Oyster Research Lab
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About Grand Isle Oyster Research Lab Staff
Stephanie Browning
Research Associate
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Browning graduated summa cum laude from Florida Gulf Coast University. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies, with a concentration in Ecology and Environmental Assessment, and a minor in Biology. While at FGCU, Browning studied the effects of Dermo disease in Eastern oysters, and how a variety of environmental stressors affected infection intensity. As an undergraduate research assistant, she received the Seidler Fellowship and she presented her research findings at the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology 2022 Annual Meeting upon graduation. She is happy to continue learning about oysters and hopes to make a positive impact in the field.”
Sarah Gieseler
Research Associate
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Rissa Inselman
Research Associate 2
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Inselman earned her bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University and master’s degree from Nicholls State University. As an undergraduate, she majored in zoology, receiving cum laude honors. Her master’s degree is in in marine and environmental biology, and she graduated magna cum laude. Before her time at LSG, Inselman worked at Nicholls State as a teaching assistant, lab manager and research associate in the Aquatic Ecology and Astacology Lab. In her new role, Inselman hopes to provide lasting positive impacts at the lab and the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ Michael C. Voisin Oyster Hatchery by maintaining and improving laboratory practices and investigating potential environmental stressors that influence algae and oyster growth.
Elizabeth Robinson, Ph.D.
Interim Director, Grand Isle Oyster Research Lab
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Dr. Robinson earned her bachelor’s degree from Centenary College of Louisiana, master’s degree from Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi, and Ph.D. in Oceanography and Coastal Sciences from Louisiana State University. Her Ph.D. research examined the impact of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on mollusk and crustacean populations, behavior, and predator-prey interactions. After completion of her Ph.D., she completed a NAS Science Policy Fellowship and then returned to LSU as a Postdoctoral Researcher. As a Postdoc, she researched the transmission of a virus (CsRV1) in soft shell blue crab aquaculture. Dr. Robinson is excited to continue her work in aquaculture production and research at the oyster lab and hatchery.
Lesley Schneider
Research Associate 2
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Lesley graduated from San Francisco State University in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in Marine Biology and Limnology. While in the Bay Area, she volunteered for the Marine Mammal Center and worked as a lab and field assistant restoring native eelgrass beds and identifying various invertebrates. She started at the Oyster Lab in October 2019.