Marine Genomic Biodiversity Lab
Professor Nikolaos Schizas, PhD
Department of Marine Sciences
University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez
Curriculum Vitae
Lab People
Jaaziel Garcia-Hernandez, Ph.D. student
Project: Sponge and ascidian diversity and associations in
Puerto Rico coral reefs.
Glorimar Franqui, PhD student
Project: Diversity of sharks in Puerto Rico
Maria Del Pilar Gonzalez Garcia, M.S. student
Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program
Omar M Zayas Cruz, M.S. student
Amanda Prieto Garcia, M.S. student. Genomic diversity of wahoo
in Puerto Rico waters.
Coral Roman-Turkovich, M.S. student
Joyce Gomez-Gamot, M.S. student
Daniel Toledo Rodriguez, M.S. student
Jose J Orozco-Juarbe, M.S. student
Alejandro J Gonzalez Montes, M.S. student
Nicolle Lebron, M.S. student
Brent Petersen, Ph.D. candidate
Alumni of the Lab
Jean P Domenech Ramos, awarded an M.S. in Marine Sciences, May 2023. Population connectivity of Cletocamptus copepods in Puerto Rico.
Giovanna Gonzalez, awarded an M.S. in Biology. May 2023. eDNA methods to detect fish spawning aggregations. (served as Co-Advisor).
Dr. Camille Berrocal, awarded the Ph.D. in Marine Sciences, December 2022. The influence of thermic stress on the marine yeast Debaryomyces hansenii.
Luis Rodriguez, Awarded an M.S. in Marine Sciences, December 2022. Population structure of Gorgonia ventalina.
Dr. Martha Ricaurte, awarded the Ph.D. in Marine Sciences. July 2022. Proteomics of corals under natural conditions.
Natalie M Baez Rodriguez, awarded an M.S. in Marine Sciences May 2022. Seafood Fraud in Puerto Rico
Glorimar Franqui. Awarded an M.S. in Marine Sciences, Dec 2020. Diversity of sharks in Puerto Rico
Laura Abreu Nicolas, M.S. student. Diversity of zooplankton. Now at Vet School, Cornell University.
Alex J. Veglia, Awarded an MS in Marine Sciences, May 2019. Now pursuing a PhD at Rice Univ at the Correa Lab. Project: Investigating biodiversity of coral reef viruses.
Liajay Rivera, Awarded an MS in Marine Sciences, May 2019. Comparison of the erect and encrusting form of the corky sea finger Briareum asbestinum using transcriptomes.
Dr. Grisel Rodriguez, Awarded a Ph.D. in Marine Sciences, May 2019
Juan Laverde, Awarded an MS in Marine Sciences, December 2018
Ramon Rivera Vicens, Awarded an MS in Marine Sciences,
Summer 2018 (Co-Advisor)
Ingrid Ortiz Gonzalez, Awarded an MS in Marine Sciences, Summer 2018
Mariel Cruz, Awarded an M.S. in Marine Sciences, Summer 2017.
Project: Population structure of bearded fireworms. Mariel worked until 2021 as
the lab manager at the Department of Marine Biology, University of Guam.
Dr. Nick Hammerman, Awarded an M.S. in Marine Sciences,
December 2016. Nick finished his PhD studies at the Pandolfi Lab
University of Queensland
Dr. Chelsea Harms-Tuhoy, Awarded a PhD in Marine Sciences, June 2016 (served as Co-advisor). Chelsea is working as a Marine Scientist leading the environmental consultant company Isla Mar Research Expeditions.
Dr. Matt Lucas, Awarded a PhD in Marine Sciences, June 2016 (served as Co-advisor). Matt is an Assistant Professor at the Interamerican University at Arecibo, Puerto Rico.
Dr. Diana Beltran, Awarded a PhD in Marine Sciences, December 2015 (served as Co-advisor). Diana is a Research Associate at the University of Rhode Island.
Alexandra Galindo, Awarded an M.S. in Biology, December 2015 (served as Co-Advisor).
Dr. Wess Martin, Awarded a PhD in Marine Sciences, May 2014 (served as Co-Advisor).
Dr. Monica Rojas, Awarded an M.S. in Marine Sciences, May 2010. Monica received her PhD at Georgia Tech.
Alexandre Jassoud, Awarded an M.S. in Marine Sciences August 2010.
Dr. Hernan Torres-Pratts, Awarded a PhD in Marine Sciences in December 2009. Now a senior scientist at a biotech company in Puerto Rico
Dr. Dannise Ruiz, Awarded M.S. in Spring 2009. Dannise received her PhD at Penn State University at the Baums Lab, then a postdoc at the Michael Dawson Lab, University of California Merced and now at USGS using eDNA to search for freshwater mussels.
Joselyd Garcia, Awarded M.S. in Spring 2008. Currently: NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Protected Resources, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, F/PR1
Dr. Tania Lado-Insua, visiting student, 2007. Tania received her PhD from Univ of Rhode Island. Program Manager at Ocean Networks Canada
Dr. Carlos Prada, Research Associate 2005-2008. Carlos received his PhD from LSU. Now (2018), an Assistant Professor at the University of Rhode Island.
Iara del Mar Perez, Research Associate, 2004-05. Program manager for the siRNA and miRNA product line, at Sigma-Aldrich, Missouri.
