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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.
Zachary Ferris
PhD Candidate
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 interested in coral-reef dynamics across geographical scales.
Grace Orr
Undergraduate
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.
Tonya Macedo
PhD Candidate
I am a U.S Navy veteran with a background in electronics and software testing. I earned a M.Sc. in Conservation Technology from Florida Tech in 2022 and began my PhD in 2023. My research examines coral reef growth patterns across the geologic past and in response to modern-day disturbances by using global-scale datasets and ecological modeling.
Andrew Walker
PhD Candidate
I received my B.Sc. Florida Tech in 2021, and began my Ph.D. in 2022. My research focuses on quantifying the resilience of coral reefs to human disturbance across spatiotemporal scales. Human disturbances can take a variety of forms, such as marine heatwaves or chronic pollution. Understanding how ecosystems respond to human-driven disturbances is crucial to protecting ecosystems and preserving the benefits they confer to societies.
Marc Ortner
Undergraduate
I’m from Orlando, Florida and a member of the Scuba Club here at Florida Tech. I earned the 2025-26 Dr. Kerry Bruce Clark Endowed Scholarship in Marine Biology. Previously, I was an intern and then a staff member in Mote Marine Laboratory’s Sea Turtle Conservation and Research Program, where I conducted nesting surveys.
Alumni
Raymond Banister (PhD, 2024)
Maria Carr (MS, 2024)
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)