Nathan Formel
Scientific Diver
Bio
Nathan Formel was born in Puerto Rico, but spent the majority of his childhood growing up in upstate New York with his five siblings. After high school he attended Northeastern University in Boston where, in 2008, he received his Bachelor’s degree in Biology, with a concentration in Marine Biology. Through the Three Seas program at Northeastern he was able to travel between and study three different marine ecosystems in the North Atlantic and the North and South Pacific. Northeastern also afforded him the opportunity to assist in coral research with Dr. Pete Edmunds and Dr. Howard Lasker. Their research focused mainly on the recruitment of hard corals in St. John and soft corals in the Bahamas, respectively. Following graduation he moved to Catalina Island, CA to teach marine science to visiting school groups at the Catalina Island Marine Institute (CIMI). He left teaching to pursue a Master’s degree in Marine Affairs and Policy at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS) of the University of Miami, which he completed in May 2013. While at RSMAS he worked in the labs of Dr. Diego Lirman and Dr. Andrew Baker assisting with research related to coral reef restoration and examining the relationship between corals and their algal symbionts. His Master’s thesis focused on the use of coral mortality data as an ecological indicator of reef health to enhance coral reef management practices. Currently he is exploring opportunities to utilize my training and experience to enhance our understanding of the marine environment and work towards its conservation.
