R. J. DAVID WELLS
EMAIL: wellsr@tamug.edu
POSITION: Associate Professor
EDUCATION: Ph.D. Louisiana State University (2007), M.S. Texas A&M University (2002), B.S. Oregon State University (1998)
RESEARCH INTERESTS: Biology and ecology of bony fishes, sharks, and rays. Research focus on life history,
habitat use, movement, and feeding ecology of marine species throughout sub-tropical
and temperate ecosystems.
JOHN MOHAN
EMAIL: jmohan@tamu.edu
POSITION: Assistant Research Scientist
EDUCATION: PhD. University of Texas (2015), M.S. East Carolina University (2009), B.S. Penn State University (2006)
RESEARCH INTERESTS: My research addresses questions in fish ecology related to migration patterns, habitat use, and feeding dynamics by utilizing natural chemical tags. Fish otoliths provide information on the types of environments fish experience and tissue stable isotopes reveal recent dietary histories. Combining natural tags provides a multi-proxy approach for linking migration and environmental exposure histories to trophic ecology in ecologically and economically important species. My current post-doc research combines non-lethal natural tags (scale and blood chemistry) with acoustic and satellite tagging technology to relate migrations patterns with feeding dynamics and physiology of recreational species.
TOM TINHAN
EMAIL: t.tinhan@gmail.com
POSITION: Ph.D. student
EDUCATION: M.S., California State University, Long Beach (2013)
B.S. University of Hawai'i at Manoa (2009)
RESEARCH INTERESTS: My dissertation research focuses on the movement patterns of bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) across the western Gulf of Mexico, and identifying environmental predictors of these movements over multiple temporal and spatial scales. I am also interested in the management implications and trophic dynamics of reproductive aggregations in marine predators.
CIRRUCULUM VITAE (pdf)
TRAVIS RICHARDS
EMAIL: travis.richards3@gmail.com
POSITION: Ph.D. student
EDUCATION: M.S. Florida State University (2014), B.S. Eckerd College (2007)
RESEARCH INTERESTS: My research interests focus on marine community dynamics and food web ecology with an emphasis on predator-prey relationships, niche partitioning, spatial and temporal variation in food web structure, and the role that animal movement and migration plays in forming trophic linkages between spatially separated habitats. For my PhD research, I’ll be examining how vertically migrating fishes and invertebrates potentially act as trophic links between epipelagic (0-200 m), mesopelagic (200-1,000 m) and bathypelagic (>1,000 m) assemblages.
MARIAH LIVERNOIS
EMAIL: mlivernois@tamu.edu
POSITION: Ph.D. student
EDUCATION: M.S. University of South Alabama (2018), B.S. Northeastern University (2015)
RESEARCH INTERESTS: I am broadly interested in marine community ecology, particularly within coastal and estuarine ecosystems. My research has focused on the habitat use and trophic ecology of estuarine fishes, with the goal of elucidating aspects of ecosystem functioning. My dissertation research will explore the habitat associations, ecological dynamics, and life histories of fish species spanning multiple trophic levels in coastal Texas.
EMILY MEESE
EMAIL: emily.n.meese@gmail.com
POSITION: Ph.D. student
EDUCATION: M.S. California State University, Long Beach (2019), B.S. California State University, Long Beach (2014)
RESEARCH INTERESTS: I am interested in food web ecology and the spatial and behavioral ecology of marine predators to better understand their ecological roles within their community. My dissertation will focus on understanding the food web and trophic linkages within a subtropical estuary in order to examine key ecological interactions among species and their habitats.
PREVIOUS GRADUATE STUDENTS
JEFF PLUMLEE
EMAIL: jeffreydplumlee@gmail.com
EDUCATION: M.S. Texas A&M University (2018), B.S. Marine Fisheries, Texas A&M University (2015)
THESIS: Community structure and feeding ecology of fishes on artificial reefs in the northwest Gulf of Mexico.
KAYLAN DANCE
EMAIL: kaylanbradley@aggienetwork.com
EDUCATION: M.S. Texas A&M University (2017), B.S. Texas A&M University (2012)
THESIS: Feeding ecology of gray triggerfish and red snapper at artificial reefs in the northwest Gulf of Mexico
VERONICA QUESNELL
EMAIL: quesnel3@neo.tamu.edu
EDUCATION: M.S. Texas A&M University (2017), B.S. Michigan State University (2012)
THESIS: Nursery origin and connectivity of swordfish in the North Pacific Ocean
NATALIE SPEAR
EMAIL: nspear@gmail.com
EDUCATION: M.S. Texas A&M University (2017), B.S. University of California, Berkeley (2005)
THESIS: Age and growth validation of the common thresher shark in the northeastern Pacific Ocean
TYLER HARRINGTON
EMAIL: bimmerracer@hotmail.com
EDUCATION:M.S. Texas A&M University (2014)
NON-THESIS RESARCH: Diets of Atlantic Sharpnose shark and Bonnethead in the northern Gulf of Mexico
Wells Shark Biology and Fisheries Lab // Texas A&M University // Department of Marine Biology // 1001 Texas Clipper Rd. // Galveston, TX 77553