​The Majoris Marine Ecology and Aquaculture Lab has relocated to Penn State University and is actively recruiting Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students, and Postdocs.

Principle Investigator

John E. Majoris, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Ecology 
Pennsylvania State University
State College, Pennsylvania, USA 16802

Dr. John Majoris is an Assistant Professor of Ecology at Penn State University (PSU). He obtained his Dual B.Sc. in Marine Biology and Aquaculture at Florida Institute of Technology and a Ph.D. in Biology at Boston University. Following his graduate studies, John completed Postdoctoral training at Boston University, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia, and the University of Texas at Austin Marine Science Institute. His research leverages long-term field studies, behavioral experiments, and aquaculture techniques to study the early life history and dispersal traits of marine fish larvae. 

Graduate Students

Macy Littell
PhD Student

Macy Littell is a PhD student investigating how parental environment influences larval dispersal phenotypes in anemonefish. Her broader research interests include reef fish ecology, aquaculture, marine dispersal, and ecosystem connectivity. She earned her BA in Biological Sciences from Wellesley College in 2023, where she worked in the Selden Lab studying invasion ecology in the rocky intertidal. She also explored invertebrate zooplankton communities during her semester with the Sea Education Association and through a collaboration with the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve. Macy is passionate about informal science education and has been involved with outreach through zoos, nature centers, and extension programs. Outside of research, Macy enjoys reading, SCUBA diving, cooking, and spending time with her community.

Sophia Mihalek
Master's Student 

​Sophia Mihalek is a master's student whose research focuses on understanding larval dispersal traits in coral reef fishes. Sophia obtained a dual B.S. degree in Biology and Earth and Environmental Science at Lehigh University. During this time, she studied deep-sea coral ecology in the Lehigh Oceans Lab and participated in a Schmidt Ocean Institute research cruise to investigate mesophotic and deep-sea corals and sponges around Puerto Rico. As part of the Global ARMS project with NOAA and the Smithsonian, she also analyzed benthic community composition from the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). In her current research, Sophia is investigating how larval dispersal traits vary among native and non-native damselfishes in the GoM. As an NRT-STAGES Fellow, she is also building skills in science communication and the use of AI to process large data sets. Beyond research, Sophia is a member of the TAMUCC women's rugby club team. In the future, she aims to obtain a PhD in Marine Biology and continue contributing to marine conservation by pursuing a career in research or academia. 

Undergraduate Students

Harvey Houltby
LSAMP Scholar 

Harvey grew up in England before relocating to Houston at the age of 7. He graduated from high school in Houston before moving to Florida to attend the University of Tampa, where he discovered his passion for Physical and Biological Oceanography research, as well as Ecological research. This realization lead him to transfer to TAMU-CC to pursue a degree in Biology and Atmospheric Science, with a minor in Mathematics, with an expected graduation date in 2025. As an LSAMP scholar, Harvey is conducting research on cannibalism in Clownfish with Dr. Majoris serving as his advisor. Additionally, he works as a student research assistant in the Conrad Blucher Institute's Coastal Dynamics Research Lab under Dr. Tissot and the Texas Sea Grant - Texas A&M division, focusing on storm surge research. ​

Abby Pirkle
LSAMP Scholar

​Abby is a post-baccalaureate student pursuing a degree in marine biology. Her first degree, which she acquired from the University of Wyoming, was in geology with a minor in anthropology. Abby grew up going to paleontological dig sites with her parents, which was the main catalyst in developing her career goals of becoming a paleontologist. Her biggest research interest is in marine paleoecology and the behavior of Late Cretaceous marine organisms. As an LSAMP Scholar in the Majoris Marine Ecology and Aquaculture Lab, she is conducting research on the effects of clownfish personality on cannibalism.

Erica C. Anguiano
Undergraduate Researcher

​Erica is currently an undergraduate student studying Marine biology with a minor in Chemistry. She has had a love for the ocean since she was little and forced her babysitter to play Finding Nemo on loop. Her main interest lies in the aquaculture industry and aquarium trade, and she hopes to learn about sustainable methods of breeding and care for exotic fish species. Under Dr. Majoris she is currently studying the morphological traits of Red Sea Clownfish larvae and how they relate to dispersal. In her free time, she enjoys drawing and taking part in activities of the Islander Dungeons and Dragons Club. 

Ethan Smith
​Undergraduate Researcher

Ethan is an undergraduate transfer who is currently pursuing a degree in Biology with a concentration in Ecology and a minor in Chemistry, his expected graduation date is 2025. Ethan grew up in a military family and moved often throughout his youth until he graduated high school in Tokyo, Japan. With the help of AgriLife Research and the Majoris Marine Ecology and Aquaculture Lab, Ethan has been conducting research to optimize the larval development of amphidromous shrimp.

Masthead photo credit: Morgan Bennett-Smith, @morganbennettsmith
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