Doctor of Philosophy in Coastal Sciences, December 2012
Master of Science in Environmental Studies, August 2008
Bachelor of Science in Biology, May 2005
The University of Charleston, Charleston, SC
The University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, MO
Post-Doctoral Fellow, The University of Southern Mississippi, January 2013 – August 2014
During this full-time faculty appointment I secured grant funding to conduct sustainable aquaculture research projects at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory's Thad Cochran Marine Aquaculture Center. As part of this appointment I taught at the undergraduate and graduate levels, published research papers, participated in national and international conferences, and worked with private industry to develop and improve aquaculture projects in the United States and globally including a large project I led in South Africa.
I am currently a Tenured Associate Professor and Lead Scientist for the Center for Sustainable Shrimp Aquaculture Production in the KSU School of Aquaculture. I lead a productive research and extension lab, currently employing three full time employees, two M.S. students, and two B.S. students. My work is nationally and internationally recognized, I maintain a substantial level of funding (primarily federal grants), routinely publish in esteemed journals, teach a course every semester, and maintain a variety of local, national, and international collaborations. In addition, I have continued the duties I had as an Assistant Professor listed below.
I conducted sustainable brackish-water aquaculture systems research, and integrated agriculture research. Some specific topics under study were systems development, greenwater biofloc systems, indoor biofloc systems, RAS technology simplification and improvement, aquaculture isotope dynamics, polyculture, and phytoremediation and denitrification of reused marine water. I taught Water Quality Management and the associated lab course, developed an online version of this course, and worked to develop a course on Recirculating Aquaculture Systems. I routinely worked with farmers to help transfer the technology my lab develops at KSU. I facilitated the opening of two indoor Kentucky shrimp farms in 2018 and 2019 that are continuing to make profit and have continued to expand production. I secured a variety of funding sources including Federal, State, International, and Private funds. I mentored high school, undergraduate, and graduate students, and maintained a respectable publication record.
As part of a Ph.D. research program, I managed a large-scale, 16,000 square foot shrimp production facility and taught undergraduate and graduate level laboratory courses. I designed