Gabby Ahmadia

Picture of Gabby Ahmadia Ph.D. Candidate
Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi
Harte Research Institute Rm 317
Email: gabriella.ahmadia@tamucc.edu

Biography

I grew up in Hilo, Hawaii, which may explain my interests in studying the marine environment. Or perhaps my father was part of my inspiration, who was my seventh grade science teacher and helped develop my curiosity of nature. This led me me to attend Humboldt State University in California where I played NCAA soccer and completed a B.S. degree in zoology. During my undergraduate career, I participated in an international student exchange at James Cook University in Australia, confirming my thoughts of pursuing higher education in marine biology. Following graduation, I worked in Hawaii briefly for the Natural Areas Reserve Systems and gained experience in resource management. Then, I went on to the University of West Florida and earned a M.S. degree in biology, specifically researching areas within fish ecophysiology. While there, I worked in the Dry Tortugas National Park and participated in physiology research in Indonesia. This led me to my present position, as a Ph.D. candidate in the Coastal and Marine System Science program, where I changed emphasis to pursue my interests in marine ecology.

Research Interests

I am interested in coral reef fish ecology, particularly the factors that are driving the structure of fish assemblages. My research will be focusing on the cryptobenthic reef fishes, an underrepresented group of fish that has recently been recognized as having a profound effect on coral reef ecosystem processes.

Presentations & Publications

  • “Effects of Pressure on Thermal Tolerance of pinfish (Lagodon Rhomboides)” Texas Academy of Science, 2008. Corpus Christi, TX 2008
  • “Pressuring pinfish to change their Thermal Tolerance" Graduate Student Symposium, TAMUCC, 2008.
  • “Effects of habitat degradation on cryptobenthic fish communities in the Wakatobi Marine National Park, SE Sulawesi” Benthic Ecology Conference, Corpus Christi, TX, 2009.
  • “Cryptobenthic Coral Reef Assemblages in the Banda Sea, Hoga Island, SE Sulawesi” Indo-Pacific fish conference. Perth, Australia 2009.
  • “Effectiveness of a no-take zone on benthic reef fish populations in the Wakatobi National Park, SE Sulawesi” Annual Meeting of the Texas Chapter American Fisheries Society 2010. Athens, Texas 2010.

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