{"id":121,"date":"2025-02-12T01:09:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-12T01:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seaql.org\/?page_id=121"},"modified":"2026-02-13T14:39:51","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T14:39:51","slug":"people","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/seaql.org\/?page_id=121","title":{"rendered":"People"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Francesco Ferretti<\/h3>

Assistant Professor<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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I am a quantitative and computational marine ecologist specialized in research synthesis. My scientific work is on marine conservation, fishery sciences, population dynamics, and quantitative ecology with a special interest in sharks and rays. I combine ecology, statistical modeling, and data science to approach questions on animal abundance and distribution, species interactions, large marine predators, top-down control, structure and function of large marine ecosystems.<\/p>

I am interested in characterizing the history of human impact in the ocean, understand how this impact has altered marine ecosystems, and develop solutions for a sustainable use of marine resources. My research spans from macro-ecology to applied management and conservation. It focuses on dynamics from single species to whole ecosystems, and revolves around three main scientific approaches: 1) inferring ecological processes from limited and disparate data; 2) filling the data gap characterizing many ecological systems by exploiting unconventional sources of information; and 3) using data science methods, big data, and new technology to address pressing ecological issues and develop ocean solutions.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Brendan Shea<\/a><\/h3>

PhD Candidate<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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I am a marine biologist and conservationist working to inform the conservation of large marine predators, in particular sharks. My research interests can generally be grouped into the following categories: 1) the ecological role of sharks, with a focus on predator-prey dynamics, risk effects, and deep-sea habitat use; 2) the ecosystem consequences that result from removing large sharks; and 3) marine protected areas and their potential benefit for global shark populations. My approach uses big data and environmental synthesis in conjunction with field research techniques, including acoustic and satellite telemetry, biologging, baited remote underwater videos (BRUVs) and physiology, to consider fieldwork-derived mechanistic findings across broader scales.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Jeremy Jenrette<\/a><\/h3>

PhD Candidate<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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I am a biochemist and data scientist who is interested in computer vision, citizen science, and molecular biology. Currently, I am developing automated detection and species classification algorithms for processing underwater footage of sharks and rays. I am also developing Environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques in the Mediterranean Sea to detect the critically endangered white shark. With sharkPulse, I data mine social media and online archives to track and warehouse global observations of sharks to increase data-informed conservation.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Andre Lai<\/h3>

MSc Student<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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My research revolves around the ecology of horseshoe crabs and elasmobranchs (sharks, skates, and rays) along the US eastern seaboard, including their interactions with fisheries. I am currently studying methods of estimating the mortality of Atlantic horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus<\/em>) in the Delaware Bay Area using data from annual trawl surveys conducted in collaboration with the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. Additionally, I am developing a machine learning-driven electronic monitoring system for our horseshoe crab survey vessel to improve elasmobranch bycatch documentation and explore how such systems can streamline biological survey efforts. I am also investigating how the overexploitation of large sharks in the northwest Atlantic may alter demographic parameters of mesopredatory elasmobranchs like the cownose ray (Rhinoptera bonasus<\/em>).\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Chiara Gambardella<\/h3>

PhD Candidate<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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I am a PhD student at UNIVPM with a project co-funded with Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn and in collaboration with Virgina Tech.<\/p>

My research interests are on marine conservation, quantitative ecology and innovative fieldwork techniques, with a focus on large pelagic elasmobranchs. My current PhD project has the aim to advance knowledge on the distribution of two important apex predators of the Mediterranean Sea: the white shark and the mako.<\/p>


I am interested in field techniques such as stereo and mono-BRUVs: I have worked on their development, calibration and use to gain valuable information about presence, behavior and population size of multiple species. During my PhD I will also focus in deepening my knowledge on eDNA, which is a powerful tool to monitor elusive species such as large predators. Moreover, I have a keen interest in involving people in marine conservation through the managing of the social media platforms of \u201csharkPulse Italia\u201d and also interviewing fishermen to collect information on the distribution of sharks.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Allie Hughes<\/h3>

Undergraduate Student<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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I am an undergraduate student at Virginia Tech, majoring in Fish and Wildlife Conservation with minors in Chemistry and Horticulture. I am particularly interested in studying predator species, especially sharks, using non-invasive methodologies like environmental DNA (eDNA) and baited remote underwater videos (BRUVs). I have worked with several non-profits doing field research, studying the distribution of elasmobranchs (sharks, skates, and rays) in the Florida Keys and around Florida.\u00a0\u00a0My field experience includes\u00a0eDNA sampling\u00a0as well as\u00a0the capture, handling,\u00a0and tagging of various shark species using\u00a0passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags,\u00a0\u00a0fin-mounted satellite\u00a0tags, and acoustic tags to determine\u00a0their\u00a0geographic distribution. Currently, I am\u00a0working to synthesize satellite detections of tagged white sharks into more accurate tracks using state-space models, as part of a larger project evaluating how the space use of white sharks varies with body size.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Filippo Bargnesi<\/h3>

Alumn<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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I have a Ph.D. in “Marine ecology and biology” obtained\u00a0at the Marche\u00a0Polytechnic University (Ancona, Italy). My Ph.D. has been co-funded by the Cattolica Aquarium (Cattolica, RN, Italy), and I have background experience in the husbandry\u00a0of sharks and tropical\u00a0marine fauna. My research activity is focused on shark conservation in the Mediterranean Sea. Shark\u00a0populations\u00a0in the area are facing a decline in terms of abundance and changes in their distribution\u00a0due to human impact. Data collection and analysis is mandatory to monitor\u00a0the situation and act properly.\u00a0 In that view, I use both historical ecology and genetics, and citizen\u00a0science as tools for supporting data collection and making analysis.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Stefano Moro<\/h3>

Research Associate<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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I am a Postdoctoral student in Marine Ecology at the Sapienza University of Rome and a research fellow at the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn.\u00a0I am interested in investigating species’ spatial distribution, abundance trends, and fisheries sciences questions to promote management and conservation. My research focuses principally on sharks but also ranges from teleosts to marine mammals. In the last four years, I mainly focused on analyzing the sharks’ presence within the Mediterranean Sea, estimating for the first time the Spatio-temporal pattern of abundance and distribution of the Mediterranean great white shark.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Emma Gee<\/h3>

Alumn<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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I am currently an Illegal Fishing & Transparency Fellow at Oceana.\u00a0 I completed my undergraduate and Master’s degrees at Stanford in Environmental Systems Engineering and Earth Systems, respectively.\u00a0 As a Master’s student, I was mentored by Dr. Ferretti in my thesis using statistical modeling to establish historical baselines for sharks in the Indian Ocean.\u00a0 We are working towards using this historical data to reconstruct changes in shark community composition as well.\u00a0 My current research interests center around highly migratory pelagic fishes and the effects of distant water fishing on these species.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Simone Chesi<\/h3>

Research Associate

\nAerospace Engineer<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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I am a passionate engineer & researcher with experience in self driving cars, drones and spacecraft. My mission is to explain complex engineering concepts with simple hands-on examples. I obtained my Ph.D and M.Sc. degrees in Applied Mathematics and Statistics from the University of California Santa Cruz, with\u00a0 focus on attitude control and stabilization for small satellites. I also received the M.Sc. degree with highest honors in Astronautical and Aerospace Engineering from the Sapienza University of Rome and the B.Sc. degree in Aerospace Engineering from “Politecnico di Milano” in Italy. In 2015 I received the prestigious US National Academy of Science Engineering and Medicine award for the development of autonomous guidance systems for swarm of ultra-long-endurance UAVs for reconnaissance missions.<\/p>


I worked on several different projects ranging from UAVs, ground robots and satellites in the US, UK, and Germany for companies, government agencies, and universities such as Clyde Space, Planet, European Space Agency, Naval Postgraduate School, and UCSC. Furthermore, I developed and tested control algorithms in space on 100+ small satellites. I also worked on the development of autonomous driving algorithms and methods for Lucid Motors and after that I joined MAXAR Technologies to work on the development of Earth and Moon orbiting spacecraft. I published several journals and research papers. I\u00a0 am member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and review editor for the journal Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Science.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Mohamed Shainee<\/h3>

Research Associate<\/p><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Dr. Mohamed Shainee is interested in applying his diverse academic and policy background to Ocean Conservation, Marine Technology, and Fisheries Managemen. He has a BEng. (Hons) in Marine Technology from the University of Plymouth (UK), a Master\u2019s Degree in Marine Management from Dalhousie University (Canada), a MSc. in Marine Technology and a PhD Doctorate in offshore aquaculture cage designing, both from Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU – Trondheim, Norway). Dr. Shainee also served a full 5-year term as the Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture in the Maldives from November 2013 to\u00a0 November 2018.<\/p>

Dr. Mohamed Shainee has also worked as a national and international consultant in coastal, environmental, and ocean engineering projects. His latest international consultancy was designing and dimensioning an offshore aquaculture cage grid system in Seribu Islands, Indonesia. As an environmental consultant, Dr. Shainee has conducted over 20 Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) for coastal development and infrastructure projects in the Maldives.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Undergraduate Alumni<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Pranav Chimote<\/h3><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Lauren Morris<\/h3><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Lindsay Bomgardner<\/h3><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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Zach Wendel<\/h3><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Francesco Ferretti Assistant Professor I am a quantitative and computational marine ecologist specialized in research synthesis. My scientific work is on marine conservation, fishery sciences, population dynamics, and quantitative ecology with a special interest in sharks and rays. I combine ecology, statistical modeling, and data science to approach questions on animal abundance and distribution, species […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-121","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/seaql.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/121","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/seaql.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/seaql.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seaql.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/seaql.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=121"}],"version-history":[{"count":31,"href":"https:\/\/seaql.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/121\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":489,"href":"https:\/\/seaql.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/121\/revisions\/489"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/seaql.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}