JESSICA QUINLAN, Ph.D.

Founder

Originally from New York, Jessie began her studies of marine science at her local community college and later graduated from Stony Brook University with a B.S. in Marine Sciences.  There she participated in longline surveys with NOAA, and contributed to white shark nursery research while honing her molecular techniques. She received her Ph.D. from Florida International University under the mentorship of Dr. Demian Chapman. Her dissertation research explored different approaches to improve shark fisheries management. She has developed the Anal Fin Monitoring Program (AFMP)- a cost effective way for resource-limited nations to collect important landings information from their shark fisheries, advanced the application of environmental DNA to shark conservation, and co-authored a project that developed a molecular technique to detect protected shark species in international trade. She is currently in the process of assessing the sustainability of the Belize shark fishery and identifying the region of origin for one of the top traded fins in the Asian shark fin trade. While keeping busy with research she continues to stay present in science communication through educational talks and citizen science shark tagging trips. Her hope is that Fishers4Science can be a platform for fisherfolk to become more involved in all things science, while expanding our collective understanding of shark populations globally.