Nina Pruzinsky, MS

I am interested in researching poorly studied species/communities, such as early life stages and the deep sea, so I can provide information to the public and conservation management efforts in order to help maintain populations and large ecosystems. I received my master's in 2018 from Nova Southeastern University (NSU), while working as a graduate research assistant for Dr. Tracey Sutton. During my master's thesis, I examined the identification, faunal composition, and spatiotemporal distributions of larval and juvenile tunas (Family: Scombridae) in the northern Gulf of Mexico from 2010 to 2017.

Currently, I am a Research Assistant in Dr. Sutton’s Oceanic Ecology Lab, Dr. Rosanna Milligan's Seascape Ecology Lab, and Dr. Joe Lopez's Marine Microbiology & Genetics Lab at NSU. In the Oceanic Ecology Lab, I am continuing to work with the DEEPEND Consortium, investigating both tuna early life stages and deep-sea organisms. I manage the DEEPEND and NOAA-NRDA ONSAP databases, manage sample collection/processing/storage, write and collate cruise reports, and participate in outreach/education activities. I am also mentoring the lab’s graduate students and volunteers. In the Seascape Ecology Lab, I am continuing to conduct statistical analyses on DEEPEND's biological and environmental data, researching life history traits used to identify solutions for creating functional groups of deep-sea fishes for ecosystem management purposes, and investigating vertical distributions of select deep-pelagic fishes. Additionally, as a member of the Marine Microbiology & Genetics Lab, I manage The Photosymbiotic Hub's database, sample collection and preservation, and shipment/tracking of our specimens for the Aquatic Symbiosis Genomics Project.