Lab members

Robert van Woesik

Professor

I received my B.Sc. University of Queensland, Australia 1983. I then completed my Ph.D. James Cook University, Australia 1993. I have worked on the coral reefs of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans since 1982, and have written more than 200 scholarly research papers on coral reefs. My area of expertise is in the population and community ecology of scleractinian corals. I was the Environmental Editor for the international journal Coral Reefs from 2006 to 2013 and have been Director of the Institute for Global Ecology since 2009.

Chelsey Kratochwill

Database Technician

I received my undergraduate degree in Conservation Biology with Ecology in 2014, and my master’s degree in Conservation Technology in 2016, each from Florida Tech. I curate and manage global coral databases for our research group. I’m interested in using these databases to help answer complex questions about coral communities. I’ve been a staff member in this lab since 2018.

Learn more

I received my B.Sc. from Jacksonville University in 2016. Following my undergraduate degree, I worked as an intern and lab technician in Mote Marine Laboratory’s Coral Restoration and Coral Health and Disease Program from 2016 to 2019. I began my Ph.D. program in 2019 where I focus on coral restoration optimization along the Florida reef tract.

Raymond Banister

PhD Candidate

Zachary Ferris

Andrew Walker

Maria Carr

PhD Student

I received my B.Sc. from Aurora University in 2021. I then worked for Shedd Aquarium in 2021 and the Smithsonian Marine Station in 2022. I began my Ph.D. in 2022 after receiving a Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation. I am creating new computer-vision software to increase data availability and survey efficiency for coral-reef scientists. My research is motivated by building a comprehensive understanding of the spatio-temporal dynamics of coral reefs.

PhD Student

I received my undergraduate degree in Marine Biology in 2021 from Florida Tech, and began my PhD in the Spring of 2022. Prior to beginning my PhD,

Masters Student

I am currently pursuing a masters in marine biology after completing a bachelors of science in marine biology from Florida Institute of Technology in 2022. My research focuses on genetic diversity among corals.

Alumni

Tom Shlesinger (Post Doc, 2022)

Shannon Sully (PhD, 2020)

Raschelli Linz (MS) (2018)

Kelly R McCaffrey (MS) (2017)

Christopher W Cacciapaglia (PhD) (2016)

Philip M Gravinese (PhD) (2016)

Carly J Randall (PhD) (2016)

Adan G Jordan-Garza (PhD) (2013)

Scott Burman (MS) (2012)

William J Scott IV (MS) (2012)

Jessica Graham (PhD) (2011)

Erinn M Muller (PhD) (2011)

Teina Rongo (PhD) (2011)

Lynette Roth (MS) (2010)

Daniel E Wagner (PhD) (2009)

Diane Thompson (MS) (2008)

Erinn Muller (MS) (2007)

Peter Houk (PhD) (2006)

Kazuyo Shirmoa (MS 2006)

Holley Voegtle (MS) (2006)

Fleur Lacharmoise (MS) (2004)

Hiromi Yamamoto (MS) (2001)

Ryou Anzai (MS) (2001)

Akihio Iwase (MS) (2001)

Marina Papina (MS) (2001)

Chiaki Bena (MS) (2000)

Francis Freire (MS) (2000)

Akiyuki Irikawa (MS) (2000)

Takashi Nakamura (MS) (2000)

Hajime Nojima (MS) (2000)

Mark Carmichael (MS) (1999)

Aya Shinohara (MS) (1999)

Junko Nomura (MS) (1998)

Nagata Tomofumi (MS) (1998)

Kristi West (MS) (1998)

Angela Dikou (MS) (1997)

Takanori Satoh (MS) (1996)