Jayne Gardiner, Ph.D. of New College of Florida named a program director for the Biological Oceanography Program of the National Science Foundation (NSF).

SARASOTA, FLORIDA, UNITED STATES, July 26, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Jayne Gardiner, Ph.D.—an associate professor of biology and the director of the Pritzker Marine Biology Research Center at New College of Florida—has been named a rotating program director for the Biological Oceanography Program of the National Science Foundation (NSF).

“I'm honored to serve in this position and to represent New College in such a prestigious organization as the NSF,” said Gardiner, who has been a professor at Florida’s designated public honors college since 2014. “I am excited to contribute my expertise towards supporting cutting-edge marine research at the national level, while enhancing the reputation of New College, and bringing visibility to our outstanding science programs.”

Gardiner was appointed to her role at the NSF on June 6 and will serve for one year, with opportunities to extend the position up to four years. The NSF provides time for rotating directors to continue conducting their own research as well as mentoring students at their home institutions. This allotted research time is critical for Gardiner, who is actively involved in numerous marine biology projects at New College.

The NSF is a leading United States government agency that supports science and engineering research and education. Program directors facilitate merit review panels, recommend funding decisions for the agency, and support a diverse science community—spending time onsite at the NSF building in Alexandria, Virginia. The Biological Oceanography Program, specifically, focuses on aquatic organisms and their relationship to their environments.

In addition, Gardiner was recently awarded a $49,800 grant from the Disney Conservation Fund (DCF) for her research on great hammerhead sharks in lower Tampa Bay. She is currently using long-term acoustic transmitters to study habitat use by juvenile great hammerhead sharks, which are listed as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

She also received a $165,111 grant from the Tampa Bay Estuary Program and Restore America’s Estuaries to study the environmental characteristics of shark nursery areas in Tampa Bay. With a focus on blacknose sharks, blacktip sharks, bull sharks and great hammerheads, the project seeks to understand the effects of climate change and coastal development on habitat use.

Gardiner holds a Ph.D. from the University of South Florida, a master’s degree from Boston University, and a bachelor’s degree from McGill University. Her research has multiple implications for management and conservation, especially for threatened and endangered species.

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New College of Florida
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