FIU shark experts

Mike Heithaus

Vice Provost of Environmental Resilience
Executive Dean and Professor
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Well-known internationally through his research on the ecological role of large sharks both in Australian and Florida waters, Mike Heithaus also serves as the executive dean of the College of Arts, Sciences & Education at FIU. He currently conducts research using cutting-edge technology, including cameras worn by animals, to unravel the lives of hard-to-study marine creatures from whales and dolphins to sharks, seals and turtles. His lab’s work in Shark Bay, Australia is the most detailed study of the ecological role of sharks in the world and has been used as the underpinning for affecting positive policy changes in shark conservation initiated by several prominent Non-Governmental Organizations. He also serves as a member of the science advisory committee for Pew Environment’s International Shark Campaign and was one of the lead researchers for Global FinPrint.

Research highlights: 
When devastation strikes the oceans, sharks can hold the key

Twitter: @MikeHeithaus
Instagram: @mike_heithaus

Diego Cardeñosa

Assistant Professor
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Cardeñosa uses DNA detective work to uncover the mysteries of the global shark fin trade, leading groundbreaking research to trace fins back to their source. With funding from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, he developed a portable, easy-to-use DNA testing toolkit that empowers customs officials and inspection personnel to identify illegal species on-site and support prosecutions. His research also focuses on the conservation of critically endangered sharks in the wild. He leads community-based projects in Colombia, working with eight critically endangered species, including the smallest hammerhead sharks in the world, and partnering with local fishers to establish bottom-up Marine Protected Areas that support long-term conservation. Cardeñosa is available for interviews in English and Spanish. Cardeñosa is available for interviews in Spanish.

Research highlights:

Two-thirds of species in global shark fin trade at risk of extinction

Eastern Pacific is a major supply chain for illegal shark fin trade

Silky sharks find hope in the Atlantic

DNA test kit saves thousands of Earth's most bizarre turtles

Twitter: @DiegoCardenosa
Instagram: @diegocardenosa

Mark Bond

Research Assistant Professor
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Bond’s research focuses on improving the understanding of the ecology of endangered marine wildlife, and the design and implementation of tools and management strategies to conserve and recover species. His work is a mix of applied field research and international policy work. He also serves as the lead for sharks and rays under the CAMAC project. Current field projects aim to improve the conservation of oceanic whitetip sharks, smalltooth sawfish and great hammerheads sharks.  

Simon Dedman

Postdoctoral Scientist
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Dedman is a leader in the use of machine learning tools for studying the movements of sharks, rays and tunas, authoring multiple papers on associated drivers. He has developed software packages that help scientists improve the speed and ease of analyzing the movement data and developing management advice. His work improves understanding of population change by revealing where animals go, as well as when and why they go home. Dedman earned a Ph.D. in spatial management of Irish Sea skates and rays, with hands-on fisheries expertise in the U.K., Ireland, the Bahamas and the U.S. His ongoing work uses causal models to reveal whether sharks are more crucial to coral reefs, or vice versa, and he has recently published work examining the ecological roles of sharks and demonstrating how protecting them can benefit entire ecosystems, particularly those associated with coral reefs. He is spearheading the deployment of AI for shark literature review and knowledge extraction, revealing trends in methodologies; geographic, gender and national disparities in publishing volume and impact; and differences in social vs. academic sharing of scientific knowledge. This project will facilitate literature reviews for shark scientists, accelerating knowledge gain and progression to discovery stages, and identifying knowledge gaps to guide future research priorities.

Research highlights:
Gbm.auto: A software tool to simplify spatial modeling
Assigning tuna to different stocks based on their behavior
The ecological roles and importance of sharks

Twitter: @SimonDedman 
Instagram: @sisharksci
Website: www.simondedman.com 

Sara Casareto

Ph.D. Candidate
Heithaus Lab
College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Casareto is a Ph.D. candidate working on behavioral ecology, focused on elasmobranch biology and ecology. Her dissertation work is looking at juvenile sharks and factors influencing their habitat use and hopes to further her career in predator-prey interactions, elucidate management and conservation strategies for shark and ray populations.

Twitter:@saracasareto
Instagram: @bluewavz