Team
Postdoctoral Researchers
Postdoctoral Researchers
Diana P. López, NSF Ocean Sciences Postdoctoral Researcher
Florida State University & Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
My current research focuses on determining the metabolic and related physiological responses of corals to acute thermal stress in combination with salinity fluctuations. I am also interested in parsing out differences in thermal sensitivity between Pocillopora “species” from across the TEP. I enjoy mentoring students from underrepresented minorities in STEM and leveraging my native language, Spanish, to mentor Latino students in Panama. I received my PhD from Temple University, a masters in Environmental Studies from Florida International University, and an undergraduate degree in Biological Science from Florida Atlantic University.
Laura F.B. Marangoni, Postdoctoral Researcher
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
I am a postdoctoral fellow at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), and my research focuses on the physiological and biochemical aspects related to the process of coral bleaching. I am currently contributing to a large-scale program (the Rohr Reef Resilience program) to investigate the potential drivers and mechanisms of Tropical Eastern Pacific coral reef resilience, and developing improved strategies to be applied in reef restoration programs based on coral nutrition.
Carrie Sims, Postdoctoral Researche
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
My research focuses on how early life history stages of corals mediate successful establishment of coral larvae and thereby influence coral community structure, work with important implications for species coexistence on coral reefs. I am also complementing this work with analysis of photomosaics from the Rohr Reef Resilience project, utilizing modern advances in photogrammetry and automated AI analysis to monitor coral community structure over space and time.