I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Marine Biology and Ecology at the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science, University of Miami. I received my PhD under the guidance of Dr. Brian Bowen at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology where I studied evolutionary and connectivity patterns of reef fish across different spatial scales. I was fortunate to have been awarded two highly competitive awards to help support me while I am in graduate school: the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and the Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship offered through the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (NOAA). I was Adjunct Faculty at Hawaiʻi Pacific University (2020) before continuing my research as a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Central Florida (2020-2021) and as a Provostʻs Early Career Fellow at the University of Texas at Austin (2021-2022).
MY BACKGROUND
I grew up as an Air Force brat and lived and visited many parts of the world during my adolescence. I was born in California but my childhood was primarily spent in South Dakota and Japan before my family finally settled back in California. I come from a mutlicultural background (father is African-American and mother is Filipina) and I am the youngest of four boys. My middle school to teenage years were spent growing up in a poor neighborhood where gangs, drugs, and violence were the norm. I was fortunate enough to stay true to my convictions and never went down the dark path that many of the other peers in the neighborhood went down.
After graduating high school I found myself working in the financial world for about 7 years as a Consumer Loan Officer. In this position I was responsible for approving (and denying) loans and determining the amount applicants qualified for. Although I enjoyed my job and became an expert at quickly analyzing credit reports and determining loan eligibility, the corporate environment did not fulfill my childhood desire to work in the natural world. Thus I began pursuing a career as a marine scientist. I worked my way through the community college system first earning an A.S in Biology and subsequently transferring to San Francisco State University where I earned my B.S in Marine Biology and Limnology. I take pride in stating that I am the first and only person in my immediate family to receive a college degree making earning my bachelors degree quite a milestone not just for myself.
My time at SFSU and its marine research station, the Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies (now the Estuary & Ocean Science Center), was my first exposure to real world research and my experience there was vital to my progression as a scientist. Working in the evolution and ecology lab of Dr. C. Sarah Cohen exposed me to the utility of molecular techniques and became the foundation for my path towards becoming an Evolutionary Biologist. I eventually made my way into the lab of Dr. Brian Bowen who shares a joint lab with Dr. Robert Toonen (known as the ToBo Lab), where I earned my PhD in Zoology with a specialization in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology. My academic experiences to date have been very rewarding and has provided me with many skills and experiences to prepare me as I transition into the next stage of my career.
general interests and life philosophy
Besides research my interests include most outdoors related activities (hiking, diving, camping), traveling, and cooking (I’m a lacto-ovo vegetarian). I make an effort to minimize the amount of waste I generate and am mindful to how decisions and daily action can impact the local environment and at a larger scale, contribute to global climate stressors. Recently, I have made a concerted effort to better my health in the form of dietary changes and exercise. Attempting to take a more plant-based approach to my diet has forced me to learn become more creative with cooking and am constantly trying new ingredients. For exercise, I spend a good amount of time running and doing strength training. Recently, I ran my first half marathon and I am slowly making my way up to running a full marathon, though that sounds like torture. Eek!
My general philosophy of life is be nice, accommodate within reason, reduce as much harm as possible, take joy in all aspects of life, and to make every experience an opportunity for personal growth. I also make it a point to not spend time worrying or comparing myself to others - everyoneʻs situation is different whether its for better or worse. Living life comparing yourself to the next person is pointless and it is an unfair metric that you establish for both yourself and the other person. The personal growth I have experienced and the steady progression towards all of my life goals can be attributed to following these tenets. Additionally, I have been told that I have a very relaxed and welcoming attitude which makes me approachable to friends, colleagues, and students.