UCF Department of Biology

Congratulations to biology doctoral student Jennifer “Ifer” White on being named a 2026 Tillman Scholar! 👏

Ifer, a military spouse and doctoral student in the College of Sciences, has dedicated more than a decade to wildlife conservation through research, rehabilitation and community service. Her research uses disease ecology and immunogenetics to better understand how gopher tortoises respond to pathogens, helping inform conservation strategies that protect wildlife and ecosystem health.

Inspired by a lifelong commitment to service and her Muscogee-Creek heritage, Ifer is passionate about translating research into meaningful conservation outcomes while mentoring the next generation of environmental stewards.

Check out the Biology students who all came together from different labs and attended the annual Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (JMIH) conference this last weekend.

Katheryn Grainer-Ferris and Jessie Yates, won awards for their talk presentations, and Abigail Clark won an award for her poster!

Congratulations!

Six members of the Aquatic Biogeochemistry Lab attended the Society of Wetland Scientists annual meeting June 16-19 in New Orleans. Graduate students Mercedes Pinzon and Erin Tilly, as well as post-doc Anthony Mirabito, all gave oral presentations. Camille Mench and Cadie Barnes presented a poster, and Dr. Lisa Chambers delivered the Opening Plenary presentation. At the conference, Mercedes Pinzon was awarded the Society's Student Research Award.

Amazing work from the Aquatic Biogeochemistry Laboratory!

Check out the article below about Dr. Martin's research on turtles and their levels of immune gene variations!

UCF Researcher Reveals How Genetic Variation Shapes Sea Turtle Immune System Evolution New research from a UCF biology researcher shows how genetic variation shapes sea turtles’ immune systems, with implications for disease resilience and conservation strategies.

Congratulations to our newest PhD graduates from UCF Biology:

Alison Malay, Ashley Reaume, Samuel Greaves, Landon Myers, and George Zaragoza, Lok P**n (not pictured), and Ryan Welsh (not pictured)!

Your dedication, resilience, and passion for discovery have brought you to this incredible milestone. We can’t wait to see the impact you’ll make next—Charge On!

UCF Biology is proud to celebrate Dr. Linda Walters, Orlando Magazine’s Orlando Women of the Year 2026 Honoree. For nearly 30 years, she’s transformed lives, restored coastlines, and brought science into the community.

Check out the article here: https://www.orlandomagazine.com/orlando-women-of-the-year-2026-honorees-dr-linda-walters-dr-sherry-paramore-and-marsha-lorenz/

Congratulations Dr. Walters!

Our students took their learning beyond the classroom—presenting research posters at the Central Florida Zoo! This incredible experience allowed them to share their work with the community while connecting science, conservation, and real world impact. We’re so proud of their hard work and dedication!

Each Spring, the Department of Biology selects an Outstanding M.S. and Ph.D. graduate that demonstrates exceptional achievement in the areas of research, teaching and service during the time of their degree. This year, our winners are: Luciana Banquero (M.S.) and Davide Dal Pos (Ph.D.). These students will have their names added to the plaques outside of BIO 301.

Please help me congratulate them on this great achievement, as well as recognize the accomplishments of all our graduates this past year!

Luciana Banquero (M.S. in Biology, Spring 2026)

Luciana joined the Coastal and Estuarine Ecology Lab at the University of Central Florida in 2022 as an undergraduate student. She started the M.S. program in the Department of Biology in Fall 2023. Her research focused on restoration of seagrasses in the Indian River Lagoon, FL, and interactions between seagrass and the seaweed Caulerpa prolifera.

Davide Dal Pos (Ph.D. in Integrative and Conservation Biology, Summer 2025)

Davide’s research explores the evolutionary morphology and systematics of Hymenoptera, with a special focus on parasitoid wasps (Ichneumonidae), integrating novel morphological techniques (e.g., micro-CT scanning), phylogenetic methods, and comparative approaches. He studies how morphological evolution shapes the phenotype and drives host associations and diversification across lineages. He also leads biodiversity informatics initiatives, including the World Ichneumonidae Database and the Syrphidae of Italy platform, to advance taxonomy, data accessibility and scalability, and global collaboration in insect biodiversity research.