Chris Stallings
Principal Investigator
Predation, Food Webs, Habitat
Email: stallings@usf.edu 
Chris focuses on basic concepts in ecology, yet includes a strong applied component to inform marine conservation and management efforts. Broadly, his research examines the ecological processes that drive population and community dynamics of marine organisms. Therefore, much of his research is field-intensive and involves both experimental and large-scale observational approaches. Chris also incorporates an extensive laboratory component into his studies through mesocosm experiments and use of stable isotope analyses, and explores large datasets, using multivariate statistics and GIS to reveal broad-scale ecological patterns that may be further explored through focused regional field studies.
Kennedy Quillen
Ph.D. Student
Crypsis, Biodiversity, Food Webs
Email: quillen@usf.edu 
Kennedy is a Ph.D. student at the University of South Florida’s College of Marine Science, originally from West Virginia. Her passion for the ocean led her to earn a B.S. in Marine Science (summa cum laude) from Coastal Carolina University in 2021, where she contributed to research on coastal beach erosion and artificial reefs in South Carolina, as well as mysid shrimp trophic ecology in Chesapeake Bay. Her doctoral research focuses on marine organisms that use crypsis (a form of concealment similar to camouflage) and the effects of seagrass loss on their biodiversity and trophic dynamics. By integrating field surveys and stable isotope analyses, she investigates how cryptofauna respond to changing coastal environments. Upon completing her Ph.D., she aims to apply her expertise to advancing research on crypsis ecology across a range of environments, including coral reefs, seagrass meadows, and other marine habitats.
Michael Schram
Ph.D. Candidate
Community Dynamics, Reef-Fish Ecology, Artificial Reefs
Email: MSchram@usf.edu 
Michael, a southern California native, earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from California State University, Northridge where he developed an interest in fish ecology and population dynamics. As a doctoral candidate at the University of South Florida’s College of Marine Science, his interests have grown to include reef-fish community dynamics. Using a long-term observational dataset, he is investigating the spatiotemporal assemblage patterns of fishes on artificial and natural reefs in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. He is also comparing the biological production of two recreationally valuable fishes on those same reefs. Michael is also a data analyst with the Florida Wildlife Research Institute’s Fisheries-Independent Monitoring program.
Jessica Sklar
Ph.D. Student
Email: jsklar@usf.edu
Jessica is a first year PhD student at the University of South Florida College of Marine Science. Originally from Southern California and raised near the beach, Jessica’s passion for the ocean developed at a young age. Jessica graduated from California State University, Dominguez Hills with a BS in Biology, where she contributed to research projects focusing on the effects of microplastics in zebrafish and the non-consumptive effects of chemical cues on the grazing rates of two herbivorous species in the Carribean. As a PhD student, she hopes to research predator-prey interactions of reef fish species.
Fredrik Stengard
Ph.D. Student
Aquaculture, Mariponics, Sustainable Seafood
Email: Fjstengard@usf.edu
Fredrik, born in Gothenburg, Sweden, and raised in Florida, earned his Bachelor’s degrees in Zoology and in Resource Conservation at the University of Florida along with a minor in Wildlife Ecology. While working at the Florida Fish & Wildlife Research Institute (FWCC) in St. Petersburg, he then earned his Master’s degree from USF where he studied the systematics of Gadiform fishes. As a doctoral student at USF, his research focuses on marine aquaculture and aquaponics. Specifically, he is looking at the potential for commercially viable land-based integrated multitrophic aquaculture systems.
Jessica Van Vaerenbergh
MS Student
Reef Fish Ecology, Artificial Reefs, Trophic Structure
Email: jvanvaerenbergh@usf.edu
Jessica was born and raised in Tampa, Florida, where she spent many days exploring the marine environment and cultivating her passion for the ocean. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Marine Science and a minor in Leadership at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL. Her thesis research focuses on using diver survey data to investigate how trophic structure varies between artificial and natural reefs across two temporal scales—year and season.
Ian Williams
Ph.D. Student
Spawning dynamics of fishes, management, conservation
Email: icwillia@usf.edu
Ian is a Florida native that has always enjoyed being in and on the water. After originally completing a bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Central Florida, he decided to return to school to earn a second bachelor’s degree in Biology with a concentration in marine science from the University of South Florida. Ian then earned a master’s degree in Marine Resource Assessment at the University of South Florida College of Marine Science. As a PhD student, he is focusing on the spawning dynamics of economically and ecologically important fishes using various methods including the Daily Egg Production Method and DNA barcoding of fish eggs collected on artificial and natural reefs on the West Florida Shelf.