Mariana Fuentes
Principal Investigator
Dr. Fuentes is a marine conservation biologist, whose work provides critical scientific basis to aid the recovery of threatened marine megafauna, in particular marine turtles. Her research draws together a wide range of disciplines, and she often work closely with various stakeholders on interdisciplinary research topics and management issues. Her expertise is in integrating field-based ecology with systematic conservation planning, decision-theory approaches, climate modelling, and applied qualitative and geographic spatial analysis. She uses these tools to explore how marine megafauna, especially marine turtles, interact with environmental processes and how they are impacted by current and future disturbances. Her passion for the ocean and marine megafauna and her concerns about their future has prompted her to develop a research program that addresses real-world issues and focuses on connecting people to science for effective change. Meet the alumni
Postdoctoral Researchers
Dr. Joshua Manning
Dr. Manning is broadly interested in community ecology and the effects of anthropogenic stressors on organismal physiology and ecology. More information on his research can be found here.
Ph.D. Students
Armando Barsante
Ph.D. Student.
Julia Saltzman
Ph.D. Candidate. More on Julia’s work can be found here.
Alexa Putilo
Ph.D. Candidate
M.Sc. Students
Hope Lovich
M.Sc. Student.
Olivia Garcia
M.Sc. Student University of Algarve, Portugal
Ana Laura Lopes
M.Sc. Student, University of Algarve, Portugal
Undergraduate Students
Deindre Thomson
UROP student
Julieta Flores
UROP student
Arden Leedy
UROP student
Catalina Llanos
Undergraduate Student. DIS
Kaleb Hobson-Garcia
Undergraduate Student.
Coral Hooper
Undergraduate Student. Supervised by Dr. Manning
Sophie Rosengarten
Undergraduate Student, UROP.
Megan Bullock
High School Intern
Marley Hoffman
Undergraduate Student, UROP
Kiersten Schweizer
Undergraduate Student. Intern
Carlianne Niedling
Undergraduate Student, Intern
Adela Pena
Undergraduate Student, Intern
Remi Ventura
Undergraduate Student, Intern
Lili Cea Salazar
Undergraduate Student. DIS
Lab Manager and Field Assistants
Prospective Graduate Students
Thank you for your interest in considering the Marine Turtle Research, Ecology, and Conservation Group for conducting your graduate studies at the Department of Earth Ocean and Atmospheric Science at Florida State University.
I look for mature students who are motivated and hard-working and already have a clear idea of their research interests when they enter the program. Almost all of my past Ph.D. students completed Master’s degrees before entering the Ph.D. program or have demonstrated experience in the field.
Funding is a major determinant in acceptance into the program, so I strongly encourage anyone applying to the program to apply for an NSF graduate fellowship, and also consider the EPA STAR, Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program (NOAA), and NMFS/SeaGrant Fellowship Program. Funding deadlines are usually one year before you might start your studies, so planning ahead is crucial.
Still interested in joining the lab? Contact us with the following information: (1) a CV, (2) a copy of your transcript, (3) a summary of research and field experience, and (4) a short statement of research interests.
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