CURRENT PH.D. STUDENTS
Ariadna Rojas Corzo
Ariadna (Ari) is a PhD student who joined the lab in August of 2020. Her research is aimed at the conservation ecology of the whitespotted eagle ray (Aetobatus narinari) in North America, with a focus in Florida waters. Since the whitespotted eagle ray (SER) is a globally endangered species with a decreasing population trend, the identification of nursery areas and anthropogenic effects on the species is critical. Ari graduated from the University of Havana with her Bachelors of Science in Biology and gained valuable experience as a research assistant in the Project for the Conservation of Sharks and Rays in Cuba and also as a research volunteer for the Spotted Eagle Ray Research and Conservation Program at Mote Marine Lab.
Clark Morgan
Clark is a PhD student who joined the lab in June 2021. His research focuses on the movement ecology and fishery implications of the Atlantic Goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara) via acoustic telemetry and remote sensing technologies. By studying specific movement patterns, as well as interactions with multiple anthropogenic agents (i.e. fisheries, climate change, etc.), information critical to proper management will be obtained as Goliath grouper are again an emerging conservation concern. Clark obtained his BS from Florida State University and MS from University of North Florida where he used fishery-independent surveys and stable isotope analysis to investigate coastal elasmobranch community dynamics and resource use.
Sarah Webb
Sarah is co-op PhD student from the South Florida Water Management District where she has been working since 2023 on fish movement and behaviors utilizing acoustic telemetry. She has been involved with tagging species such as goliath grouper, cobia, spotted seatrout, and smalltooth sawfish, and hopes to continue working with acoustics and answering questions that will benefit FAU, FWC, SFWMD, and the communities that share these waters and resources. Sarah joined the lab in August 2021 and has a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Environmental Studies from Chaminade University of Honolulu and a master’s degree from Savannah State University where she studied differences in habitat utilization and temperature preferences between male and female Atlantic stingrays.
Cecilia Hampton
Cecilia is a PhD student who joined the lab in July of 2022. Her research is focused on the bioacoustics of predation on hard shelled prey. She is examining the differences in sounds between feeding events by multiple predators, spanning teleosts, elasmobranchs, reptiles, and crustaceans, feeding on various prey items via passive acoustic monitoring, acoustic recording tags, and otherwise investigating predation events via biologging and acoustic telemetry along with benthic surveys. Cecilia graduated from New College of Florida with her Bachelor of Arts in Marine Biology.
LAB ALUMNI
Dr. Steven Lombardo
PROGRAM: Integrative Biology (Marine Science and Oceanography Focus)
DURATION: June 2018 - May 2022
PROJECT: Steve’s PhD involved resolving habitat gaps for bonefish conservation in Florida and the Bahamas. His work involved acoustic telemetry methods, seine surveys for juveniles, and modeling larval distribution and settlement with physical and biological models.
CURRENT POSITION: Spatial/Quantitative Ecologist, NCCOS Seascape Ecology and Analytics Branch, Marine Spatial Ecology Division.
CONTACT: steven.lombardo@noaa.gov
Dra. Priscila Rocha Vasconcelos Araujo
Priscila was a visiting PhD student (November 2018 - April 2019) from Brazil in the Postgraduate Program of Fishery Resources and Aquaculture at the Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (UFRPE) in Recife. Her overall research focused on describing the life history of the spotted eagle ray Aetobatus narinari caught in artisanal fishing in Pernambuco, Northeastern Brazil. During her visit she examined the structure and population status of the spotted eagle rays from Pernambuco coast, Brazil, and compared them with the populations from Atlantic west coast while working with colleagues at Mote Marine Laboratory and the PEC lab at FIU. She graduated in Biological Sciences from Universidade Estadual da Paraíba - UEPB (2012) where she studied spatio-temporal variation and trophic ecology of two species of pufferfish in an estuary of Paraíba, Northeast Brazil. She is also a master in Biological Oceanography from Universidade Federal do Rio Grande - FURG (2015), focusing on reproductive ecology of Myliobatis spp. (Chondrichthyes, Myliobatidae) and bycatch in coastal artisanal fisheries in southern Brazil.