FAU: Department of Biological Sciences

Marine Biology

Marine biology remains a dynamic and growing field at Florida Atlantic University. Students and scientists can easily access a great variety of marine habitats ranging from estuarine to coastal to blue water. Mangrove communities abound, as do coastal reefs and the nearby Gulf Stream Current. Tropical and subtropical fauna and flora characterize the region. The proximity to both natural coastline and urbanization provides intriguing opportunities for comparisons of pristine and degraded habitats. Florida Atlantic University (FAU) and Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution (HBOI) partnered to provide students and faculty with an extraordinary combination of facilities, opportunities,

and locations for training and research in marine science.FAU’s marine biologists are locally, nationally and internationally respected for their research in marine conservation, physiology and behavior, sensory biology of marine vertebrates, (particularly sea turtles and fishes) and invertebrates, and for coastal ecology and nutrient cycling. HBOI is internationally known for its coastal, ship, and submersible-based research in marine science, biomedical marine research, aquaculture, and ocean engineering.

Faculty in Marine Biology
Name	Rank	Research
J. Baldwin	Assoc Prof	Population genetics and reproductive biology
W.R. Brooks	Professor	Marine behavioral ecology; symbiology; coral reefs
C. Hughes	Assoc Prof	Genetics and Evolution, Integrative Biology
S. Kajiura	Asst Prof	Functional morphology & sensory biology of fishes
M. Koch-Rose	Assoc Prof	Marine botany & nutrient cycling in tropical systems.
S. Milton	Res Asst Prof	Vertebrate anoxia tolerance, sea turtle physiology
J. Moore	Assoc Prof	Evolution and distribution of fishes, Ecology, Biology of deep sea animals
C.E. Proffitt	Assoc Prof	Ecology of marine & estuarine macrophytes & invertebrates
M. Salmon	Res Professor	Animal behavior
T. C. Theisen	Instructor	Population genetics, phylogeography, movement patterns, and environmental preferences of aquatic organisms
J. Wyneken	Asst Prof	Integrative biology, comparative & functional morphology
Affiliate Faculty at HBOI
Name	Rank	Research
G.D. Bossart	Affiliate Prof	marine mammal medicine and pathology
C. Cook	Affiliate Prof	Algal symbiosis; coelenterate biology; coral reef biology;
M. Davis	Affiliate Asst Prof	Aquaculture, marine ecology, aquaculture management
T. Frank	Affiliate Asst Prof	Sensory biology & population dynamics of pelagic organisms
D. Hanisak	Affiliate Prof	Ecology & physiology of marine plants
D. Herzing	Affiliate Asst Prof	Marine Mammals, Animal Behavior, Communication and Cognition
P. McCarthy	Affiliate Prof	Microbial symbionts of sponges; drug discovery
S. Pomponi	Affiliate Prof	Marine invertebrates; sponge systematics, cell & molecular biology
N. Smith	Affiliate Prof	Physical oceanography
Other Affiliate Faculty
V. J. Paul	Head Scientist	Interactions between marine algae and herbivores and the consequences for coral reef ecology
E. Widder	Affiliate Prof	Bioluminescence

Department of Biological Sciences, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science,
Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton FL, 33431, USA
Telephone: (561) 297-3320 -- Fax (561) 297-2749