A Florida State University doctoral student has earned a competitive fellowship to conduct coastal and marine conservation research in the Florida Keys.

Lillie Bradshaw, a doctoral student studying ecology and evolution in FSU’s Department of Biological Science, is among eight graduate students across Florida to earn the 2025 Guy Harvey Fellowship, presented jointly by the Guy Harvey Foundation and Florida Sea Grant program. The $5,000 award will support Bradshaw’s research in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, where she will study the extent to which human activity influences ecosystems’ ability to rebound from extreme temperature events.

“The Keys are an economically, recreationally and culturally important region for Florida,” Bradshaw said. “This research not only increases our knowledge of coastal and marine ecosystems, but it also increases our ability to properly manage them, hopefully increasing the region’s resilience.”

In response to increasingly frequent extreme events — such as the record-breaking marine heat wave in 2023 that led to severe coral bleaching in the Keys — Bradshaw will investigate the extent to which areas heavily used for fishing and snorkeling, for example, can rebound compared to fully protected areas within the marine sanctuary, which are not exposed to frequent use by humans.

Because the Keys are fairly remote — the area is difficult for researchers to frequently access — most data are collected on an annual basis. Bradshaw will enhance current data collection methods by conducting surveys multiple times during annual coral bleaching seasons, which typically run from July to October. These repeated surveys will contribute to the larger pool of independent research informing state and national natural resource management decisions.

“Lillie’s fellowship demonstrates how research in the Department of Biological Science, and throughout FSU, benefits Florida and its valuable natural resources,” said Sarah Lester, associate professor of ecology and evolution and Bradshaw’s doctoral adviser. “She exemplifies a commitment to conducting use-inspired science, which advances scientific understanding while simultaneously informing resource management and conservation initiatives.”

Guy Harvey, for whom the fellowship is named, is best known for his vibrant artwork featuring marine life. However, the scientific accuracy depicted in Harvey’s artworks stems from his background as a research faculty member at the University of the West Indies in Jamaica, where he also earned a doctorate in fisheries management and fish biology in 1982. His conservation organization, the Guy Harvey Foundation, partners with Florida Sea Grant, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Sea Grant program, to support graduate-level research initiatives protecting coastal and marine ecosystems.

“Outside of the funding itself, the fellowship has already positively affected my work by providing a platform to share my research while simultaneously allowing me to forge new connections with experts and important figures in the field,” Bradshaw said. “This is huge for the future of my work, as I hope to eventually land a biologist position with NOAA or a similar entity.”

Since the inception of the Guy Harvey Fellowship in 2010, nearly $500,000 has been awarded to 98 students across 12 Florida universities and colleges. In 2023, the Sea Grant program — a federal-university partnership program established in 1966 to maintain healthy coastal ecosystems and economies — received a federal investment of $94 million, resulting in a $828.3 billion nationwide economic benefit, according to NOAA.

“The way we use ecosystems is so important for how they respond to extreme temperature events, and proper management of our natural resources is key to the continuing success of both the ecosystem and the ecosystem services — or natural resources used by humans such as clean air and food — that we all are reliant on,” Bradshaw said.

To learn more about biological science research at FSU, visit bio.fsu.edu.