Yannis Papastamatiou is an Associate Professor at FIU in the Department of Biological Sciences. With over 100 research publications, Yannis is one of the world's leading shark behavioural ecologists. His work has been featured on National Geographic, BBC, and Discovery's Shark Week. Yannis' use of new tag technologies on species ranging from pelagic oceanic whitetips to home-ranging reef sharks has advanced the field of predator ecology and led to evidence-based marine protected area zoning. Yannis enjoys exploring deep reefs and practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in his spare time.

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Ph.D. Zoology - M.S. Biology - B.S. Oceanography

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Courses taught

 PCB 3043 - Ecology

 PCB 4717 - Physiological & Behavioral Ecology of Marine Animals

 BSC 5935-Predator ecology

 BSC 6926 - Shark & Ray Handling Workshop

Diego was born in Colombia and his current research is focused on the international shark fin trade and developing new wildlife forensics tools to aid with the enforcement of international trade regulations. As an undergraduate student, he looked at the effects of habitat loss on the survival and growth rates of lemon sharks in Bimini, Bahamas. For his Masters, Diego studied the genetic population structure of the pelagic thresher shark in the Pacific Ocean. He enjoys SCUBA diving, playing sports, and a relaxed walk at the beach with his dog Blu.

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Ph.D. Marine Sciences - M.S. Biological Sciences - B.S. Biology

Demian is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at FIU and the Director of the Sharks and Rays Conservation Program at Mote Marine Laboratory. A molecular ecologist by training, he leads the Global FinPrint project and studies the Asian shark fin trade. He has published more than 110 scientific papers and appeared on BBC, the Discovery Channel, and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. His work has led to a shark sanctuary in The Bahamas, improved shark management in Belize, and the listing of multiple shark and ray species on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), to name a few. Demian is originally from New Zealand and loves playing the board game Wingspan.

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Ph.D. Marine Biology - M.S. Marine Biology - B.S. Zoology

From London, UK, with degrees/postings in Southampton, Aberdeen, Bimini, Galway, and California (Farallon Institute & Stanford), now working remotely at FIU. Simon’s background blends fisheries management with movement modelling for elasmobranchs and tuna, as well as developing machine learning and other spatial analysis tools for marine ecologists. Another key interest is streamlining data acquisition and analysis pipelines for marine spatial analyses and population dynamics. He enjoys football (the other kind), scuba diving, golf, gardening, and piñatas.

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Ph.D. Marine Science - M.Res. Marine & Fisheries Science - B.S. Oceanography & Marine Biology

Gabriela (Gaby) is a Ph.D. student under the joint supervision of Drs. Chapman and Papastamatiou. She is interested in the Mesoamerican Reef's shark fisheries, trade dynamics, and fishermen's perceptions toward shark conservation. She is from Honduras, where she has worked in several conservation organizations and runs her own non profit called ilili. She earned a B.S. in Marine Biology from Texas A&M University and an M.S. from the University of Exeter in England. She has also been a fellow for the Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders (EWCL) program, Conservation Leadership Program (CLP), New England Aquarium and was also seleced as an Explorer's Club EC50. She enjoys freediving, taking underwater photos, traveling, and perfect avocados.

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M.S. Conservation & Biodiversity - B.S. Marine Biology

A New England native, Rainer earned a B.S. in Marine Sciences at the University of Connecticut in 2017. As an undergraduate, he gained experience in research across a broad range of topics including squid symbioses, marine fish fecundity, and shark physiology - the latter during an REU internship at Mote Marine Lab. His current work is focused on quantifying the metabolism of predatory fish species to support the establishment of marine protected areas. Prior to joining the PEC Lab, he served in the U.S. Army as an Armor Officer. In his spare time he enjoys practicing Muay Thai, running, and traveling. 

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B.S. Marine Science

Emma is a PhD student under the supervision of Diego Cardenosa. Originally from Pennsylvania, she earned her B.S. in Marine Biology with minors in Chemistry and Psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi. During her undergraduate career, she studied at the National University of Ireland in Galway for a year.  As an undergraduate student, she gained experience in environmental microbiology, seagrass ecology, elemental chemistry, genetics, environmental toxicology, aquaculture nutrients, and elasmobranch ecology. Her current PhD is focused on combatting illegal wildlife trade, specifically in sharks and turtles, using molecular techniques and elemental tracing to enhance complicate and enforcement of international trade laws. In her free time, Emma enjoys traveling, photography and board games.

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B.S. Marine Biology

From the island of Puerto Rico, Daritzel is a Ph.D. Student under the joint supervision of Dr. Cardenosa, Dr. Papastamatiou and Dr. Chapman. She earned both her B.S. in Marine Science and M.S. in Biology from the Inter American University of Puerto Rico where she gained valuable quantitative and molecular skills. As an undergraduate, she worked alongside nonprofit organizations rehabilitating marine life, restoring coral reefs and engaging in outreach. During her Masters, she focused on genetic diversity, population structure and phylogenetics of southern stingrays in the Wider Caribbean. Currently, Daritzel's research is focused on spatial and temporal movement of endangered hammerheads to support marine protected area planning. On her free time, she enjoys the outdoors, reading and spending time with her dog, Oreo

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M.S. Biology - B.S. Marine Science

Mariana is a master’s student under the supervision of Dr. Cardeñosa. She is interested in eDNA and how it can be better used as a tool for conservation practices. She was born and raised in Colombia and moved to Florida in 2022 to pursue her biology career at FIU. Once she finished her bachelor’s in 2024, she went back to Colombia to work in experiential learning, traveling with kids all over the country, and later got the opportunity with Dr. Cardeñosa to be part of the Darwin 200 expedition, going on a tall ship from Cape Town to Falmouth, while collecting eDNA along the way. That last trip took Mariana to start her master’s in Aug 2025. Mariana loves doing photography, freediving, traveling, nature, and sharing with her family.

Victoria, a Florida native and New College of Florida alum, has worked on a wide variety of projects over the years with study species ranging from blacktip sharks to snook. She is deeply passionate about movement ecology and science outreach & communication. Currently, Victoria’s work focuses on the movement and relative abundance of Oceanic Whitetip Sharks in the southwestern Caribbean using a combination of satellite telemetry, acoustic telemetry, and baited remote underwater video cameras (BRUVs). In her spare time, Victoria serves as a shark scientist with the ANGARI Foundation and in several roles with the FACT Network and Ocean Tracking Network. She collects stickers and pins, enjoys crafting, and loves spending time with her partner.