People
Principal investigator
Max C. N. Castorani
Education:
2014 Ph.D. Ecology, University of California, Davis and San Diego State University
2008 B.S. Evolution & Ecology, Ohio State University
Appointments:
2023–Present. Associate Professor, University of Virginia
2017–2023. Assistant Professor, University of Virginia
2014–2017. Postdoctoral Scholar, University of California, Santa Barbara
Email: castorani@virginia.edu
Lab manager and lead technician
Emily M. Goetz
Education:
2022 M.S. Marine Science, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William & Mary
2015 B.A. Environmental Studies, Middlebury College
Email: wye8jf@virginia.edu
Graduate students
Billie Beckley
Ph.D. student (at UC Santa Barbara; primary advisor: Robert Miller)
Education:
2020 M.S. Ecology, San Diego State University
2014 B.S. Environmental Science, Dickinson College
Research interests: marine ecology, conservation, disturbance ecology, kelp forests, primary producers
Email: billiebeckley@ucsb.edu
Lauren E. Brideau
Ph.D. student
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow
Education:
2020 B.S. Environmental Systems & Sustainability Studies, Southern Connecticut State Univ.
Research interests: community ecology, restoration, ecosystem function, seagrass meadows, coastal dynamics
Email: lbrideau@virginia.edu
Michael R. Cornish
Ph.D. candidate
Virginia Sea Grant Graduate Research Fellow
Education:
2019 B.A. Human Ecology (Ecology/Evolution), College of the Atlantic
Research interests: foundation species, community ecology, coastal ecology, UAS imagery
Email: mcornish@virginia.edu
Sean Hardison
Ph.D. candidate
Virginia Sea Grant Graduate Research Fellow
Education:
2017 M.S. Biology, University of North Carolina Wilmington
2014 B.S. Biology, Pennsylvania State University
Research interests: marine community ecology, fisheries ecology, ecosystem based fisheries management, ecological modeling
Email: sh5rs@virginia.edu
Website: https://github.com/seanhardison1/
Ethan Kadiyala
Ph.D. student
Education:
2020 B.S. Environmental Studies & Physical Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara
Research interests: conservation science, coastal ecology, biogeography, biological oceanography, marine community ecology
Email: ekadiyala@virginia.edu
Kinsey N. Tedford
Ph.D. candidate
Jefferson Scholars Foundation Fellow and Virginia Sea Grant Graduate Research Fellow
Education:
2018 M.S. Biology, University of Central Oklahoma
2015 B.S. Biology, University of Central Oklahoma
Research interests: marine ecology, population dynamics, predator-prey interactions, restoration science, oyster reefs
Email: ktedford@virginia.edu
Website: https://kinseytedford.github.io/
Undergraduate students
Emily Barker
Research Technician (2022–2023)
Education: 2025 [undeclared], University of Virginia
Research interests: coastal ecology, marine biology, global conservation and sustainability, public policy
Rachel Bohannon
Research Technician (2021–2023)
Education: 2025 B.S. Environmental Science and B.A. Environmental Thought and Practice, University of Virginia
Research interests: conservation, marine ecology, global sustainability
Sophia Kuzminski
Research Technician (2023)
Education: 2026 B.A. Biology, University of Virginia
Research interests: animal behavior, coastal ecology, conservation
Ella Mortimer
Research Technician (2023)
Education: 2025 B.S. Environmental Science and B.A. Biology, University of Virginia
Research interests: coastal ecology, marine biology, global conservation and sustainability
Parker Sims
Research Technician (2023)
Education: 2026 [undeclared], University of Virginia
Research interests: global conservation and sustainability, climate change, coastal environments
Samuel Solomon
Research Technician (2022–2023)
Education: 2024 B.S. Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia
Research interests: marsh ecology, marine conservation
Caroline Speidel
Research Technician (2023)
Education: 2025 B.A. Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia
Research interests: animal and plant conservation, restoration, climate change
Maya Tatel-McMillen
Research Technician (2023)
Education: 2025 B.A. Environmental Sciences and B.A. Global Studies, University of Virginia
Research interests: global conservation, coastal ecology, environmental justice
Lillibet Woodward
Research Technician (2023)
Education: 2025 B.A. Biology with Specialization in Biological and Ecological Conservation, University of Virginia
Research interests: animal and plant conservation, restoration, coastal ecology, global sustainability
Lab alumni
- Maowei Liang (2021–2022). Current position: Research Scientist at Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve, University of Minnesota.
- Rachel S. Smith (2019–2022). Current position: Assistant Research Biologist and project lead for the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station Mitigation Monitoring Program, University of California, Santa Barbara.
- James Davis. Research Technician (2022-2023); Virginia Coast Reserve LTER REU (2022). Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia.
- Connor Dooren. Research Technician (2021-2023). Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia.
- Olivia Redding. Research Technician (2019-2023); Distinguished Majors Program (2023). Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia. “The effect of plant roots on loggerhead turtle nest success.”
- Mandy Unterhalter. Research Technician (2023). Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia.
- Miriam Wanner. Senior Thesis (2021-2023); Distinguished Majors Program (2023). Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia. “Dispersal synchronizes giant kelp forests.”
- Chloe Wetzler. Research Technician (2022-2023). Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia.
- Renee Hebert. Research Technician (2022). Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia.
- Mattie Anderton. Research Technician (2022). Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia.
- Katharine Schlachter. Research Technician (2020–2023); Virginia Coast Reserve LTER REU (2021); Distinguished Majors Program (2022). Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia. “Suspended algal dynamics across a seagrass meadow landscape.”
- Camille Wilson. Research Technician (2019–2021); Distinguished Majors Program (2022). Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia. “Comparing scale and otolith age estimates to understand the potential bias of long-term American shad age data in the Penobscot River.”
- Jesus Neyra. Research Technician (2021–2022). Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia.
- Maddy Ross. Research Technician (2019–2021). Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia.
- Selina Cheng. Research Technician (2020–2021); Virginia Coast Reserve LTER REU (2019); Distinguished Majors Program (2020–2021). Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia. “Blue crab spatial patterns across a seagrass landscape.”
- Sarah Lang. Virginia Space Grant Consortium REU (2019); Distinguished Majors Program (2020–2021). Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia. “Modeling coastal water clarity using Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2.”
- Elizabeth Eareckson. Research Technician (2019–2020). Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia.
- Shivani Lakshman. Research Technician (2019–2020). Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia.
- Jun DeBus. Research Technician (2018–2020). Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia.
- Carrie Wentzel. Research Technician (2018–2020); Senior Thesis (2019–2020). Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia. “Spatial variation in seagrass recovery following habitat restoration.”
- Sophia Rosenberg. Research Technician (2018–2020); Distinguished Majors Program (2020). Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia. “Biodiversity of oyster reef invertebrates at the Virginia Coast Reserve.”
- Elizabeth Daly. Research Technician (2018–2019); Virginia Coast Reserve LTER REU (2018). Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia. “Spatial distributions of large invertebrate consumers across a seagrass landscape.”
- Samantha Townsend. Research Technician (2018–2019). Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia.
- Elizabeth Bieri. Virginia Coast Reserve LTER REU (2018). Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia. “Effects of seagrass landscape structure on the growth of hard clams, Mercenaria mercenaria.”
- Taylor Traxler. Honors Thesis (2015–2017). Santa Barbara Coastal LTER, University of California, Santa Barbara. “Disturbance frequency structures ecological communities in Santa Barbara kelp forests.”
- Taylor Simpkins. Research Technician (2012–2013). Coastal and Marine Institute, San Diego State University. “The effects of the exotic Asian mussel on the resilience of eelgrass to disturbance.”
- Elizabeth Travis. Honors Thesis (2012–2013). Coastal and Marine Institute, San Diego State University. “Stable isotopes as a tool to trace California spiny lobster food webs.”
- Cristina Lever. Research Technician (2011–2012). Coastal and Marine Institute, San Diego State University. “Effects of native predator chemical cues on anti-predation behaviors in an invasive marine bivalve.”
- Olivia Turnross. Research Technician (2010). Bodega Marine Laboratory, University of California, Davis. “Interactions between eelgrass Zostera marina and ghost shrimp Neotrypaea californiensis.”