Abigail Cannon, Ph.D.

Abby’s research focuses on the ecology of biogenic benthic habitats. Her first research experience in this topic was volunteering to help Dr. Levi Lewis (then a PhD student in Dr. Jen Smith’s lab at Scripps Institution of Oceanography) study coral reef ecology on Maui’s leeward coast. Abby later received the National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship and joined the Smith lab as a PhD student where her research focused on the impact of animal disturbances on Caribbean seagrass beds and the impacts of commercial seaweed farms on tropical marine habitats.

Since completing her PhD, she has studied seagrass ecology in California and the Tropical Eastern Pacific. Her research in the Coral Reef and Ocean Health lab will focus on the impacts of natural and human-caused turbidity on corals.

When not studying corals and seagrasses or teaching inside or outside of the classroom, Abby enjoys surfing, SCUBA diving, hiking, and sleeping late.