Dr. April MH Blakeslee: I specialize in conservation biology, invasion biology, parasite ecology, and biogeography in marine systems. I am a member of the Biology Department at East Carolina University, where my research focuses on these areas (see more detailed information on the Research page). I am currently in my sixth year at ECU and mentoring three graduate students in the department and have graduated two students (see information on these students below). Prior to my appointment at ECU, I was an Assistant Professor at Long Island University-Post. During my time at LIU-Post, I taught several undergraduate courses related to general biology and ecology, and a graduate level course, Marine Ecology. I also developed a productive research program at LIU with undergraduate students and masters' students. I mentored three master's students who successfully defended their masters' theses during this time. Prior to that appointment, I was a postdoctoral fellow in the Marine Invasions Ecology Laboratory at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) in Edgewater, Maryland under the supervision of Drs. Gregory Ruiz and Whitman Miller. While at SERC, I received two postdoctoral fellowships: the first was a Smithsonian Institution (SI) fellowship, where I focused on the populations genetics and phylogeography of a widespread marine snail, and the second was a fellowship through SI's Marine Science Network, where I investigated host-parasite biogeography, ecology, and population genetics in native and introduced regions. Through my appointment as a Research Associate at SI, I remain strongly tied to the Marine Invasions lab at SERC. Prior to my appointment at the Smithsonian, I completed my Ph.D. at the University of New Hampshire with advisors, Drs. James (Jeb) Byers and Michael Lesser.
Contact: blakesleeap14@ecu.edu
Contact: blakesleeap14@ecu.edu
Current Graduate Students
Christopher Moore: IDPBS Ph.D. student, Biology, Fall 2016-present. I’m a native North Carolinian, hailing from the hyphenated city of Winston-Salem. Recently, however, I moved back to the “Old North State” after living and working in Maryland for ten years. Most of my previous fieldwork experience involves freshwater systems. Over the years I’ve worked with a number of state agencies in Maryland including Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on projects characterizing the biological integrity of stream networks. I’m especially passionate about all things fish – this includes studying, collecting, observing, and angling for anything in the most diverse and fascinating group of vertebrates. Broadly though, I’m interested in the conservation and distribution of organisms, particularly in response to habitat alteration or the introduction of non-native species. Biodiversity is critical to the stability and persistence of ecological communities, and I’m interested in identifying and characterizing long-term patterns of change in marine benthic systems. A naturalist at heart, I believe the best way to address a scientific question is by getting outside and doing some “intelligent tinkering.”
Contact: moorech16@students.ecu.edu
Education:
BA Classics (Davidson College 2005)
BS Biology (University of Maryland, College Park 2016)
Contact: moorech16@students.ecu.edu
Education:
BA Classics (Davidson College 2005)
BS Biology (University of Maryland, College Park 2016)
Timothy Lee: IDPBS Ph.D. student, Biology, Fall 2017-present. I am originally from the soulful city of Seoul, South Korea and raised in the rainy yet stunning Pacific Northwest where I began acquiring long-standing fascination with coastal ecosystems. Over the years I have participated in numerous ecology projects across various marine ecosystems including sampling demersal fishes in the Sea of Japan and surveying benthic macroinvertebrate distributions in Oregon and Washington's continental shelf habitats just to name a couple. In collaboration with researchers at the University of Washington and Washington Sea Grant, I recently completed an assessment on coastal macroinvertebrate community responses to shoreline armoring removal in the Puget Sound's coastlines. Since then, I became increasingly interested in conservation biology as I recognized coastal ecosystems' susceptibility to major alterations caused by urban development, pollution, and spread of invasive species. Broadly, I am especially interested in understanding how emerging invasive species affects structure and functioning of coastal benthic communities on seasonal and temporal scales.
Contact: leeti17@students.ecu.edu
Website: tslecology.weebly.com
Education:
BA Environmental Science (University of California, Berkeley 2010)
MS Environmental Science (Oregon State University 2012)
Master of Marine Affairs (University of Washington 2017)
Contact: leeti17@students.ecu.edu
Website: tslecology.weebly.com
Education:
BA Environmental Science (University of California, Berkeley 2010)
MS Environmental Science (Oregon State University 2012)
Master of Marine Affairs (University of Washington 2017)
Laura Lukas: MS, Biology, Fall 2019-present. I was fortunate to grow up within the fishing community of Santa Cruz, CA. I was immersed in a marine background as early as I can remember. While anything science related fascinates me, I have a particular interest in coastal ecosystems. After living in rural Maine for a few years, I decided to pursue a degree in Biology from UNC-Wilmington. Upon completing my degree, I worked as a technician in research and collections at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. I finally decided it was time to continue my education, and begin my Master’s degree in Biology at East Carolina University. My research focus will primarily be looking at specific species of crabs and fish along a salinity gradient, and their interactions with parasite load and environmental mercury levels.
Contact: lukasl19@students.ecu.edu
Education:
B.S. Biology (University of North Carolina at Wilmington, 2014)
Contact: lukasl19@students.ecu.edu
Education:
B.S. Biology (University of North Carolina at Wilmington, 2014)
Nina Woodard: I am currently a Master’s student in the Department of Biology at ECU. I graduated from Andrews University in 2020 with my B.S. in Biology. From a young age I have been interested in the marine environment. Every summer growing up, my family and I made a trip to Silver Beach on Lake Michigan and for the past 20 years I have witnessed how human activity has taken its toll on the environment. Due to extensive coastal erosion, Silver Beach will eventually no longer be the place for summer trips. As I became increasingly interested in the aquatic environment and aquatic organisms, I wanted to pursue this field of study in my undergraduate and graduate career. My research interests include coastal restoration and management in order to preserve the fascinating ecosystem services and diversity that our coastal habitats provide. Before starting my studies at ECU, I participated in marine science opportunities at the Rosario Beach Marine Lab in Washington, the Maryland Sea Grant, and the Duke University Marine Lab. As a result, my love for coastal studies continued to grow. In a crossover between the Blakeslee Lab and Gittman Lab, I am studying fish and invertebrate communities on oyster reefs at Taylor’s Creek in North Carolina, where I am assessing their interactions with parasites to determine the food web supported by these oyster reefs. In my spare time, I enjoy playing the guitar, hiking, going on coffee adventures, and cuddling up on my couch to watch movies.
Contact: woodardn20@students.ecu.edu
Education:
B.S. Biology (Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan, 2020).
Contact: woodardn20@students.ecu.edu
Education:
B.S. Biology (Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan, 2020).
Former Graduate Students
Kyle Swanson: MS, Biology, Fall 2018-Summer 2020. I’m originally from Boulder, CO but my true passion has always been the oceans. After numerous visits to the Monterey Bay Aquarium I decided that Marine Biology was the profession I wanted to go with. I did my undergrad at Humboldt State University (in the real Northern California) under Dr. Paul Bourdeau. While there I did two projects that focused on invasive species in and around Humboldt Bay. The first project was a crab survey of the bay where we looked at crab populations, specifically looking for the Green Crab (C. maenas). The second project focused on an invasive oyster drill (U. cinerea) and how the drills reacted to predatory crabs native to Humboldt Bay. While I love everything that goes with studying invasive species my greatest interest is in the eradication of invasive species, and helping to correct the ecological scales that we as humans have upset.
Contact: swansonky18@students.ecu.edu
Education:
BS Biology (Humboldt State University, 2016)
Kyle defended his master's degree in June 2020 and graduated in May 2020. His thesis title: “CRABS & ‘CROBES: THE TRIPARTITE RELATIONSHIP OF A HOST, PARASITE, AND THEIR RESPECTIVE MICROBIOMES”
Contact: swansonky18@students.ecu.edu
Education:
BS Biology (Humboldt State University, 2016)
Kyle defended his master's degree in June 2020 and graduated in May 2020. His thesis title: “CRABS & ‘CROBES: THE TRIPARTITE RELATIONSHIP OF A HOST, PARASITE, AND THEIR RESPECTIVE MICROBIOMES”
Rebecca Barnard: M.S. student, Biology, Fall 2016-present. I started my work in marine biology with Dr. James Carlton on two main projects: a survey of shrimp from Maine to New Jersey aiming to define new ranges of two invasive shrimp species and the IDs and counts of invertebrate species found in debris items coming ashore on the west coast of North America. I then spent the last two years working in Maryland at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center with Dr. Gregory Ruiz as my supervisor on various projects interested in parasite prevalence and intensity, species richness and diversity, and invasion potential. It is my work with invasive species and parasites that led me to pursue a master's degree at ECU and Dr. Blakeslee’s lab. I’m interested in the effects that not only non-native species have on a community structure, but also how native and non-native parasites interact with potential hosts and the effects we see in the hosts.
Education:
BS Biology (Temple University 2013)
Becca defended her master's degree in November 2018 and graduated in December 2018. Her thesis title: “A Crab Trilogy: influence of parasites on interactions and interrelations among two introduced and one native crab”
Education:
BS Biology (Temple University 2013)
Becca defended her master's degree in November 2018 and graduated in December 2018. Her thesis title: “A Crab Trilogy: influence of parasites on interactions and interrelations among two introduced and one native crab”
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