Staff

Randall Wells, Ph.D. Director Wells is also Chairman of the Board of the Dolphin Biology Research Institute, (DBRI) a Sarasota-based 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation established in 1982 to provide logistical support to the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program with research vessels, towing vehicles, computers, cameras, field equipment, etc., and serves as the DBRI Treasurer.

Katherine A. McHugh, Ph.D.Deputy Program Director, Senior Scientist Dr. Katherine (Katie) McHugh is a Senior Scientist and Deputy Program Director employed by the Chicago Zoological Society and based at Mote Marine Laboratory as part of the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program (SDRP), a partnership to engage in dolphin research, education, and conservation action.Katie began studying

Kim Bassos-Hull Senior Biologist, Mote Marine Laboratory Research Associate with CZS-SDRP Kim Bassos-Hull is a Research Associate with the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program (since 1993) and a Senior Biologist with Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida (since 2001). Kim began her studies with dolphins in 1988 as an undergraduate at University of

Christina N. Toms, Ph.D. Staff Scientist Dr. Christina Toms is a Staff Scientist with the Chicago Zoological Society’s Sarasota Dolphin Research Program (SDRP). She received a B.A. in 2004 with a double major in Marine Science and Psychology at the University of Hawaii, Hilo. Her interest in animal behavior and cognition led

Elizabeth J. Berens McCabe Senior Researcher Elizabeth Berens McCabe received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Grand Valley State University in 1998 and her Masters in Biology from the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences at the University of Florida in 2005. She has worked with the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program since

Krystan Wilkinson Staff Scientist Krystan Wilkinson is a Staff Scientist employed by the Chicago Zoological Society’s Sarasota Dolphin Research Program (SDRP) and based at Mote Marine Laboratory as part of a partnership to engage in dolphin research, education and conservation action. Krystan is also an adjunct scientist with the Sharks & Rays

Jason B. Allen Lab Manager, Senior Researcher Jason Allen is the Chicago Zoological Society’s Sarasota Dolphin Research Program (SDRP) Lab Manager and a Senior Researcher. He began his career working with the critically endangered hawksbill sea turtle. While attending Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, FL, he joined the Eckerd College Dolphin Project

Kathryn Holmes Staff Scientist, Sarasota Bay Listening Network Manager Dr. Kathryn Holmes earned her Ph.D. in Animal Behavior and Communication from The University of Western Australia with Shark Bay Dolphin Research in 2022 and is a former CZS-SDRP intern. For her Ph.D., she studied how juvenile male bottlenose dolphins develop social and

Aaron A. Barleycorn Field Manager, Senior Researcher Aaron Barleycorn, B.S., is the Field Manager and a Senior Researcher employed by the Chicago Zoological Society and based at Mote Marine Laboratory as part of the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program (SDRP). He began working with dolphins in 1999 with the Eckerd College Dolphin Project.

Carolyn C. Cush Gulf of Mexico Dolphin Identification System (GoMDIS) curator Carolyn received her bachelor’s degree from Eckerd College in 2004, where she participated in the Eckerd College Dolphin Project — identifying, cataloging and archiving photo-identification data from the local bottlenose dolphin population. She then conducted right whale aerial surveys with a

Allison R. Honaker Research Assistant and Data Analyst Allison Honaker works part-time for the Chicago Zoological Society’s Sarasota Dolphin Research Program. She began participating in photo-identification research with Mote Marine Laboratory’s Manatee Research Program in 2010 and now works full-time for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Manatee Photo-Identification Program. She

Jonathan Crossman Staff Researcher Jonathan Crossman is a Staff Researcher with Chicago Zoological Society’s Sarasota Dolphin Research Program. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Covenant College in 2018, where he performed a literary thesis on human effects on southern resident killer whales. After graduating, he moved to Washington state to

Theresa Tatom-Naecker Ph.D. Student Theresa Tatom-Naecker is a second-year Ph.D. student with the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program and the University of California, Santa Cruz. She received a double major in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Science from the University of Chicago in 2017. After graduating, Theresa was a research intern with the

Kylee DiMaggio Research Assistant Kylee DiMaggio is a Research Assistant with the Sarasota Dolphin Research Program (SDRP). Kylee received dual B.S. degrees in Marine Biology and Environmental Science from the University of New England in 2019. She then joined SDRP as an intern in 2019 and began as a Masters student in