Gema Hernan
Five Minute Research (5MR)- 2019 Postdoctoral Symposium- (Gema Hernan) | English | GEOSET Research Video | November 25, 2019
Dr. Gema Hernán is a postdoctoral scholar from Spain working in marine ecology at the Rassweiler Lab in the Department of Biological Sciences at FSU. Her research interest is to understand the processes and mechanisms that regulate the structure and functioning of marine systems, at different levels, from individuals to communities, and at different spatial and temporal scales with emphasis on how environmental factors affect them locally, regionally and globally. Her work combines observational and experimental approaches (both in the field and in the laboratory) and modelling tools.
She did her PhD in marine ecology at the Mediterranean Institute for advanced Studies (Majorca, Spain) where she studied latitudinal patterns of defense strategies against herbivory in seagrasses. In relation to global change, she also studied how warming, eutrophication or ocean acidification can modify seagrass defense against herbivory and how these changes affects herbivore behavior. During her PhD she has been a visiting researcher at different research institutions (Anton Dohrn Zoological Station in Italy, Oregon State University in US and National Autonomous University of México) collaborating with several international researchers.
Dr. Hernán is the current Vice President of the FSU Postdoctoral Association working in proposing new policies and making recommendations to improve the postdoctoral experience at FSU. She participates in outreach activities sharing her research with the public during open-doors-day and women-in-science events and inspires students from all around the world through the skype a scientist program.