Principle Investigator
Nicole Fogarty, PhD
Associate Professor
Contact: [email protected]
Although I grew up in Ohio, far from any ocean, I was driven to become a marine biologist since age 10. At 14 years old, I learned to SCUBA dive and saw my first coral reef; it was love at first sight. After graduating from Vandalia-Butler High School in 1994, I attended Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. During my undergraduate career, I studied marine biology at the Bermuda Biological Station, the Bahamas Field Station in San Salvador, and at Duke University’s Beaufort Marine Laboratory. After graduating from Wittenberg in 1998, I moved to the Florida Keys where I had a variety of positions including: science instructor at Newfound Harbor Marine Institute at Seacamp, an outreach coordinator at The Nature Conservancy, and a scientific technician for Drs. Alina Szmant and Margaret Miller. After a temporary, contract appointment at NOAA’s Beaufort, North Carolina Laboratory in 2003, I began my PhD at Florida State University in Dr. Don Levitan’s lab. My dissertation focused on understanding how Caribbean acroporid hybrids are formed, and why they might be increasing in abundance. After receiving my PhD in 2010, I began a Marine Science Network Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Smithsonian Marine Station in Fort Pierce, Florida. Under the guidance of Drs. Val Paul and Nancy Knowlton, I examined the chemical cue involved in coral spawning synchrony. In July 2012, I was hired by Nova Southeastern University as an assistant professor. In January 2019, I took a faculty position at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. My husband, Kevin DeFosset, is a hydrogeologist at Cherokee. We have two kids, 2 cats, and a dog who keep us very busy, but during our down time we enjoy visiting the beach, hiking, and kayaking. UNCW Biology and Marine Biology Departmental Page | Research Gate
Associate Professor
Contact: [email protected]
Although I grew up in Ohio, far from any ocean, I was driven to become a marine biologist since age 10. At 14 years old, I learned to SCUBA dive and saw my first coral reef; it was love at first sight. After graduating from Vandalia-Butler High School in 1994, I attended Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. During my undergraduate career, I studied marine biology at the Bermuda Biological Station, the Bahamas Field Station in San Salvador, and at Duke University’s Beaufort Marine Laboratory. After graduating from Wittenberg in 1998, I moved to the Florida Keys where I had a variety of positions including: science instructor at Newfound Harbor Marine Institute at Seacamp, an outreach coordinator at The Nature Conservancy, and a scientific technician for Drs. Alina Szmant and Margaret Miller. After a temporary, contract appointment at NOAA’s Beaufort, North Carolina Laboratory in 2003, I began my PhD at Florida State University in Dr. Don Levitan’s lab. My dissertation focused on understanding how Caribbean acroporid hybrids are formed, and why they might be increasing in abundance. After receiving my PhD in 2010, I began a Marine Science Network Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Smithsonian Marine Station in Fort Pierce, Florida. Under the guidance of Drs. Val Paul and Nancy Knowlton, I examined the chemical cue involved in coral spawning synchrony. In July 2012, I was hired by Nova Southeastern University as an assistant professor. In January 2019, I took a faculty position at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. My husband, Kevin DeFosset, is a hydrogeologist at Cherokee. We have two kids, 2 cats, and a dog who keep us very busy, but during our down time we enjoy visiting the beach, hiking, and kayaking. UNCW Biology and Marine Biology Departmental Page | Research Gate
Current Staff
Danielle Norton
Coral Research Technician
As you can imagine, growing up in Akron, Ohio was a less than ideal environment for a child so interested in our oceans. I always knew that I wanted to end up in the world of marine science to help preserve such an important and beautiful part of our planet. I attended Malone University in North Canton, Ohio and majored in wildlife biology with a minor in environmental science. Despite being so far from the coast, Malone really did their best to immerse us in marine science experiences, and I took every advantage of that. During this time, I began to take interest in coral health as a bioindicator of climate change, and I completed my honors thesis on soft coral thermal stress tolerance. After my graduation in 2021, I did an aquarist internship at the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium that led into a temporary position with their FWC coral research operations. I joined the REEF lab in September of 2023, and I'm very grateful to be working in a lab that conducts such ecologically valuable projects and to finally be living on the coast.
Coral Research Technician
As you can imagine, growing up in Akron, Ohio was a less than ideal environment for a child so interested in our oceans. I always knew that I wanted to end up in the world of marine science to help preserve such an important and beautiful part of our planet. I attended Malone University in North Canton, Ohio and majored in wildlife biology with a minor in environmental science. Despite being so far from the coast, Malone really did their best to immerse us in marine science experiences, and I took every advantage of that. During this time, I began to take interest in coral health as a bioindicator of climate change, and I completed my honors thesis on soft coral thermal stress tolerance. After my graduation in 2021, I did an aquarist internship at the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium that led into a temporary position with their FWC coral research operations. I joined the REEF lab in September of 2023, and I'm very grateful to be working in a lab that conducts such ecologically valuable projects and to finally be living on the coast.
University of North Carolina @ Wilmington | Center for Marine Science
5600 Marvin K. Moss Ln | Wilmington, NC 28409 United States
Nicole Fogarty | (910) 962-2301 | fogartyn@uncw.edu