Meet Our Team

​​Brian Walker, Ph.D

Research Program Director 
Dr. Walker is a Research Scientist at Nova Southeastern University’s Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography. His research centers on coral disease intervention, spatial ecology, community biogeography, coral reef ecology and geology, reef fish ecology, and seascape ecology particularly as they relate to the effects of anthropogenic stressors, latitude, and climate change. Of recent interest is conducting coral disease interventions in SE FL and restoring populations through assisted reproduction of the most resilient individuals. He is active in habitat impact assessment and restoration, shallow and deep-water benthic habitat mapping, GIS spatial analyses, optical remote-sensing, and hydrographic survey research, particularly LIDAR and sonar-based seafloor discrimination. Dr. Walker’s research has taken place in the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean and South Pacific including Florida, Mexico, Fiji, the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Hunter Noren, M.S. 

Research Program Manager 
I wanted to be a marine biologist since I started diving at age 12 in Sweden. I received my bachelors in marine biology from Rollins College in Winter Park. After graduating I attended NSU’s Oceanographic Center where my masters thesis examined larval settlement preference and connectivity between shallow water and mesophotic populations of Orbicella franksii on Belize’s barrier reef. After graduating with a dual major in marine biology and coastal zone management, I did biomedical research at the Cell Therapy Institute working with stem cells and human heart tissue laminins. I missed the marine biology field so I transferred to the GIS and Spatial Ecology lab in 2019 where I am currently the lab manager.

Reagan Sharkey

Research Associate II
After growing up in New Jersey and spending my summers at the Jersey Shore, I've always had a love for the ocean.  For my undergraduate degree I went to the Catholic University of America in Washington DC where I received my degree in Biology.  I also completed an Environmental Studies honors track where I learned about ocean policy and implementation strategies.  I spent a summer in Turks and Caicos with the School for Field Studies where I began studying corals.  After receiving my undergraduate degree, I went to the University of Miami to complete my MPS in Tropical Marine Ecosystem Management.  As a part of my MPS degree, I interned in the Walker Lab where I learned all about coral restoration, disease intervention, coral predation, and much more.  After completing my Masters I joined the Walker Lab as a Research Assistant.

Samantha Buckley

Research Associate II
Originally from Maryland, I received my undergraduate degree in general biology from Juniata College in Pennsylvania. My passion for marine life began during a study abroad program in the Galapagos Islands, where I got to experience some of the true potential of pristine marine ecosystems. This was followed by an internship at MOTE Marine Laboratories in the Coral Health and Disease Program. With a strong interest in coral biology and scuba diving, I pursued my master’s degree in marine science at Nova Southeastern University. Here, I joined Brian Walker’s lab to assist with Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease intervention efforts and research on in situ treatment applications. My current work in the lab includes investigating aspects of the coral holobiont in relation to stress and disease and helping to create a comprehensive GIS database for Southeast Florida coral reef management efforts.

Alexander 'Sasha' Wheeler

Graduate Research Associate I
My research investigates coral wound healing as an indicator for colony health in the face of increasingly stressful reef conditions. I compare healing data across a suite of spatiotemporal, biological, and environmental factors to model patterns in coral growth across Southeast Florida and into the Keys. My other duties involve research diving and running our Lab’s Ex-Situ Nursery operations where we grow bouldering species to restore ecologically significant large colonies lost to disease.

Maya Becker

Graduate Research Assistant II
I was lucky enough to grow up diving the waters of the Florida Keys where my passion for the marine environment was ignited. I found my way to obtain a bachelor’s degree in marine science from the University of South Carolina and gained a deep appreciation for ocean conservation through amazing programs focused on oceanography and geospatial applications like Geographic Information Systems (GIS). I arrived at NSU’s Marine Science Master’s Program due to their strong applied research implementing geospatial analyses using GIS along with a core diving program, bringing my two passions in one research focus. 

Whitney Schwab

Graduate Research Assistant II
After spending my childhood on Long Island Sound, I developed a love for all things marine at an early age and spent as much time as I could on the water. I attended Union College in upstate New York where I received an interdepartmental degree in Geology and Anthropology. Post undergrad, I moved to Montana to explore the west and work in the ski industry, however, my passion for marine life never waned. I made the decision to pursue a master’s in marine science and relocated to Florida to attend Nova Southeastern University. I quickly became a certified rescue diver and joined the GIS & Spatial Ecology lab shortly thereafter with the intention of studying coral reef restoration. These days, I am working on my thesis related to the restoration of OFAV through the study of optimal ex-situ nursery systems.

Robby Spekis

Graduate ​Research Assistant II
Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, my love for the ocean began during childhood vacations to Jupiter, Florida. The region’s dense sea turtle nesting and marine education at Loggerhead Marinelife Center sparked my interest in marine biology. I earned my B.S. in Marine Biology from Nova Southeastern University, focusing on sea turtle biology, and later returned for graduate school, where I had the opportunity to join Dr. Brian Walker’s GIS and Spatial Ecology Lab. This pivot led to a newfound passion for coral research and led to me managing the lab’s broad-scale disease intervention efforts against Stony Coral Tissue Loss Disease (SCTLD). My thesis investigates five large, persistent patches of Madracis auretenra off Southeast Florida that have endured despite degrading conditions. I am combining Next Generation Sequencing to assess population structure and connectivity with histological analyses to measure reproductive capacity, alongside environmental data on temperature, water quality, and inlet exposure. This work aims to identify the biological and environmental factors that may contribute to coral persistence, offering insight into potential reef refuges in a changing climate.

Zach Niedermaier

Graduate ​Research Assistant II
Growing up in Northern Michigan, fishing, diving, and exploring the Great Lakes, gave me an appreciation for fish and the ecosystems that they call home. I went on to obtain a BS in Zoology from Michigan State University, where I served as a research assistant studying the distribution of Hawaiian Bobtail squid around O’ahu. After graduation, I decided to shift my focus to reef fish and join the GIS & Spatial Ecology Lab to combine my love of fieldwork with GIS. My research interests consist of the distributions and spatial ecology of reef fish with the goal of preserving biodiversity and promoting reef health. I am currently pursuing an MS in Marine Science at NSU, where my research focus is on the habitat associations of parrotfish in the Florida reef tract.

Tristan Buckell

Graduate Research Assistant II
Growing up between the south shore of Massachusetts and the British Virgin Islands, I've spent my life a stone's throw away from the ocean. Having been certified to dive since I was 10 years old, I also grew up witnessing the steady decline of the ecosystems that surrounded me. I decided being a bystander wasn’t an option. I received my B.S. in biology from the University of Massachusetts Amherst where I concentrated in ecology and evolution and minored in environmental science. Here I sought out research focused on marine and aquatic conservation in the Northeast, though I found my forte volunteering as an SCTLD intervention diver back home in the BVI. Wanting to further pursue my interests in disease intervention, I came to work in the GIS & Spatial Ecology Laboratory and am pursuing a master's in marine science at NSU Florida.

Kate Heffner

​Research Assistant I
​Growing up in Georgia, my family took annual road trips to Tampa, Florida – I fell in love with the ocean and aquariums! At Nova Southeastern University, I pursued a bachelor’s in marine biology and minor in scientific diving. Here, I focused on my SCUBA diving training at NSU’s Academic Diving Program and volunteering with various labs at NSU’s Oceanographic Campus. My interest in a professional career in SCUBA and scientific research grew with my opportunity to work on Hawaii’s island of O’ahu at a dive shop. From there, I became an AAUS diver with NSU and a PADI instructor with NSU’s Academic Diving Program. Now, working with the GIS & Spatial Ecology Laboratory, I am excited to continue to grow in my scientific career as I am opened to new opportunities and obtaining my master’s degree.

Harry Smith

Graduate ​Research Assistant I
Originally from Northern Virginia, my love for the ocean came after a sailing trip to St. Johns USVI. Throughout this trip I encountered, firsthand, the destruction from hurricanes Irma and Maria but also the beauty of a regrowing reef. I went on to earn my B.S. in biology with a minor in marine sciences from Virginia Wesleyan University in Virginia Beach, Virginia. I spent the summer of 2024 in Cozumel, Mexico investigating the effects of different overhead shade densities to thwart bleaching of common Mesoamerican coral species. During this project, my love for the underwater world became even stronger and solidified my decision to attend Nova Southeastern University to pursue a master’s in marine sciences. Since arriving at NSU I have joined the GIS and Spatial Ecology lab as a Research Assistant, helping with weekly dive operations and the RRC Core Analysis Project.

Former Lab Members: 

  • Alex Wagner Graduate Research Assistant II (2022-2025) 
  • Amanda Zummo Graduate Research Assistant II (2021-2024) ​
  • Allie Kozachuk Graduate Research Assistant II (2021-2024)
  • Zach Graff Graduate Research Assistant II (2021-2024)
  • Kathryn Toth Graduate Research Assistant II (2021-2023)
  • Kristen Anderson Graduate Research Assistant II (2019-2022)​​​
  • Brooke Enright Graduate Research Assistant II (2019-2021)
  • Thomas Ingalls Research Associate I (2019-2021)
  • Kelly Pitts Research Associate (2019) 
  • Brooke Campbell Student (2018-2022)
  • Elizabeth Fromuth Graduate Research Assistant (2017-2021)
  • Alysha Brunelle Research Associate I (2017-2021)  
  • Shelby Eagan Graduate Research Assistant (2017-2019)
  • Alain Pierre-Louis Student (2016-2021)
  • Mollie Sinnott Student (2016-2021)
  • Kim Smith Student (2015-2018)
  • Cory Ames Graduate Research Assistant (2015-2017)