CURRENT PH.D. STUDENTS
Ben Gowell
Ben is a PhD student who joined the lab in May 2026. His research focuses on how environmental and oceanographic conditions influence fish communities and individual behavior, with the goal of better understanding how fish respond to environmental change. Ben obtained his BS and MS from the University of New England, where he used acoustic telemetry and fisheries hard parts chemistry to investigate movement patterns, habitat use, and stock structure of marine and estuarine fishes most notably, striped bass (Morone saxatilis).
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.
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. Sarah Torre
PROGRAM: Integrative Biology (Marine Science and Oceanography Track)
DURATION: August 2021 - August 2026
PROJECT: Movement ecology and habitat use of predatory fishes from the St. Lucie Estuary
CURRENT POSITION: Project Scientist at CSA Ocean Sciences Inc.
CONTACT: storre87@gmail.com
Dr. Ariadna Rojas Corzo
PROGRAM: Integrative Biology (Marine Science and Oceanography Track)
DURATION: August 2020 - December 2025
PROJECT: Conservation ecology of the whitespotted eagle ray (Aetobatus narinari) in North America, with a focus on Florida waters.
CURRENT POSITION: Post-doctoral Fellow, HBOI FEC lab
CONTACT: arojascorzo2020@fau.edu
Dr. Steven Lombardo
PROGRAM: Integrative Biology (Marine Science and Oceanography Track)
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: Data Scientist 4 - Coastal Ecosystems Section SFWMD
CONTACT: lombardo.steven.m@gmail.com
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.