Chelsea Black

I grew up in the mountains of North Carolina, but I always felt drawn to the ocean and all the creatures in it. I spent countless summers in marine biology focused summer programs and every family vacation had to feature a beach. I followed this passion and studied marine biology at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. After graduating, I did an internship in South Africa that focused on white shark research. Knowing I wanted to make shark research a career, I earned my Master of Science from the University of Miami in 2020. My master’s research focused on the microbiology of shark skin and understanding their defense mechanisms against outside infection. But I couldn’t stop there! I am now completing my PhD at the University of Miami with a dissertation that studies the habitat use and migration corridors of highly mobile shark species.

I also partner with a non profit, Project Hiu, leading their shark tagging research program that kicked off in 2022 in Indonesia. In one of the most heavily shark fished areas of the world, we are satellite tracking tiger sharks to learn more about their movements in this area. The results will be used to inform new management practices that could prevent the regional extinction of these overfished sharks.