Brandon Sosa

 

Brandon Sosa's path to coral reefs started with fish, but his connection to the coast started earlier, as a teenager pulling trash from mangrove roots in Biscayne Bay on his first coastal cleanup. From South Florida, he headed to Purdue University, where work in a freshwater fisheries lab introduced him to the rigor and creativity of ecological research, including a study on toxicant transfer in fish and its implications for fisheries management. A study abroad at the University of Queensland, and fieldwork on the Great Barrier Reef at Heron Island, sparked his fascination with coral reef science.

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That experience brought him to the Florida Keys, where he is now completing his Ph.D. at Florida International University. His research tackles algae dominance on Caribbean reefs, a growing barrier to coral recovery. This includes testing sustainable grow-out methods for reef grazers, building reef simulation models to help managers decide how to deploy them, and examining the human dimensions of reef recovery through surveys of Florida residents' values and perceptions of restoration interventions.

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Alongside his dissertation, Brandon has contributed to diverse marine science projects in the Keys, an ecosystem valuation of the Greater Everglades, and a Coral Restoration Consortium working group on the future of Caribbean reef interventions. Outside of research, he enjoys filming and creating science content for broad audiences and writing for the ReefBites blog.

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