Molly S. Adams is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science(RSMAS). She graduatedcum laude from the University of Florida in 2011 with a B.S. in Biology and a minor in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. Her researchcurrentlyencompasses statistical processing of large datasets*link to RVC?*, population dynamics modeling, and risk assessment of managerial decisionswith focus on south Florida reef fisheries*link to iREEF*.
Molly has participatedin field work withinevery ecosystem she has studied. During her time in Gainesville, she volunteered for the Florida Program for Shark Research: tagging and measuring sharks, preparing shark jaw and skin samples, and conducting an independent study on tiger shark placoid scale growth. When Mollystudied abroad at James Cook University in Townsville, Australia, she assisted inbothlab and field work on shark researchas well. Shehas also worked on charter fishing vessels in both Queensland and Florida, allowing her to better interpret fisheries datasets. Towards the end of her studies in Australia, Molly’s focus shifted more towards fisheries sciences.
Since her arrival at RSMAS, Molly has participated in the Reef Visual Census (RVC) surveys(link?) and has taken mathematics, statistics, simulation, and economics courses in order to prepare her for her dissertation work. Throughout Molly’seducational career, shehasgathered the relevant tools to be competent in the development and implementation ofquantitative methods for assessing marine ecosystems and the stock status of living marine resources. Herbackground of biology coupled with herstrong analytical training gives hera unique perspective to transform modern stock assessment towards ecosystem-based approaches. Molly’sdissertation will include an assessment of the biological and economic productivity of the south Florida reef ecosystem under actual and varying simulated management strategies.
Molly’s work focuses on fisheries research with practical application in proper management strategies that satisfy multiple user groups. She is a current member of the American Institute of Fisheries Research Biologists (AIFRB) and American Fisheries Society (AFS).Fishing and scuba diving has encompassed a major part of her life and has steered her to pursue a careerin fisheries science. Molly strives to incorporate the interests of fishermen and conservationists to find a common ground that is socially, economically, and biologically viable for managers to implement.A major goal of her professional career is to integrate population dynamics and economics into ecosystem-based management.
