Students

Kazumi Allsopp

2023 Cohort MS Candidate
Research: Cryptic diversity in the mesophotic zones: four endemic species of scinaia (scinaiaceae, nemaliales) in the hawaiian mesophotic reefs
Advisor: Alison Sherwood
School of Life Science

Cameron Angulo

2022 Cohort PhD
Advisor: Brian Bowen
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Lauren Arnold

2018 Cohort PhD Candidate
Reseach: Using Non-Invasive Technology to Elucidate Sandbar Shark Spatial and Reproductive Ecology
Advisor: Carl Meyer
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Leah Barkai

2025 Cohort MS
Advisor: Malia Rivera
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Danielle Barnas

2023 Cohort PhD
Advisor: Megan Donahue
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Danielle Bartz

2019 Cohort PhD Candidate
Reaserch: An Interdisciplinary Assessment of Current and Historical Population Dynamics of Scalloped Hammerhead Sharks in Hilo Bay, Hawai’i
Advisor: Tim Grabowski
University of Hawaii Hilo

Justin Berg

2022 Cohort PhD Candidate
Research: From Reef to Microbe: Investigating Natural and Anthropogenic Influences on Hawaiian Coral Microbes
Advisor: Craig Nelson
Oceanography

Madeline Margaret Trela Berger

2024 Cohort PhD
Advisor: Mary Donovan
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Madigan Boborci

2025 Cohort PhD
Advisor: Jaime McDevit-Irwin
School of Life Science

Kyle Bosworth

2024 Cohort MS Candidate
Research: Understanding Substrate Preferences of Hawaiian Striped Mullet for Restoration of Indigenous Aquaculture System
Advisor: Shimi Rii
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Dorian Brunzelle

2019 Cohort MS Candidate
Research: Comparing the microbiomes of healthy and diseased Porites lobata corals to determine whether microbial communities play a role in skeletal growth anomalies (SGAs)
Advisor: Cynthia Hunter
School of Life Science

Finnian Cashel

2026 Cohort PhD
Advisor: Lisa McManus
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Jasmine Chang

2026 Cohort PhD
Advisor: Bob Richmond
Kewalo Marine Laboratory

Jonathan Charendoff

2026 Cohort PhD
Advisor: Nyssa Silbiger
Oceanography

Guan-Yan Chen

2022 Cohort PhD Candidate
Research: Morphological and spatial determinants of coral demography
Advisor: Joshua Madin
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Tanner Choudhry

2023 Cohort MS
Advisor: Tim Tricas
School of Life Science

Kaylee Christensen

2025 Cohort PhD
Advisor: Anthony Amend
Pacific Biosciences Research Center

Seaenna Correa-Garcia

2022 Cohort MS Candidate
Research: Determine optimal growth conditions for Native limu, Limu Manauea Loloa for restoration efforts: Guided by purpose, place, & partnerships
Advisor: Malia Rivera
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Jens Currie

2022 Cohort PhD Candidate
Research: How the energetic demands of false killer whales and reduced prey a vailability may be contributing to fishery depredation rates and reduced fitness?
Advisor: Lars, Bejder
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Spencer Davis

2023 Cohort PhD Candidate
Research: Examining Larval Development, Juvenile Growth, and Genomic Diversity of Giant Trevally (Caranx ignobilis) in Hawaiʻi To Support Responsible Aquaculture-Based Enhancement
Advisor: Erik Franklin
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Annie Deck

2024 Cohort PhD
Advisor: Michael Rappe
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Anela Duenas

2025 Cohort PhD
Advisor: Bob Richmond
Kewalo Marine Laboratory

Jon Ehrenberg

2022 Cohort PhD Candidate
Research: How shape on Hawaiian reefs influence current and future coastal protection, coral larval recruitment, and coral restoration efforts.
Advisor: Joshua Madin
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Lewis Evans

2023 Cohort MS
Advisor: Lars Bejder
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Nathan Fitzpatrick

2023 Cohort PhD Candidate
Research: Dynamical Modeling of Critical Transitions on Coral Reef
Advisor: Lisa McManus
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Jessica Glazner

2022 Cohort PhD Candidate
Research: Distinct Sources of Enrichment Influence Coral Health and Thermal Resilience
Advisor: Megan Donahue
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Kent Glover

2025 Cohort PhD
Advisor: Chad Callan
University of Hawaii Hilo

Natalie Goeler-Slough

2025 Cohort PhD
Advisor: Jaime McDevit-Irwin
School of Life Science

Nakoa Goo

2018 Cohort PhD Candidate
Research: Lawai‘a Huki Nehu: Interpreting ‘Ike Kūpuna & Local Fisher Knowledge to Support the Management of Native Forage Fish in Hawai‘i Estuaries
Advisor: Rob Toonen
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Madeleine Hardt

2022 Cohort PhD Candidate
Research: Investigatinga Rapid Stress Assay (CBASS) for Insights into Relative Heat Tolerance of Corals
Advisor: Rob Toonen
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

William K. Harrigan

2022 Cohort PhD Candidate
Research: Advancing the Connection Between Genotype-to-Phenotype in Marine Viral Ecology Through Machine Learning and Large Language Models
Advisor: Mahdi Belcaid
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Julia Mae Hartl

2019 Cohort PhD Candidate
Research: Assessing the Impacts of Commercial Shark Diving Ecotourism on Target Shark Species
Advisor: Carl Meyer
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Hailey Hatch

2022 Cohort MS
Advisor: Chris Wall
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Gussie (Augusta) Hollers

2022 Cohort PhD Candidate
Research: Behavioral energetics of humpback whales
Advisor: Lars Bejder
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Hanalei Hoopai-Sylva

2024 Cohort MS Candidate
Research: Sediment Thresholds on Coral Outplants in Olowalu, Maui
Advisor: Lillian Tuttle Raz, Megan Donahue
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Thomas Irvine

2024 Cohort PhD Candidate
Research: From single genes to full genomes: utilizing molecular techniques to elucidate Hawaiian marine macroalgal biodiversity and ecology
Advisor: Alison Sherwood
School of Life Science

Shelbie Ishimaru

2024 Cohort PhD
Advisor: Lisa McManus
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Kacie Kajihara

2024 Cohort PhD
Advisor: Michael Rappe
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Kuʻi Melanie Kekuʻiapōiula Keliipuleole

2022 Cohort PhD Candidate
Research: Ecosystem controls on anchialine pool shrimp species, ʻōpaeʻula, presence and behaviors in North Kona, Hawaii
Advisor: Rosie Alegado
Oceanography

ʻAʻaliʻi Dylan Kelling

2022 Cohort PhD
Advisor: Jacob Johansen
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Garrett Licata-Portentoso

2025 Cohort PhD
Advisor: Brian Bowen
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Wei Shen Lim

2025 Cohort MS
Advisor: Alison Sherwood
School of Life Science

Kerri Luttrell

2022 Cohort PhD
Advisor: Michael Rappe
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Cassie Lyons

2015 Cohort PhD
Advisor: Brian Bowen
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Alexandria Malilay

2025 Cohort PhD
Advisor: Lillian Tuttle Raz, Elizabeth Madin
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Megan McElligot

2018 Cohort PhD Candidate
Research: Investigating spinner dolphin occurrence and human activity in Hawaiʻi using passive acoustic monitoring and shore-based observations to assess spatial and temporal patterns and the effects of COVID-19-related boating restrictions.
Advisor: Adam Pack
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Liah McPherson

2025 Cohort PhD
Advisor: Lars Bejder
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Alexi Meltel

2020 Cohort PhD Candidate
Research: Effects of climate change on Porites lobata in Ngermid Bay, Palau
Advisor: Bob Richmond
Kewalo Marine Laboratory

Jacquin Moraga

2024 Cohort MS Candidate
Research: Investigating Sediment Impacts on Foraging and Avoidance Behaviors of Browser Reef Fish
Advisor: Jacob Johansen
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Josefa Munoz

2019 Cohort PhD Candidate
Research: From Mating to Feeding Grounds: Establishing life history baselines for endangered green sea turtles in the Mariana Islands
Advisor: Brian Bowen
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Artem Nazarov

2026 Cohort PhD
Advisor: Camille Pagniello
Ocean and Resources Engineering

Nicholas Cameron Nemeth

2026 Cohort PhD
Advisor: Lars Bejder
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Linnea Nordli

2026 Cohort MS
Advisor: Chris Wall
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Hunter Nueku

2024 Cohort PhD
Advisor: Carl Meyer
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Nalani Ashley Olguin

2019 Cohort PhD Candidate
Research: I Ola Ka Wai: Influence of Indeigenouse resource management and land-use practices in zoonotic disease rish across Pacific Island watersheds
Advisor: Rosie Alegado
Oceanography

Maya Otsu

2023 Cohort MS Candidate
Research: Species Distribution Modeling of Non-native Snappers (Lutjanus spp.) Across the Hawaiian Archipelago
Advisor: Lillian Tuttle Raz, Megan Donahue
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Emily Palmer

2024 Cohort PhD
Advisor: Amy Moran, Fanny Girard
School of Life Science

Sophie Paradis

2023 Cohort PhD Candidate
Research: Characterizing the Laurencia complex (Ceramiales, Florideophyceae, Rhodophyta) from Shallow to Mesophotic Depths in the Hawaiian Islands: Revealing Undescribed Biodiversity and Elucidating Genomic Patterns in Phylogeny and Synteny
Advisor: Alison Sherwood
School of Life Science

Andrew Pettit

2024 Cohort PhD
Advisor: Elizabeth Madin
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Morgan Pomeroy

2024 Cohort PhD Candidate
Research: Coral reef resilience in the age of ocean warming: studies of survival, growth, and community structure in Hawai‘i and the Caribbean
Advisor: Mary Donovan
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Zackery Rago

2020 Cohort PhD Candidate
Research: Disentangling non-consumptive eJects on coral reef ecosystems and the mechanisms driving reef halo dynamics
Advisor: Elizabeth Madin
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Sophia Rahnke

2021 Cohort PhD Candidate
Research: Exploring how predator-prey interactions, climate change, and management drive nearshore fishiries dynamics on Hawaii’s coral reefs
Advisor: Lisa McManus
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Jake Reichard

2024 Cohort MS
Advisor: Mary Donovan
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Jasmine Reighard

2022 Cohort PhD Candidate
Research: Sediment runoff and invasive jellyfish in nearshore ecosystems: Impacts to herbivorous reef fishes
Advisor: Jacob Johansen
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Jorge Reque

2026 Cohort PhD
Advisor: Elizabeth Madin
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Emily Rutkowski

2024 Cohort MS
Advisor: Rob Toonen
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Madelief Schelvis

2020 Cohort PhD Candidate
Research: Ecology, life history, and reproductive mode in the brooding coral harbor Porites
Advisor: Bob Richmond
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Kaylee Scidmore-Rossing

2021 Cohort MS Candidate
Research: There must be something in the water: Testing the effects of commercially available shark deterrents on common shark species around Hawaii
Advisor: Carl Meyer
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Samantha Shedd

2021 Cohort PhD Candidate
Research: Coral Adaptive Potential on Hawaiian Reefs: The Role of Genetic and Environmental Interactions
Advisor: Cynthia Hunter
School of Life Science

Chutimon Singhakarn

2021 Cohort PhD Candidate
Research: The Incidence of coral disease and Host-Microbial Aggregates interaction in Hawaiian scleractinian corals
Advisor: Rob Toonen
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Megan Smith

2024 Cohort MS
Advisor: Petra Lenz
Pacific Biosciences Research Center

Jacob Snyder

2023 Cohort PhD Candidate
Research: From Data to Decisions: Employing Mathematical Models to Translate Field, Lab, and Geospatial Data into Management Solutions for Polluted Reef Ecosystems
Advisor: Lisa McManus
Pacific Biosciences Research Center

Mathias Soerensen

2020 Cohort PhD Candidate
Research: The effects of sediment run-off on Hawaiian herbivorous reef fish
Advisor: Jacob Johansen
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Isabella Sorovakatini

2024 Cohort MS Candidate
Research: Understanding the Movement, Habitat Use, and Ecology of Reef Manta Rays (Mobula Alfredi) In the Yasawa Island, Fiji
Advisor: Carl Meyer
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Cherise Spotkaeff

2024 Cohort PhD
Advisor: Alex Culley
Pacific Biosciences Research Center

Maluhia Stark-Kinimaka

2023 Cohort MS Candidate
Research: He Pūkoʻa Kani ʻĀina: Quantifying coral reef carbonate dynamics to enhance community-based coastal resilience in Anahola, Hawaii
Advisor: Haunani Kane
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Callie Stephenson

2022 Cohort PhD
Advisor: Mary Donovan
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Fiona-Elaine Straßer

2024 Cohort PhD
Advisor: Lars Bejder
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Sean Swift

2021 Cohort PhD Candidate
Research: The molecular composition of autochthonous and allochthonous dissolved organic matter in subtropical coastal ecosystems and its impact on water column microbial communities
Advisor: Craig Nelson
Ocenaography

Carlos Tramonte

2023 Cohort PhD
Advisor: Rob Toonen
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Leon Tran

2019 Cohort PhD Candidate
Research: Identifying periods of vulnerability to marine heatwaves and hypoxia in Hawaiian nearshore marine organisms
Advisor: Jacob Johansen
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Alyssa Varela

2025 Cohort MS
Advisor: Ford Drury
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Alyssa Veneri

2022 Cohort PhD Candidate
Research: Traditional Ecological Knowledge as a Conservation Tool for Native Hawaiian Macroalgae
Advisor: Celia Smith
School of Life Science

Cameron Walsh

2020 Cohort PhD Candidate
Research: Island biogeography of marine environments
Advisor: Brian Bowen
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Maryann Webb

2022 Cohort PhD Candidate
Research: Combining genetic techniques with ecological principles to determine important environmental drivers in marine communities
Advisor: Rob Toonen
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Paige Wernli

2019 Cohort PhD Candidate
Research: Drivers of seasonal tiger shark use of the Maui Nui insular shelf
Advisor: Carl Meyer
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Charley Westbrook

2014 Cohort PhD
Advisor: Brian Bowen
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Annemarie Wood

2026 Cohort MS
Advisor: Jamie McDevitt-Irwin
School of Life Science

Devynn Wulstein

2019 Cohort PhD Candidate
Research: Analysis of coral population dynamics throughout the Pacific via novel modeling and theoretical approaches
Advisor: Joshua Madin
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Santiago Yanez

2025 Cohort MS
Advisor: Rob Toonen
Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology

Iker Yturralde

2024 Cohort PhD
Advisor: Anthony Amend
Pacific Biosciences Research Center