PhD Students
JD Reigrut
I am a first year Dean’s Fellow and PhD student in Environmental Science in Policy. I graduated with honors from Vassar College in 2025 with a degree in Biology, and a minor in Earth Science. Previously, I worked on the TEMPO project at UC Santa Barbara, studying community- based temporary fishery closures.
My current research focuses on creating equitable social-ecological solutions for fisheries management. For my dissertation, I aim to use quantitative and qualitative modeling methods to investigate how who designs fishery closures impacts who benefits from them.
Gabriella Berman
I am a fourth year JD/PhD student in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy where I conduct interdisciplinary research applying geocomputational tools and legal scholarship to study resource extraction and biodiversity in the high seas. I earned my J.D. with a concentration in environmental law from the University of Miami’s School of Law in December 2024. I also hold an M.S. in marine biology from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego where I used genetic tools to discover new deep-sea species and study their ranges, as well as a B.S. in biology with a concentration in genetics and evolution from the University of Montana where I studied the evolution of large horns in Japanese rhinoceros beetles. I am originally from Maui, Hawai’i and passionate about all things related to the ocean.
Undergraduate students
Aubriana Rhodes
I am a senior undergraduate student at the University of Miami, majoring in Marine Affairs with a minor in Ecosystem Science and Policy. My research investigates how tuna longline fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico respond to the removal of fuel subsidies. By using geospatial analysis and subsidy data, I work to understand and quantify the impacts of policy changes to model potential behavioral shifts in fishing industries. This research builds on interest in environmental governance and community resilience, which I plan to continue exploring through service in the Peace Corps and eventually in environmental law.
PI - Juan Carlos Villaseñor-Derbez
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Policy and a Core Faculty member at the Frost Institute for Data Science and Computing. I hold a B.Sc. in Oceanography from UABC in Mexico, and a master’s and Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Management from the Bren School of Environmental Science & Management at UC Santa Barbara.
I use modern data science tools, extensive vessel-tracking data to study the human dimensions of marine policy and environmental change, with a focus on our three pillars.
