current | former
- Karl Castillo, Ph.D.
- Amanda Chunco, Ph.D.
- Thomas Freeman, Ph.D.
- Javier Rivera Guzman, Ph.D
- Steven Harris, Ph.D.
- Michelle Kovarik, Ph. D.
- Sarah Lebeis, Ph.D.
- Krystle McLaughlin, Ph.D.
- Kimberly Monahan, Ph.D.
- Vicki Newton, Ph.D.
- Linsey Phillips, Ph.D.
- Laurel Rodgers, Ph.D.
- Justin Shaffer, Ph.D.
- Eric Stoffregen, Ph.D.
- Christina Swanson, Ph.D.
- Jennifer Thomson, Ph.D.
Karl Castillo, Ph.D.
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Marine Sciences
Education
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University of South Carolina
Marine Science Program
Mentors
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Justin Ries, Ph.D.
John Bruno, Ph.D.
Biography
I knew very early on that I wanted to be a teacher and a scientist. To accomplish these career goals, I focused on the sciences in high school and junior college, and attended the Belize Teachers’ College. Thereafter, I was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to Southeast Missouri State University where I earned a B.S. in Biology and Unified Sciences Education with a minor in Environmental Science.
Growing up in a small coastal town in southern Belize, I developed a true passion for the marine environment, and particularly for coral reef ecosystems. As a young boy my family and I made regular trips out to the Belize Barrier Reef. Therefore, in 1995 and 1998, I observed first-hand severe bleaching and mortality of corals induced by higher than normal Caribbean seawater temperatures. To understand the effects of these large-scale thermal anomalies on coral reefs, I decided to pursue both a master’s and doctoral degree in marine science at the University of South Carolina under the direction of Dr. Brian Helmuth. There, I focused on the effects of thermal history on the physiological response of the coral Montastraea faveolata (mountainous star coral). The Marine Science Graduate Program at USC was particularly suitable for the next phase of my career development since this program emphasizes both research and teaching. I received training, guidance, and support to develop as a marine scientist, and was afforded the opportunity to independently teach several undergraduate laboratories. I also worked with middle school teachers to develop inquiry-based lessons through USC’s Center for Teaching Excellence.
I came to the Marine Sciences Department at UNC Chapel Hill in 2008 through the Carolina Postdoctoral Program for Faculty Diversity, and joined the labs of both Dr. John Bruno (Marine Ecologist) and Dr. Justin Ries (Marine Geochemist). Currently, I am expanding on my previous research efforts by investigating various relationships between changes in seawater temperatures and coral health on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System.
I am very excited to be a part of the SPIRE team here at UNC Chapel Hill. I look forward to using my experiences as an educator and a scientist to introduce students to the Marine Biological Sciences.
Courses
- Spring 2012
- Principles of Biology, UNC Pembroke
Publications
- Castillo KD, Ries JB, Weiss JM. 2011. Declining coral skeletal extension for forereef colonies of Siderastrea siderea on the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, southern Belize. PLoS ONE 6: e14615 PMCID: PMC3040180.
