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Research Team
Scientific research is most effective when multiple perspectives and areas of expertise are considered. CFF's dynamic and diverse research team brings complementary backgrounds and skills to every project. Whether working on an independent CFF study or partnering with industry stakeholders or a leading scientific institution, we tackle every question in a spirit of collaboration.
Kelly Alves, B.S. - Research Assistant
Victoria Brendler, B.S. - Research Biologist
Emily Bruton, B.S. - Research Assistant
Andrew Corso, Ph.D. - Research Biologist
Farrell Davis, B.S. - Fisheries Technologist
Tanner Fernandes, B.S. - Research Assistant
Luisa Garcia, M.S. - Research Biologist
Natalie Jennings, M.S. - Research Biologist
Allison Maikath, B.A. - Agriculture Researcher
Ryan Munnelly, M.S. - Research Biologist
Tasha Elieen O'Hara, M.R.M. - Research Biologist
Samir Patel, Ph.D. - Senior Research Biologist
Justin Potter, B.T. / B.A. - Director of Operations
Liese Siemann, Ph.D. - Senior Research Biologist
Cassandra Tillotson, B.S. - Research Assistant
Jeanette Volk, MBA - Director of Finance & Administration
Kelly Alves, B.S - Research Assistant
Kelly graduated from The University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2021 with a B.S. in Fisheries Ecology and Conservation and a certificate in Marine and Coastal Sciences. Through her undergraduate degree, she participated in several internships including research on Ocean sunfish stranding’s, zooplankton identification, Northwest Atlantic white shark identification, and research on angler response to shark depredation events. After graduating, Kelly went on to work Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (DMF) as a Marine Recreational Information Program (MRIP) contractor recording catch data from recreational anglers. She also worked with CFF and Nantucket Sound Seafood on the GSC HMA survey collecting catch from a clam hydraulic dredge. In January of 2022, she went from MRIP back to white shark research with DMF and the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy (AWSC). With DMF and AWSC, she spent most of her time using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) to track white sharks off the coast of Cape Cod and record fine-scale movement data of the sharks. Kelly joined the CFF team in December as an ASM trainer and Research Assistant supporting various projects when not training.
Interests & Expertise
Shark conservation, Recreational fishing, Fish behaviors
Education
B.S. in Fisheries Ecology & Conservation - University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2021
Victoria Brendler, B.S. - Research Biologist
Tori graduated from Rutgers University in May of 2017 with a B.S. in Marine Science and Biological Oceanography. Shortly after graduating, she accepted a position as a Fisheries Observer for the Northeast Fisheries Observer Program in which she collected scientific data aboard commercial fishing vessels. During her time as an observer, she observed Gillnet, Trawl, Scallop Dredge, Fish Pot, Conch Pot, Lobster Pot, and Clam Dredge gear types. She also worked part-time as a Portside Sampler for the Herring fishery in support of the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries. After a year in the field, she transitioned in-house and worked as an Observer Instructor. As an instructor, she developed several training aids, led biological sampling for multiple programs, deployed on training trips in which she taught observers how to sample at sea, and led fisheries’ programs such as Gillnet, Pot and Trap, and Scallop Dredge. She also developed the Industry-Funded Monitoring Portside Sampling Training Program. She discovered her love for survey work after deploying on the F/V E.S.S. Pursuit for the NOAA Surf Clam and Ocean Quahog Survey. At CFF, Tori works as an Research Biologist supporting various research projects.
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Interests & Expertise
SAV ecosystems, Food security, Aquaculture, Education, and Research
Education
B.S. in Marine Science and Biological Oceanography -
Rutgers University, 2017
Emily Bruton, B.S. - Research Assistant
Emily graduated from Old Dominion University in 2016 with a B.S. in Parks and Recreation Management with a double minor in Biology and Public Service. While in college, she completed a study abroad in Belize researching parrotfish feeding habits and also volunteered with Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge assisting with turtle nest sittings. After graduating, she began observing for the North Pacific Groundfish Observer Program, deploying on mothership processors and factory trawlers out of Dutch Harbor, AK. After a year in Alaska, she transferred to the Pacific Islands Regional Observer Program and observed in both the tuna and swordfish fisheries. While living in Hawai'i and in between observer deployments, she worked with Mālama Maunalua removing invasive algae species from Maunalua Bay. After two years in Hawai'i, she transitioned to PSO work in Texas on a dredge vessel monitoring for potential protected species interactions. In 2020, Emily started working as an instructor for the Northeast Observer Program where she worked primarily with Electronic Monitoring and the safety program. In 2022, she began working as an instructor with Coonamessett Farm Foundation for the At-Sea Monitoring Program. In her spare time, Emily enjoys hiking, rock climbing, thrifting, and taking care of her plants.
Interests & Expertise
Hiking, Rock Climbing
Education
B.S. in Parks & Rec Mgt -
Old Dominion University
Virginia, 2016
Andrew Corso, Ph.D. - Research Biologist
Andrew received his undergraduate degree in Biology from William & Mary in 2017, where he studied the visual ecology of blue crabs and diamondback terrapin turtles. Following an internship with the NASA Langley Research Center, Andrew received his Ph.D. in Fisheries Science from the Virginia Institute of Marine Science in 2023. Andrew’s doctoral research was focused on the diversity and impacts of climate change on Antarctic fishes. His expertise spans several fields, including numerical modeling, taxonomy, genetics, larval biology, and climatology. During his Ph.D., he also created several outreach programs, completed a sub-concentration in Marine Policy
with a focus on aquaculture law, and taught an undergraduate course on marine bioinspiration. Andrew joined the Coonamessett Farm Foundation in June 2023 as a Research Biologist. He is also a project manger for the Marine Surveys and Offshore Wind project. Andrew is excited to contribute to the responsible development of offshore wind while preserving ecosystem health and promoting positive stakeholder relationships. In his spare time, Andrew enjoys photography, baking, hiking, traveling, and fishing.
Interests & Expertise
Hiking, Baking, Travel, Fishing
Education
Ph.D. Fisheries Science -
Virginia Institute of Marine Science, 2023
B.S. in Biology - William & Mary, 2017
Farrell Davis, B.S. - Fisheries Technologist
Farrell received a Bachelor’s degree in Aquaculture and Fisheries Technology from the University of Rhode Island in May of 2011 and is currently working on his Master’s degree. Prior to joining CFF in September of 2011, he worked as an intern for the NEFSC Ecosystem Survey Branch taking part in the scallop, Gulf of Maine shrimp, and ocean quahog/surf clam surveys. His career in commercial fisheries began at sixteen when he worked on small fishing vessels out of Chatham, MA during the summer between school years. He has never stopped enjoying fishing since.
Interests & Expertise
Fisheries Technology, Commercial fishing, Internet of things
Education
B.A. in Aquaculture and Fisheries Technology-University of Rhode Island, 2011
M.S. in Fisheries Technologies -
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth - SMAST, In progress
Tanner Fernandes, B.S. - Research Assistant
- 2017 Participated in Blue Shark blood collections with UMASSD
- 2018 NEFOP program-Trawl, Gillnet, Longline, Handline, Pot & Trap, clam-dredge, High volume fisheries, and Electronic monitoring
- Worked with DMF on Atlantic cod surveys in the Gulf of Maine
- 2019 ASM program- Trawl, Gillnet, Longline, Handline
- 2021 Northeast coordinator for the NEFOP and ASM programs
Interests & Expertise
Recreational fishing, Gyotaku (Japanese fish printing)
Education
B.S. in Biology and Marine Biology - University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 2017
Luisa Garcia, M.S. - Research Biologist
Luisa Garcia received a bachelor’s degree in Biology with concentration in Marine Biology in 2009 from Universidad del Valle, Colombia. After graduating, she worked for four years as an Assistant Researcher in the Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras – INVEMAR (Colombia). In this position she participated in several research trips and specialized in fisheries stock assessments and the reproductive biology of the main commercially harvested shrimp species (Litopenaeus occidentalis, Solenocera agassizi, and Farfantepenaeus brevirotris) in the Colombian Pacific. Luisa moved to the U.S. in 2015 and completed a master’s degree in Marine Affairs at University of Rhode Island in 2016. At CFF, Luisa heads an on-going seasonal bycatch study researching changes in the distribution of bycatch species in the scallop fishery on Georges Bank. Additionally, Luisa is interested in the distribution and prevalence of diseases in scallop and other important species, as well as lobster damage caused by different dredge configurations. She hopes to apply her passion for sustainable fisheries management to this study and future research at CFF.
Interests & Expertise
Sustainable fisheries, Reproductive biology, Natural mortality, Fishing mortality, Bycatch reduction
Education
M.S. in Marine Affairs - University of Rhode Island, 2016
B.S. in Biology - Universidad del Valle, Columbia, 2009
Natalie Jennings, M.S. - Research Biologist
Natalie received her bachelor’s degree in Marine Biology in 2011 from UNC Wilmington. She then graduated from the master’s program at UMass Dartmouth’s School for Marine Science & Technology in 2015 with a degree in Fisheries Oceanography with a specialization in living marine resource management and fishing gear technology. Her project focused on reducing bycatch in trawl nets used in the groundfish fishery. Since then, she worked for North Carolina’s state fisheries department, first as an observer and then on their gillnet sampling program. Her primary interests lie in fishing gear and its interactions with living organisms and their associated ecosystems.
Interests & Expertise
Fishing gear, Non-lethal sampling, Ecosystem dynamics
Education
M.S. in Fisheries Oceanography - University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, SMAST, 2015
B.S. in Marine Biology - University of North Carolina Wilmington, 2011
Allison Maikath, B.A. - Agriculture Researcher
For the past 11 years, Allison has brought her love and knowledge of farming to nine countries on six continents to help advance the health of people, animals and the planet. Allison received a bachelor of science in studio art and a certificate in urban architecture from University of Oregon. From 2005-2013, she worked at Coonamessett Farm in East Falmouth, helping to grow and maintain a 25-acre diversified fruit, vegetable and animal operation. Her duties ranged from caring and feeding sheep, alpaca, poultry and goats, to conducting educational outreach, training interns and staff, and running the Farm’s CSA program. Allison started her career serving in the Peace Corps in West Africa where she learned agro forestry, mud stove construction and food preservation techniques. Later, she planted olive and walnut trees in Greece; harvested oysters in French Polynesia; mustered cattle on horseback in Australia; worked with Burmese refugees in Thailand to improve water diversion; implemented permaculture practices in Panama; and taught students hoop house construction in Costa Rica. Drawing on that unparalleled experience, Allison’s focus at CFF is to conduct research on optimal farming practices to support a local, sustainable foodshed.
Interests & Expertise
Small farm management & operations, Educational outreach, Agroforestry
Education
B.A. in Studio Arts, Certificate in Urban Architecture - University of Oregon, 2005
Ryan Munnelly, M.S. - Research Biologist
Ryan graduated with a B.S. from the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where he worked in ichthyology, benthic ecology, and fish culturing labs and as a fisheries observer aboard gillnet boats. His master’s and subsequent research at Louisiana State University Baton Rouge, the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, primarily used video and sonar arrays to map seafloor habitats and conduct fisheries independent surveys of anthropogenic and natural habitats of continental shelf waters of the Gulf of Mexico. This included surveys of fishes and invertebrates associated with energy platforms, evaluation of the increased productivity and depleted bottom dissolved oxygen related to river discharge and eutrophication, the ecological importance of large sand shoals, the effects of oil exposure to early life stages of sensitive fishes, and evaluation of habitat enhancement by ecosystem engineering fishes. Ryan is dedicated to applied science that can assist management decisions within changing coastal systems.
Interests & Expertise
Habitat suitability, Ecosystem connectivity, Artificial reefs
Education
M.S. in Oceanography - Louisiana State University, 2016
B.S. in Marine Biology - University of North Carolina Wilmington, 2011
Tasha Eileen O'Hara, M.R.M. - Research Biologist
Tasha joined CFF in 2019 to support HabCam v3 surveys as well as various CFF research efforts. She completed her Masters of Resource Management in Coastal and Marine Management in 2019 as a Fulbright Fellow at the University of Akureyri in Iceland, focusing on the impact of depth on green sea urchin growth, roe coloration, and reproductive development in Breiðafjörður, Iceland.
Prior to graduate school, she worked in wind and solar consulting and aquaculture in Block Island and joined the Northeast Fisheries Observer Program in 2012, working as an observer on high volume herring, small mesh, and groundfish vessels. After transitioning to the Ecosystems Surveys Branch (ESB) in the Northeast Fisheries Science Center in Woods Hole, MA, she worked as a biological technician providing at-sea leadership for groundfish, scallop, shrimp, and cooperative industry surveys. As a member of the scallop team, she also focused on supporting the integration and utilization of the towed-array vehicle, the HabCam v4. She has since completed surveys in Iceland and Alaska.
Interests & Expertise
Integrated optical and standard gear surveys, Benthic invertebrate research, Reproductive biology, Marine education outreach
Education
M.R.M. in Coastal & Marine Management - University of Akureyri, Iceland, 2019
B.A. in Political Science - University of Rhode Island, 2010
Samir Patel, Ph.D. - Senior Research Biologist
Samir joined Coonamessett Farm Foundation in August 2014. He received his undergraduate degree in Biology from George Washington University in 2005 and in 2013 a Ph.D. from Drexel University in Environmental Sciences focusing on sea turtle ecology, satellite telemetry and climate change. Prior to joining CFF, Samir worked as a high school biology and chemistry teacher and assisted on sea turtle projects in Greece, South Africa and Costa Rica. At CFF, Samir is involved in multiple projects, including protected species research both offshore and within local Cape Cod waters, and using telemetry and optical approaches to study the ecology of commercially valuable fish species.
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Interests & Expertise
Endangered species, Satellite telemetry, Climate change
Education
Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences - Drexel University, 2013
B.A. in Biological Sciences - The George Washington University, 2005
Justin Potter, B.T. / B.A. - Director of Operations
Bio forthcoming
Interests & Expertise
Food security, Sustainable energy solutions, Grant management, Community outreach and engagement
Education
B.T. in Fisheries Management and Aquaculture - SUNY Cobleskill NY, 2010
B.A. in English Literature and Global Cultures - SUNY Binghampton, 2006
Liese Siemann, Ph.D. - Senior Research Biologist
Liese started working at Coonamessett Farm Foundation in September 2014. Previously, she worked for seven years at the Marine Biological Laboratory studying animal camouflage using novel image analysis and statistical methods and raising multiple species of cuttlefish and octopus. She also spent five years as the administrator of the Woods Hole Science and Technology Education Partnership. Liese received a B.A. in Biological Sciences from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in Biological Oceanography from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program. Her dissertation focused on modelling the molecular population genetics of long-finned pilot whales. She has taught college courses on marine resource management and cetacean biology. At CFF, Liese’s research focuses on using innovative methods to design bycatch reduction technologies, model animal-fishing gear interactions, and assess marine animal populations using cutting-edge technologies like machine learning.
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Interests & Expertise
Bycatch reduction, Ecological modeling, Optical survey methods and algorithm development, protected species issues, Animal welfare issues
Education
Ph.D. in Biological Oceanography - Massachusetts Institute of Technology / Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute Joint Program, 1994
B.A. in Biological Sciences - Cornell University 1988
Cassandra Tillotson, B.S. - Research Assistant
Cassie graduated from Oregon State University in 2023 with a B.S. in Marine Biology. Outside of her coursework, Cassie worked in microbiology and phylogenetic research labs and honed her skills in genetic techniques such as DNA extraction and PCR. As an undergraduate student, she also studied abroad at Bangor University in Wales, UK where she focused on larval ecology, sharks, and extreme marine habitats.
At OSU, Cassie participated in two offshore research cruises collecting plankton off the coast of Oregon and Washington. These experiences established her passion for at-sea research. After graduating, she volunteered at a Hawaiian expedition youth camp leading a group of 10-12 year-olds around the Big Island of Hawaii and through marine laboratory experiments.
In May 2023, Cassie moved to Massachusetts and joined the Coonamessett Farm Foundation as a Research Assistant and At-Sea Technician. In her free time, she loves traveling, cooking, reading, tidepooling, going to the movies, and spending time at the beach.
Interests & Expertise
Genetics, Marine conservation, Tidepooling, Traveling
Education
B.S. in Marine Biology - Oregon State University, 2023
Jeanette Volk, MBA - Director of Finance & Administration
Jeanette joined Coonamessett Farm Foundation in July 2023 and serves as the Director of Finance and Administration. Prior to joining CFF, Jeanette worked in the financial investment services industry and has extensive experience with financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting, internal controls, financial systems implementation, and administration. Jeanette holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Rochester and an MBA with a concentration in Accounting from Bentley University. Jeanette is excited to be a member of the
CFF team and contribute to the mission of supporting sustainable fishing, farming, aquaculture and renewable energy. When away from the office, Jeanette enjoys spending time with family and friends, experiencing nature, music and travelling.
Interests & Expertise
Financial Reporting, Budgeting/ Forecasting, Financial Systems Implementation, Internal Controls
Education
MBA in Accounting - Bentley University,
B.A. in Economics - University of Rochester,
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