Faculty
Charles H. Keith, Ph.D.
Professor of Biology and Chair, Department of Natural Science
Office 843-208-8108
Visit Dr. Keith's Website
keithch@uscb.edu
Ph.D. in Biophysics and Theoretical Biology from University of Chicago
B.A. in Biochemistry from Princeton University
functioning cells, largely using the technique of fluorescent analog cytochemistry,
and in fixed cells, using high resolution light and electron microscopy. I am
particularly interested in structures that are responsible for intracellular motility.
More recently, I have been collaborating with a developmental neurobiologist and
a mathematician at the University of Georgia to measure neural activity, at the
level of the individual neuron, in the brain of living zebrafish larvae and adults, using advanced statistical analysis of the weak signals released by genetically encoded fluorescent indicators of neural activity. The ultimate goal of this project is to analyze the activity leading to organismal behavior at the single cell level.
Stephen A. Borgianini, Ph.D.Assistant Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Office 843-208-8110
Visit Dr. Borgianini's Website
borgians@uscb.edu
Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from University of South Carolina
M.S. in Biology from Rutgers University
B.S. in Marine Science from Richard Stockton College
dispersal and its impacts on population structure, population dynamics and range
expansion. I am interested in the evolutionary mechanisms that continue to
sustain current biogeographic and ecological patterns as well as the processes
that may eventually lead to the formation of new species. I am especially
interested in the physical, physiological and developmental constraints that limit
the distribution of organisms within estuaries. Many estuarine organisms have ranges that extend well into tidally-influenced streams and rivers where salinity is between 10−0 ‰, however the biological and physical dynamics of these systems are not well understood. The zone where marine and freshwater organisms overlap is of great biological interest because exchanges of energy between marine and freshwater ecosystems occur there. This zone is dynamic and can shift in extent and location over hourly, weekly and interannual time scales. Seasonal changes in tidal amplitude due to thermal expansion and astronomical eccentricities can confound the dynamics of this overlap zone as well. I am also interested in determining if local adaptation to an ecological character, such as competitive superiority or physiological tolerance, along an environmental gradient is powerful enough to generate divergence in the face of ongoing gene flow.
Dr. Giuliana Gusmaroli Associate Professor of Genetics and Molecular Biology
Office 843-208-8266
Visit Dr. Gusmaroli's Website
gusmaroli@uscb.edu
Eric W. Montie, M.S., Ph.D.Assistant Professor of Biology
Office 843-208-8107
Visit Dr. Montie's Website
emontie@uscb.edu
Ph.D. in Biological Oceanography from MIT/WHOI
M.S. in Environmental Toxicology from Clemson University
B.S. in Zoology from University of Rhode Island
My research interests lie at the intersection of neurobiology, marine biology, and
environmental science. First and foremost, our research lab strives to understand
the sensory and neurobiology of marine organisms – from snapping shrimp to fish
to marine mammals. Specifically, we are interested in brain architecture, hearing
of fish and marine mammals, and acoustic communication of aquatic
vertebrates. The more applied part of our research program focuses on studies
that investigate how natural and man-made stressors impact the brain, hearing, and acoustic communication. These stressors include man-made chemicals, harmful algal blooms, noise pollution, and climate change. We use techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging, auditory evoked potentials, and passive acoustics using long-term monitoring devices. This research has involved work on biomedical models such as zebrafish, goldfish, and rats, as well as wild marine organisms like spotted sea trout, red drum, flounder, California sea lions, harp seals, hooded seals, grey seals, Atlantic white-sided dolphins, common dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, pygmy killer whales, and right whales. Our ultimate goal is to combine laboratory experiments with model organisms and field studies with wild animals in order to improve our knowledge of the natural world and its reaction to environmental factors. Check out our website to learn more about our current projects and teaching program.
Joseph Staton, PhD Associate Professor of Biology/Marine Science
Office 843-208-8105
Visit Dr. Staton's Website
jstaton@uscb.edu
Ph.D in Environmental Physiology and Evolutionary Biology from University of
Louisiana, Lafayette
For more than 20 years, Dr. Staton’s research has focused on the ecology
and evolution of marine invertebrates, specifically in understanding how larval
development and dispersal impact these populations over time. He developed
the PCR assay that allows for rapid identification of fiddler crab larvae to the
level of individual species, a feat that cannot be achieved by visual inspection. He has published papers on the ecology of fiddler crab larval dispersal, genetics of crustacean biogeography in the Gulf of Mexico and the southeastern Atlantic, mitochondrial gene orders to address molecular evolutionary questions on horseshoe crabs and sipunculan worms, cryptic speciation in benthic copepods, and the effects on genetic diversity of benthic meiofauna by pollutants.
Dr. Gordon Sproul, Professor of Inorganic Chemistry
Dr. Debra Wallace, Assistant Professor of Physics and Astronomy
Dr. Amy Sears, Adjunct Faculty Member
Dr. John Fakunding, Adjunct Faculty Member
Dr. Jens John, Adjunct Faculty Member
Dr. Lindsay Senalik, Adjunct Faculty Member
