Members:
Sarah E lester, PI
Sarah is an associate professor at Florida State University (FSU). Her research interests include marine conservation and protected areas, natural resource management and policy, marine spatial planning and ocean zoning, sustainable seafood, fisheries management, marine ecosystem restoration, and biogeography. Ongoing research projects focus on understanding spatial and temporal patterns of mariculture development globally and in the United States, the effectiveness of marine protected areas, developing spatial planning approaches to inform mariculture siting and ecosystem restoration, and designing ocean zoning and fisheries management around small island states, among others – she applies an interdisciplinary lens to all of these research topics. She received her PhD in marine ecology from the University of California Santa Barbara, and prior to coming to FSU, was the Research and Program Director of the Sustainable Fisheries Group at UCSB.
Rebecca Gentry, Post-Doctoral Scholar
Becca’s research focuses on spatial ecological and socio-economic questions related to marine aquaculture development. She is particularly interested in the interactions between aquaculture and other uses and values in the marine environment (such as fishing and conservation), sustainable management of marine aquaculture, and in understanding aquaculture’s effect on global food security. Becca recently completed her PhD at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at UC Santa Barbara. As a post-doctoral researcher, she is investigating global patterns of marine aquaculture development in order to better understand how and when aquaculture expands, and the drivers (environmental, social, and economic) that most often lead to this expansion.
Jennifer McHenry, PhD Candidate
Jenn studies the macroecology, ecosystem services, and global change ecology of marine systems. She is passionate about research that can inform marine conservation and restoration decisions, leading to better outcomes for both nature and people when facing environmental change. Her dissertation research focuses on modeling geographic variability in the biodiversity support and ecosystem services provided by seagrass beds along the Florida Gulf Coast. Her research also focuses on forecasting marine species range shifts in the Northwest Atlantic as well as how biodiversity support from seagrasses in Florida could be impacted by sea-level rise. Before starting her PhD, Jenn earned a B.Sc. in marine sciences and a double M.Sc. in marine biology and marine policy from the University of Maine. She also worked for NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service and in the joint lab of Drs. Sarah Lester and Andrew Rassweiler at FSU.
eLIZABETH "BESS" rUFF, PhD Candidate
Bess is broadly interested in human-ocean interactions and the development of management and policy mechanisms that support coexisting objectives of healthy oceans, economic growth, and social equity. She specializes in food systems and sustainability, focusing on the mariculture industry and marine spatial planning. Bess’s dissertation bridges geography, ecology, economics, and the social sciences to understand the spatial and temporal dynamics of mariculture development at national, regional, and global scales. She graduated from Washington & Lee University with a B.A. in economics and earned a master’s degree from the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at the University of California - Santa Barbara, where she specialized in conservation planning as well as coastal and marine resource management. Prior to FSU, Bess worked as a research fellow for the Sustainable Fisheries Group.
Hayley Lemoine, PhD Candidate
Hayley studies the social-ecological dynamics of coastal communities and sustainable seafood. Her current research focuses on livelihood diversification in aquaculture and fishing, public perceptions and social license of offshore aquaculture, and the role of seafood within food systems. Hayley is an energetic proponent of accessible science, and believes in a strong interface between the public, industry, policy makers, and scientists. Prior to pursuing her PhD, she obtained a bachelor’s degree in biology from Vassar College, and a master’s degree in environmental management from the Yale School of the Environment.
Carly Voight, PhD Student (Co-Advised in Pau Lab )
Carly’s research interests include spatial prioritization, prediction, and ecosystem service valuation modeling. She anticipates conducting her research on incorporating climate change into regional spatial conservation planning in marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Carly holds a B.S. in Ecosystem Management from University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and a master’s in Tropical Conservation and Development – Latin American Studies from the University of Florida. She has over 10 years of experience working for non-profit conservation organizations. As a GIS Analyst for The Nature Conservancy, Carly co-led a spatial conservation planning project for marine migratory species which involved determining migration corridors and priority conservation areas for the Gulf of Mexico. As a GIS Specialist at a community-based NGO in Belize, she conducted forest cover change analysis, deforestation prediction modeling, and spatial prioritization modeling. At Rainforest Trust, she developed and managed geospatial projects in terrestrial and marine ecosystems in over 40 countries.
JENNY BUENO, MASTERS STUDENT
Jenny received her Bachelor’s in Earth and Environmental Science from the University of Illinois at Chicago. After her bachelor’s, she worked professionally at the Illinois State Geological Survey, using remote sensing techniques to detect coastal change in lacustrine environments. She hopes to apply her skills to study marine ecosystems and dive deep into conservation and restoration efforts. Co-advised by Dr. Sarah Lester and Dr. Sandra Brooke, Jenny will conduct research to help assess, manage, and restore the health of the Apalachicola Bay as part of the Apalachicola Bay System Initiative.
Carolyn Curtin, Undergraduate Researcher
Carolyn is a senior undergraduate at FSU pursing a dual major in Environmental Studies and Economics. Since 2020, Carolyn has been involved with research focused on understanding biogeographic patterns and drivers of blue carbon storage in Florida seagrass beds. In the field, she has assisted with the collection of seagrass community data, plant biomass, and sediment cores from various seagrass beds on the Florida Gulf Coast. In the lab, Carolyn has also been analyzing sediment core samples for their organic content, carbonate content, and grainsize composition. In the future, she hopes to work for an organization focusing on environmental justice and policy and/or attend graduate school in a related field.
Alumni:
Tyler Lynn, M.S. in Geography
Tyler is interested in utilizing remote sensing techniques and tools to address environmental concerns, specifically those in coastal environments. While in the Lester Lab, he completed his thesis research focusing on creating comprehensive maps of seagrass cover in the Florida Gulf Coast region to better understand the spatial and temporal changes that have occurred. Previously, Tyler served as a center lead for NASA DEVELOP’s Mobile County Health Department location after graduating from Auburn University with a B.S. in natural resources management in 2015. Tyler is now a PhD student at the University of Georgia, focusing on remote sensing and disturbance ecology in salt marshes.
Ally Dubel, FORMER RESEARCH TECHNICIAN
Ally is interested using statistics to research a wide spectrum of topics including novel ecosystems and human-coupled systems. With the Lester Lab, she worked on a wide array of projects including distribution of seagrass, the ecosystem services and functions of low coral cover reefs, and looking at the tradeoffs between mariculture, fisheries, and conservation. Ally is now a PhD student at FSU with the Rassweiler Lab, where she will continue collaborating with the Lester Lab on the dynamics between small-scale fishers and coral reefs.
