Viktor Brandtneris

I completed my B.S. in 2009, majoring in marine sciences and biology with a minor in chemistry. I spent the following three years managing the coral reef ecology lab of Dr. Peter Glynn. During my time at the University of Miami I had the good fortune of living/working in the Dry Tortugas, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, Pacific Panamá and the Galapagos Islands. The majority of my field experience during this time was focused on either reef fish communities or the diversity of cryptic invertebrate communities. I have since become quite interested in the role that heterotrophic feeding plays in coral energy status. During my time at UVI, I will be investigating the variability in energy acquisition by corals at depths ranging from 10 to 75 meters. I am currently working as a mesophotic coral ecosystem consultant for Dr. Smith and will be working this summer to describe the mesophotic systems on the submerged banks north of St. Thomas.