My research will be investigating how well sedimented pollen can indicate historic changes in Florida’s fringing wetlands and aquatic macrophyte communities, specifically in and around benchmark lakes. I would love to go on to work as a field biologist protecting Florida’s incredible and unique freshwater systems. 

My name is Kotomi Allgauer, and I am a Master's student in Dr. Peter Stiling's lab. 

My research interests include how wetland ecosystems respond to anthropogenic effects (changes in sea levels, water temperature and pollutants, introduction of invasive species, etc.). 

I have not decided on my research project. However, I do wish to work with wetlands (specifically mangroves) and determine human impacts and possible solutions. 

My name is Eleanor Brodrick and I am a Master’s student in the lab of Dr. Harwood. My research interests revolve around environmental microbiology.

I am interested in performing research on the naturalization of fecal indicator bacteria in the environment.

I will be studying the process of naturalization, what strains survive best, as well as the persistence of other bacteria and fecal markers.

My name is Bethany Burns and I am a first year Ph.D. student. My research interests include how invasive plants respond to selective pressures in new environments and how it relates to conservation. In Dr. Richards Lab I will be studying Japanese knotweed, an invasive plant in the Eastern United States.

Previously, I got my B.S. in Biology from the University of Tampa. While there, I studied the monk orchid which naturalized from Africa to the Neotropics and I used herbarium records to find patterns within its phenology across its range.

I am currently a Ph.D. student in Dr. Harwood’s lab. Before joining the lab as a graduate student, I worked as a lab technician on a CDC-funded project researching critical barriers to antibiotic resistant ESKAPE pathogens in reclaimed water treatment trains.

I have not yet determined what my research project will be, but I would like to stay within the topic of antibiotic resistant pathogens in the environment.

I study how climate change drives shifts in vegetation in wetland communities, and investigate the resulting changes in plant-soil dynamics. My current dissertation research focuses on the recent expansion of mangroves into salt marsh territory on Florida's Gulf Coast. I am exploring the factors driving changes in the spatial arrangement of mangrove forests, and documenting changes in soil properties that occur as a result of mangrove encroachment. Because mangroves are expanding poleward following changes in climate and sea level, I hope that my work will be used to predict changes in wetland ecosystem dynamics on a global scale.

I graduated with a B.S. in Microbiology from Universidad de Los Andes in my native Colombia, I was a Smithsonian Environmental Research Center Intern, and I hold an M.S. in Resources Management in the Tropics from Cologne University of Applied of Sciences in Germany. I have worked with International Cooperation as well as environmental Non-Governmental Organizations in Latin America. I have been an instructor for more than 7+ years, and l love teaching. I am starting my third year as a Ph.D. Graduate student. I joined Dr. Prevost's Laboratory for Biology Education Research, where we do discipline-based education research. My interests include innovative approaches for ecology education, as well as community engagement approaches for coastal landscape management and restoration. Currently, I am working with SEEDS, a Program of the Ecological Society of America (ESA), understanding the perceptions and impacts of their activities for the next generation of ecologists.

I am a first-year Ph.D. student working with Dr. Diego Santiago Alarcon. Birds are my big passion; anything related to them excites me. My main interest is looking at how different changes in the land and environment affect bird communities. I am curious about how they manage to live and even do well in these changing habitats.

During my master's at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Tirupati, I studied the impacts of exotic timber stands on the bird communities in the Western Ghats' Sky Islands. After that, I worked as a research assistant at the Salim Ali Center for Ornithology and Natural History on a project monitoring bird diversity and populations in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Now, for my Ph.D. at USF, I will be digging into how urbanization impacts bird communities. When I am not busy with research, you can find me birdwatching or cooking. I love exploring new places, trying local food, and learning about different cultures. Whenever I visit somewhere new, I make it a point to bring back a unique recipe. I have also got a passion for singing and putting together events.

My life is a mix of uncovering bird secrets in my studies and enjoying the world beyond research through travel and my hobbies.

My research interests include comparative osteology, biomechanics, and life history variation of plethodontid (lungless) salamanders.

In the Deban lab, I hope to incorporate my interests into understanding the diversity of feeding modes in salamanders and how hyobranchial morphology affects tongue projection and performance.

In 2019, I obtained my Bachelor’s in Zoology from Colorado State University and recently graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University with a Master’s in Biology.

I am excited to be getting my Ph.D. from the IB department here at USF so I can continue studying herps/amphibians and take advantage of the animal diversity and beautiful weather of south Florida!

My name is Kelsey Daniels, and I am a first year master's student in Dr. Gemmell’s lab. My research interests include coral biology, predator prey interactions and anthropogenic impacts on coral morphology and behavior. 

I will be focusing on coral heterotrophic feeding on copepods. Particularly how branching morphology is important in prey capture in respect to the escape response in copepods.  

I have been affiliated with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Manatee Research and University of Florida's Aquatic Animal Health Programs working on manatee projects for 23 years specializing in policy related issues. 

My project will be centered on issues related to manatees to better inform species recovery.  

I am a biologist with an interest in plant ecology. I am specifically drawn to the microbes that interact with plants in all stages of life, like bacteria and fungi. As a Masters student in the Zalamea lab, my research will consider the diverse and complex nature of plant-microbe interactions in hopes of addressing current topics such as forest restoration and diverse ecosystem-level understanding of tropical forests using the background I have in microbiology. I also hope to build my pedagogy skills as a TA at USF to apply toward my dream of becoming a professor. I am from Florida and received my undergraduate degree from USF.

I joined the Parkinson lab at USF in 2020 to use molecular tools in order to relate how the genomes of corals and their algal symbionts affect their response to climate change. Some research plans include observing the level to which corals adapt or evolve (or both) to climate-induced thermal stress.

Additionally, I plan to use environmental DNA (eDNA) to observe coral biodiversity patterns with different levels of impact, including hurricane damage. I previously used eDNA to detect the presence of Hippocampus seahorses in Tampa Bay and The Bahamas during my undergraduate career at the University of Tampa, where I earned my B.S. in Marine Science-Biology.

Throughout my time at UT and USF, I have always emphasized science communication, and I find great value in teaching.

I joined the Department of Integrative Biology in the Fall of 2020, after receiving an M.S. from the University of Florida. At UF, I used the ongoing invasion of the tropical clawed frog to examine how individual differences in dispersal-related traits can be spatially selected during the process of range expansion.

I am interested in intra- and interspecific variation in the morphological and physiological traits related to dispersal. Specifically, I am interested in how trade-offs can constrain or facilitate variation in such traits.

I graduated with my B.A. in Psychology in 2021 and my M.S. in Environmental Science in 2023 from Florida Gulf Coast University. During my M.S., I studied human impacts on mammal, fish, reptile, and amphibian communities and biodiversity in the Peruvian Amazon. I my research interests revolve around wildlife responses to anthropogenic disturbance, and have previously worked with primate behavior, rattlesnake ecology, and African megafauna. At USF, I will continue to assess how humans are affecting wildlife using venom variation across human disturbance gradients and investigate the effect of rattlesnake venom on breast cancer cells.

My name is Sarah and I am a graduate student in the Integrative Biology department, currently pursuing my master's degree in Dr. Carney's lab.

I intend to complete my thesis on the anatomy, morphology, and kinematics of flightless bird wings in effort to understand their phylogenetic significance.

I will be using digital 3D reconstruction techniques in order to create images of the anatomy as well as implementing joint surface analysis to understand the kinematics behind it.

As the transition between flightless to flying birds is a key evolutionary landmark, taking a look into the anatomy of extant species may help in part to bridge the gap in research of this kind.

My name is Faith Hale and I am pursuing my Masters' in Biology with a concentration in Environment and Ecological Microbiology. I am a student in Dr. David Lewis' lab. I received my Bachelors' Degree at USF in Cell and Molecular Biology in 2022. In the summer of 2023, I spent three months in New Mexico at the Los Alamos National Laboratory for an internship working on a couple projects. I am interested in soil microbes and their role in the environment. I have not decided on what my research project will be, but I am working on a wetland carbon storage project and plan branch off this project for my research project. 

I graduated from USF in 2022 with a B.S. in Biology. While an undergraduate, I volunteered and worked as a technician in the Parkinson lab, where I could regularly be found maintaining and optimizing sea anemone and microalgal cultures. Now that I’m a Master’s student, my research interests are broadly revolved around the Aiptasia anemone-algal symbiosis. I will likely utilize rapid genetic fingerprinting using TE-AFLP to distinguish genetically distinct individuals from clones.

I am an NSF Graduate Research Fellow pursuing my Ph.D. at USF Tampa and working with the Margres lab. For my research, I am interested in using next generation sequencing technology to investigate evolutionary patterns at multiple scales. Currently, I use a combination of genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics to investigate genetic diversity and venom evolution of snakes found throughout the Baja California region and on islands in the Sea of Cortés.

Prior to joining the Margres lab, I received my B.S. in Genetics, Genomics, and Biotechnology from Brigham Young University (Provo, Utah) where I studied the application of eDNA to assess the effects of large-scale ecological events on aquatic biodiversity.

I joined the Parkinson lab in 2022 to investigate how intraspecific variation among endosymbionts effects host tolerance.

I developed a fascination with corals and their endosymbionts while completing a Research Experience for Undergraduates in Little Cayman Island while attending Southern Utah University.

After acquiring my undergraduate degree, I moved to the Florida Keys, where he worked to restore degraded reefs with the Coral Restoration Foundation.

My experience with coral nursery work and population genetics propelled me into the Master’s program at the University of North Florida. There I tested the activation of thermal plasticity as a potential tool for coral restoration.

At USF, I plan to study how intraspecific variation within endosymbionts influences host resilience.

My research will investigate the impact of feral pigs on ecosystem properties, such as soil nutrients, vegetation growth, and species composition, in cypress wetland and pine upland habitats throughout Florida. With game cameras, I will observe feral pigs to better understand drivers in site selection for rooting and interactions that take place directly or indirectly with feral pigs and their rooted plots. Lastly, I hope to address the human-wildlife conflict associated with feral pigs by surveying people in agricultural residential areas, suburban communities, and natural environments to better understand how the public classifies and interacts with this species. Since feral pigs are extensively hunted in Florida, many individuals view them as a game species which promotes their presence in the environment and disguises the fact that they are invasive. Through my research, I hope to convince the public and policymakers that there must be better management and control of feral pig populations.

I am a Colombian biologist with concentrations in molecular biology and biotechnology. Throughout my career I have found great passion in microbiology, especially in its applications in agriculture, restoration ecology and bioremediation.

As a master’s student in Dr. Zalamea’s Lab I hope to further understand the complex plant-microbe interactions, as a basis for developing applications that can help us face challenges related to climate change, anthropogenic disturbances, and food safety issues.

I consider myself a loving, kind, empathetic person and a responsible and committed professional who is always trying to give her best to achieve her own goals and help others. Apart from science I enjoy practicing different arts and crafts, cooking, baking, and learning from different cultures and languages.

I’m a Ph.D. student in the Carney Lab. My research will be on the diet and dentition of Archaeopteryx. I’ll be making use of a variety of methodologies, both morphological and functional, to synthesize a reconstruction of its diet. Details of its dental morphology may also elucidate potential phylogenetic differences between the various specimens.Enter toggled content here.

I previously earned my M.S. in Geosciences concentrating in Vertebrate Paleontology at East Tennessee State University where I studied the tooth morphology of Brown and Black Bears.

I am pursuing a Ph.D in Integrative Biology (Physiology and Morphology) at the University of South Florida - Tampa. My current research focuses on using digital techniques to build a scientifically accurate 3D reconstruction of Archaeopteryx using a combination of photogrammetry and X-ray data. This digital model will be used to improve our anatomical understanding of this iconic specimen through 3D geometric morphometrics and functional morphology of joint surfaces.

I am in my first year as a Conservation Biology student.

My research interests include water quality, specifically limnological studies.

I am a environmental microbiologist enrolled in the Ph.D. program and advised by Dr. Harwood.

My research is primarily focused on the persistence of human-associated genetic markers through wastewater treatment and their implications in microbial source tracking efforts around Tampa, Florida.

I received my B.S. in Marine Biology from the University of South Florida and I am now pursuing an M.S. to further study coastal and estuarine ecology. I am originally from Maryland and worked for a bit in freshwater systems with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources after completing my undergraduate degree.

I hope to more closely examine the relationship between mangroves and oysters, and how their dynamics affect their surrounding community. I intend for my research to help provide better resources for future conservation management endeavors.

My current research focuses on the coevolution of venom and venom resistance in rattlesnakes and their prey.

I have also been involved in research on the community ecology and microbiomes of paleotropical bats, species distribution and delimitation in blind Texas cave spiders, and conservation assessments of a rare Texas rodent population.

Before coming to USF, I earned undergraduate and Master's degrees in biology from Texas Tech University.

I received my B.S. in Animal Behavior and Wildlife Conservation from the University of Wolverhampton, and my M.S. in Applied Wildlife Conservation from Anglia Ruskin University in the UK.

I am now studying for my Ph.D. in the Kramer Lab - I am interested in the population ecology of low-density populations which exhibit positive density dependence, and my research involves using theoretical modelling and experimental approaches to investigate the evolutionary interactions between mate-finding traits and predator avoidance in low-density populations of zooplankton.

I use molecular methods (e.g., qPCR, NASBA) to monitor water quality and inform public health decisions. My current projects include quantifying Karenia brevis - a toxin-producing dinoflagellate that causes red tides in the Gulf of Mexico - and fecal indicator bacteria (e.g., Escherichia coli) in water samples. These data are used by stakeholders to monitor the spatiotemporal distributions of harmful algal blooms and to develop mitigation strategies.

I am a plant ecologist interested in the biodiversity of non-pathogenic fungal endophytes in natural ecosystems, especially root endophytes (mycorrhizae).

I study this system with the hope that this information can be integrated into disturbance mitigation of threatened ecosystems.

My name is Anthony Powell, and I am a Ph.D. student in Dr. Deban’s lab.

I obtained both my Bachelor’s in Biology and my Master’s in Biology from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. As a Master’s student, my research work involved identifying and measuring sustained force production in the jaw muscles of horned frogs (Ceratophrys spp.). 

For my current research interests, I hope to continue my M.S. work by looking into sustained force production in the jaws of other frogs, other muscle groups, and the physiology behind this phenomenon.

I obtained a B.S. in Integrative Biology here at USF. During this I was fortunate enough to work in Dr. Kathleen Scott’s lab, assisting with research investigating the metabolism of worms found at deep sea hydrothermal vents. There I developed a love of dexterous lab work and a strong desire to participate in academia.

For my master’s I am working in Dr. Lajeunesse’s lab investigating Cordyceps, a grouping of fungus which parasitizes arthropods. With this work I hope to help bring about a better understanding of, what is often regarded as, a bizarre organism. I am particularly drawn to such organisms as I feel many forms of life are undeservedly overlooked or stigmatized, such as ants and fungi or vultures and carrion insects.

I am a Costa Rican tropical biologist graduated from the Universidad Nacional of Costa Rica.

My main research interests are on the ecology and dynamics of complex plant and soil interactions in tropical ecosystems.

As a Ph.D. student in Dr. Zalamea’s lab, I would like to deepen into the mechanisms behind plant-soil-microorganisms interactions and how they are translated into the adaptation and survival of plant communities and their implications on the ecosystem level.

When I'm not nerding about biotic interactions I enjoy martial arts, painting, hiking, and other outdoor activities.

I am currently a Ph.D. student who joined the Carney lab as an undergraduate during the summer of 2021. Topics that are of particular interest to me include studies relating to anatomy, phylogeny, and morphology. I also have special skills and interests in 3D modeling, 3D printing, and digital art, and hope to be able to incorporate these into my work. I am planning to form my dissertation around crocodilian locomotion, specifically looking into forelimb walk cycles by reconstructing the anatomy in a 3D digital environment. With this, my findings can be used to infer and compare forelimb movement in both extinct and extant species of archosaurs.

I am currently looking at the use of environmental DNA in pre- and post-restoration sites (Robinson Preserve and Alligator Creek) to measure the biodiversity of the water system compared to traditional seine netting.

We are also looking to see if any unknown/elusive native (sharks, rays, etc.) or invasive (walking catfish, aquaria species, lionfish, etc.) species have been utilizing these habitats as those need to be factored into measuring the overall success of the restoration itself.

I am hoping to better understand the pros and cons of utilizing eDNA alongside seine nets when measuring biodiversity of tidally influenced water systems.

Ever since I was a child, I have loved reptiles, especially snakes. I got my B.S. in Environmental Science with a minor in Biology from USF in 2021. Before coming to the Doody Lab, I have worked on a FWS study on the threatened herpetofauna of the Florida scrub, a project looking at population dynamics and competition in daphnia species, and a couple other projects regarding avian surveys, gopher tortoises, and venomous snakes. Here at the Doody Lab, my research revolves around the intersection of conservation biology and disease ecology, specifically as it pertains to ophidiomycosis in snake populations. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, climbing, kayaking, playing/watching cricket, and cooking.

I am a Ph.D. student and research assistant in the Kramer Lab. My research interests include implementing mathematical/statistical techniques to ecological data in order to understand species invasions, niche structure/ habitat suitability, and epidemiological pathways.

My current research involves environmental degradation by invasive waterfowl, Coronavirus transmission network analysis, and creating biologically informative machine learning algorithms.

I am a Colombian biologist currently pursuing a master’s degree with Dr. Camilo Zalamea.

My research interests focus on the processes that maintain plant diversity. Specifically, I am fascinated by how microbial interactions with plants can influence forest dynamics in terms of plant function and species distributions. My research involves field and/or greenhouse experiments and molecular ecology, including next-gen sequencing and culturing, to study microbial communities associated with plants.

I am a Ph.D. student in Dr. Kramer’s lab (joined August 2019). My research focuses on invasive species, species interactions, population dynamics, and spatial ecology in large aquatic systems.

I am currently investigating the spatial and trophic dynamics of invasive lionfish and regal demoiselle in the Gulf of Mexico, along with the ecological interactions among these invasive species and native fishes.

I am excited to be a Ph.D student, co-advised by both Dr. Richards and Dr. Parkinson. Through my Ph.D research I plan to examine how DNA methylation changes within symbionts of Cnidarians.

I also plan to research how changes to the epigenome of a holobiont is affected by different environmental factors, such as temperature or pH.

Prior to my time here at USF, I received my Bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana in Molecular and Cellular Biology. I then obtained my master’s degree from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette where I studied DNA methylation in deep-sea Octocorals.

Hey, I am Jana and I am a graduate student from Germany! I am a Ph.D. student at  Dr. Scott’s lab. My earlier research includes work on the biochemistry of army ants and their parasites as an undergraduate student and a Master Thesis focused on mitigation of the Florida Red Tide organism Karenia Brevis via algicidal bacteria.

My Ph.D. project is going to focus on genetically interesting bacteria. These bacteria produce Carboxysome microcompartments, which help the organism with CO2-fixation. Interestingly, the bacteria seem to miss genetic information for important enzymes that are necessary for CO2-fixation. I hope to solve some puzzle pieces in this paradox for a better understanding of those organisms. A better understanding could lead to multiple applications, such as bioengineered CO2 fixation (not part of Scott’s lab research).

My name is Jake and I study poison dart frog behavior in Dr. Yusan Yang’s lab. Specifically, I am focused on how ecological resource availability alters sexual selection, parental care behavior, and tadpole development. Additionally, I am interested in finding out what sexual traits,  e.g. color, body size, courtship effort, are most important in mate choice and how they may vary in importance between species with different mating systems and parental care behaviors.

I received my B.S. in Biology from Saint Louis University in 2023, where I studied vibrational communication in invertebrates.