Student Blogs & Vignettes
Sophia Emmons
Sophia Emmons, USF CMS graduate student
ABOUT MY RESEARCH
I am a PhD student undertaking a cotutelle (dual award degree) with USF College of Marine Science and James Cook University College of Science and Engineering in Queensland, Australia. I am co-advised by Dr. Brad Seibel at CMS and Dr. Jodie Rummer at JCU working in the Physioshark lab. I received my BS in environmental science from Davidson College in 2017 and my MS in marine biology from JCU in 2020. My research will look at the impact of ocean deoxygenation and hypoxia on sharks and their relatives. I have a keen interest in physiology and how climate change will impact animal's physical performance. Deoxygenation is one of the lesser studied impacts of climate change on the ocean, and its impact on high performance predators like sharks is poorly understood.
WHY USF CMS?
USF College of Marine Science was the right choice for me for many reasons. Aside from the fact that sharks love Florida, CMS offers amazing resources that will help me succeed in my cotutelle. The faculty and staff have been so supportive in helping me organize this unique program. And of course, the main reason I'm here is to work with my advisor, Dr. Brad Seibel, who is a leading scientist in the field of hypoxia research.