Meet the 2025 Guy Harvey Fellowship Recipients
Lillian Bradshaw is a Ph.D. student from St. Louis, Missouri, pursuing a doctorate in ecology and evolution at Florida State University’s Department of Biological Sciences. Her research focuses on studying the spatial distribution of human activity in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and how it influences ocean-floor organisms and fishable biomass. Bradshaw’s inspiration stems from her interdisciplinary academic portfolio and adventures canoeing down rivers, backpacking in national forests, and hiking through parks. This fellowship will help support her objective to contribute data on the ecological and social relationship between the sanctuary and humans, an increasingly important dynamic for ecosystems grappling with climate change, as well as her goal to better understand the relationship between humans and organisms in the sanctuary while providing insights on the spillover from protected zones. If successful, these findings could improve ecosystem resilience and management decisions in light of climate change.
“This fellowship will allow me to connect and interact with other researchers working to protect Florida’s ecosystems,” Bradshaw said. “I’m looking forward to engaging with other fellows and Sea Grant staff, learning about a wide range of topics, and having a platform to share my work with a broader audience.”
Christopher Crowder from Greenwood, Indiana, is a Ph.D. candidate in integrative and conservation biology at the University of Central Florida. He joined Florida Sea Grant as a 2024 Guy Harvey Fellow and graduate research fellow for his work in Dr. Geoffrey Cook’s Marine Ecology and Conservation Lab in UCF’s Biology Department. In 2025, Crowder will continue to build ecological Bayesian-statistical models using spatial fish and habitat data from theFisheries-Independent Modeling Program and habitat maps from Tampa Bay and the Indian River Lagoon. His models will clarify which residual factors influence fish presence and abundance, specifically in predator-prey dynamics, improve fish community sampling designs, and offer future ecosystem projections. This fellowship allows him to blend his scientific interests in sustainability, statistics, and fish management with a service-oriented career.
“My goal is to lead projects that solve problems in coastal and fish ecology that directly impact vital ecosystems and the productivity of Florida’s fishery,” said Crowder. “I hope to engage with communities that may experience loss of income due to declining access or quality of ecosystem services, as well as energize students and community members through education.”
Morgan Jarrett is a Mantua, New Jersey native and a biology Ph.D. candidate at Florida International University and became curious about crustaceans following an internship on acidification and crab larvae. Within the Department of Biological Sciences, she studies the behavioral and physiological responses of decapod crustaceans under environmental stress, specifically deoxygenation. Jarrett’s research aims to test if the gill-oxygen limitation theory, historically only examined in fishes, can be applied to crustaceans and if so, to what extent. The application of this theory to decapods could be a revolutionary discovery that links how environmental changes could impact key fisheries species in the face of future climate change.
“As an FSG Guy Harvey Fellow, I can explore new research interests with financial support and open doors for collaboration,” said Jarrett. “I am looking forward to meeting and connecting with other fellows, past and present, to hear about their research and experiences and bounce ideas off of.”
Dakota Lewis is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Florida’s School of Natural Resources and the Environment. As an Orlando native, Lewis has witnessed the degradation of ecosystems around her due to heat waves and other disturbances. Her research focuses on how these disturbances, positive and negative, impact fish communities in Florida Bay, specifically in the adult populations along the Florida Keys Reef Tract. Her dissertation will translate mathematical modeling and field data into predictions of fish community structures and functions. Ultimately, her work aims to help guide effective ecosystem management strategies that balance sustainability with marine biodiversity.
“Following analyses of data generated with support from the FSG Guy Harvey Fellowship will enable me to disseminate my findings broadly in open access journals and by presenting at scientific conferences at a pivotal stage of my PhD,” said Lewis. “Support from this fellowship will allow me to finally process all remaining samples from my dissertation research and complete my research in a timely fashion.”
Rainer Moy-Huwyler from Stamford, Connecticut, is a Ph.D. biology student at Florida International University’s Department of Biological Sciences. His research focuses on the energy expenditures of fish in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary under current and future climate scenarios. This fellowship will help fund video camera equipment that is required to complete the final chapter of Moy-Huwyler’s dissertation, which expects to connect the behaviors associated with fear in coral reef fishes with their respective energetic costs. This will generate novel data on how rising temperatures and management decisions affect fish and coral reefs from a metabolic perspective. Eventually, Moy-Huwyler hopes to bring his results to publication and gain feedback at conferences, potentially applying his methods to other ecosystems.
“This fellowship funds the final chapter of my dissertation, which will connect the behaviors associated with fear in coral reef fishes with their respective energetic costs,” he said. “It’s a privilege to work in such a vibrant and idyllic study system. I hope that my field days are full of clear water and lots of fish to film!”
Kelli O’Donnell from Clearwater, Florida, originally joined Florida Sea Grant as an Aylesworth Scholar for her masters’ research before continuing her studies as a Ph.D. student at the University of Florida. She was selected once again as an Aylesworth Scholar as she enters her second year as a Guy Harvey Fellow. While O’Donnell’s degree concentrates on natural resource policy and administration, her research centers on coral outplanting in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. After placing coral fragments in cool, deep waters, O’Donnell monitors and samples the outplants to observe their performance across the light and temperature gradient. The expected results from her discoveries are to improve conservation efforts and guide best practices for coral reef restoration, a pressing need as ocean temperatures rise.
“The Guy Harvey Fellowship and Aylesworth Foundation support my work in different ways,” said O’Donnell. “One supports research on fishermen and their beliefs renewable marine resources they depend on, while the conservation part of my work. The support from this fellowship closely aligns with my career and PhD goals that advocate for sustainable efforts.”
Hallie Repeta is a doctorate student from Portland, Maine, pursuing a Ph.D. from the University of South Florida’s College of Marine Science. While studying marine resource management, she will be researching the ecological connectivity and resilience of forage fish populations on the West Florida Shelf. The FSG Guy Harvey Fellowship will support Repeta’s research, which uses ecological modeling and network analysis to observe the fish’s responses to environmental stressors, by providing access to resources and professional development opportunities and allowing her to build meaningful connections within the Florida fisheries scientific community. Because forage fish are vital to the ecosystem’s function and stability, her findings can indicate the area’s overall health and adaptability to climate change perturbations.
“I am excited to join the Sea Grant network, connect with other Guy Harvey fellows, and learn about the diverse and innovative research being conducted within Florida’s marine fisheries field,” said Repeta.“This fellowship will support my research by providing access to resources and professional development opportunities, and allow me to build meaningful connections within the Florida fisheries scientific community.”
Emily Yeager from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, is pursuing a Ph.D. in environmental science and policy at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric and Earth Science. The focus of Yeager’s research on Great Hammerhead sharks and their physiological response to capture and release stress. A critically endangered species, Great Hammerheads are facing habitat loss, a population decline and unique susceptibility to fishing pressures in commercial and recreational bycatch hotspots. Another purpose of Yeager’s research will be to unveil why this species has a high at-vessel and post-release mortality rate by analyzing changes in their plasma and gill urea concentration across various age groups. Her conclusions will contextualize the physiological impacts of fishing on vulnerable populations as they experience rising temperatures and habitat loss.
“As a conservation ecologist with a molecular biology background, I’m particularly excited about the opportunity to complete this project on Great Hammerhead’s physiological response to capture and release stress,” said Yeager. “The Guy Harvey Fellowship will allow me to continue to develop and implement creative ways to effectively communicate my research and its importance to diverse audiences and stakeholders throughout Florida.”
