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Halle Berger
PhD Candidate Knauss Marine Policy Fellow - 2021 - NOAA MS - 2020 - Oceanography - UConn BS - 2018 - Marine Biology - Northeastern University Halle completed her MS at UConn assessing the climate change vulnerability of Dungeness crab. Her PhD is using a multidisciplinary approach to understand the resilience of the Atlantic sea scallop fishery to ocean acidification and warming. Halle is co-advised by Dr. Samantha Siedlecki. [email protected] |
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Riley Pena
PhD Student MA - 2020 - Biology (Ecology & Evolution) - Stony Brook University BS - 2019 - Marine Biology, Ecosystems & Human Impact - Stony Brook University Riley joined the Matassa Lab in 2021 after completing his Masters' at Stony Brook University, studying the cost of sexually selected traits and thermal stress in fiddler crabs. During his PhD, Riley has been focusing on how climate change stressors and shifting species distributions may alter predator-prey interactions in benthic communities across the Northwest Atlantic. [email protected] |
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Carlee Dunn
PhD Student BS - 2023 - Biology - College of William & Mary Some of Carlee’s past research includes photo identification of Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins and Humpback Whales with the Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center and aerial surveys of North Atlantic Right Whales through the Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute. During her PhD, Carlee is interested in investigating the spatial ecology of benthic organisms in the Long Island Sound, particularly Northern Star Coral. [email protected] |
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Hayden Holcomb
MS Student BS - 2024 - Ecology and Evolutionary Biology - Tulane University Hayden is interested in the connections between spatial ecology and community ecology, relating connectedness of different populations despite potential spatial barriers. During his Master's, Hayden is interested in researching the ecological connectivity between oyster bed populations in the Long Island Sound, and how they relate to greater community ecology. email Hayden |
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Grace Purcell
MS Student BS - 2024 - Marine Biology and Conservation - University of North Carolina Wilmington Grace joins the lab in Fall 2026 as part of the LIS Mapping and Research Collaborative. She previously worked as a student lab technician at UNCW, which inspired her to become a scientific diver restoring reefs in the Caribbean. She recently worked at The Nature Conservancy on Block Island researching island ecology and promoting environmental stewardship through outreach programs. During her Master’s, she will be working on the Long Island Sound Mapping Initiative and researching the ecology of our local coral species Astrangia poculata. |
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Abby Farrell
Phd Student MS - 2025 - Biology - Boston University BS - 2023 - Environmental Science and Psychology - University of Massachusetts Amherst Abby joins the lab in Fall 2026 as part of our research team investigating the impacts of climate change on Atlantic Sea Scallops. |
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Kelly Jiang
Research Technician BS - 2025 - Marine Sciences - University of Connecticut Scallop-measurer extraordinaire! |
Interested in joining the Matassa Lab or gaining experience in marine ecology?
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Lab Values
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We strive to maintain a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment for our team, our colleagues, and our broader community. This means we work in ways that allow everyone to participate to the fullest extent possible and have zero tolerance for harassment or discrimination.
We value clear and open communication and operate from positions of curiosity and mutual respect to support one another's learning and development as scientists and colleagues. |
All photographs and content copyright Catherine Matassa 2025.
