand how benthic organisms, especially understudied groups like sponges, are both responding to and accelerating the widespread losses of corals that have occurred in past century of climate change and other human stressors. I am lucky to have supportive mentors who have introduced me to and helped me apply innovative tools such as 3D photogrammetry and -omics techniques. I am excited to use new technology and unconventional approaches to advance coral reef research and conservation, and I look forward to carrying on the tradition of mentoring the next generation of marine biologists. |
last updated 1 May 2023