2023 Guest Line Up

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Dr. Dituri or "Dr Deep Sea" is president of the Undersea Oxygen Clinic, Dr. Dituri has his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering.

As a Director of the International Board of Undersea Medicine and in partnership with the Marine Resources Development Foundation Marine Lab, Dr. Dituri is embarking on a 100-day adventure in the Jule's Undersea Lodge in Key Largo, FL. Called the Neptune 100 Day Undersea Mission, the work Dr. Dituri is undertaking will further medical research, ocean conservation, and technical development.

Dr. Dituri is the author of numerous diver-training manuals, a co-author of the book “Tao of Survival Underwater”, a contributing author to Hyperbaric Medical Practice (4th edition) and the Navy Diving Manual. 

Dr. Tracy Fanara is  an environmental engineer and research scientist with a BS, ME, and PhD from the University of Florida. Tracy has been recognized as an inspirational women in STEM by The Weather Channel, Xylem YSI, The Observer, The Gina Davis Foundation: If Then/She Can, Project Inspire, The National Science Leaders of America, and many other organizations, Universities and news outlets.

Tracy is a scientist and program manager at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Before joining NOAA, Tracy managed the Environmental Health research program at Mote Marine Laboratory. Tracy’s mission, Inspector Planet, answers the calls of the public on environmental and wildlife hazards to solve and explain causes and solutions.  You may have seen her on The Weather Channel as an expert or on the show Weird Earth or on the Science Channel’s Mythbusters and What On Earth?

 Dr, David Gallo is an American oceanographer and explorer. He is the Senior Adviser for Strategic Initiatives at RMS Titanic Inc..  With more than 16 million views one of his TED presentations “Underwater Astonishments” has been among the all-time top TED Talks.  In 2010 co-led an expedition to create the first detailed and comprehensive map of the RMS TITANIC.  He has given numerous TED and TEDx presentations and has appeared in science documentaries (Discovery Channel, History Channel, National Geographic). He has been an invited guest on many televised national and international news programs such as Face the Nation (CBS), Good Morning America (ABC), The Today Show (NBC), The Weather Channel, PBS, and MSNBC.  David is a recipient of a Computerworld-Smithsonian Award, the Explorer’s Club Lowell Thomas Medal, and the Frances Hutchinson Medal of the Garden Clubs of America. 

Dr. Stephen Godfrey is the Curator of Paleontology at Calvert Marine Museum. He is considered one of the foremost experts on the megalodon shark. He recieved his doctorate from the University of Toranto. 

 Dr. Mike Heithaus is dean of the College of Arts, Sciences & Education (CASE) and Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Florida International University (FIU). He is a marine ecologist specializing in predator-prey interactions and the ecological importance of sharks and other large marine species. Heithaus was a scientist at Mote Marine Laboratory's Center for Shark Research. He also worked with National Geographic's Remote Imaging Department where he conducted studies using their "Crittercam." Heithaus has been involved in the production of more than a dozen natural history documentaries, including two featured on Shark Week, and has hosted a National Geographic Channel television series. 

 Kenzie Horton is a M.S. student at Jacksonville University studying the fine-scale movements and space use of white sharks in their overwintering residency area from North Carolina to the Gulf of Mexico. She received her Bachelor of Marine Science degree from the University of South Florida in 2016, where she worked on an undergraduate thesis doing a comparative analysis of the epidermis and goblet cell abundance in four elasmobranch species. She is also currently working as a Fisheries Biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in the Fisheries Independent Monitoring program to provide data on managed and non-managed fish and select macro-invertebrates. 

 Dr Gisele Montano Pedroso  is currently a research associate at the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Reproductive Research Center, focusing on in vitro embryo technologies in cetaceans, and is also a research consultant with Dolphin Adventure (Puerto Vallarta, Mexico). She is a member of the International Association of Aquatic Animal Medicine and the International Embryo Transfer Society. She is also working with OCEARCH  to learn more about reproductive cycles of sharks. 

Jillian is the Founder and President of Sharks4Kids.  Jillian’s love for the ocean started at an early age and has continued to play an integral role in her adult life. She has spent thousands of hours in the field working and diving with sharks across the globe. She is a mom, marine biologist, shark conservationist, author and educator. She has filmed for numerous television shows and networks, has appeared on Shark Week and is a PADI Ambassadiver. She was named Scuba Diving Magazine's July 2016 Sea Hero , awarded the inaugural Shark Con Shark Hero Award in 2017 and was the Go Blue Awards 2020 Blue Ambassador of the Year.  She is the author of Norman the Nurse Shark and Shark Super Powers and a member of the prestigious Ocean Artists Society 

Dr.  Yannis Papastamatiou is an

Associate Professor and Marine Biologist. With close to 100 research publications, Papastamatiou is one of the world’s leading shark behavioral ecologists. Papastamatiou’s use of new tag technologies on species ranging from pelagic oceanic whitetips to home-ranging reef sharks has advanced the field of predator ecology and led to evidence-based marine protected area zoning. His work has appeared on National Geographic and BBC. A native of London, Papastamatiou has conducted research in California, Florida, Hawaii, South Africa and throughout the Mediterranean and Northern Pacific Ocean. He earned a Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.  Yannis P. Papastamatiou is known for Naked Science (2004), World's Biggest Hammerhead? (2022) and Shark Week (1987). 

 Matt Seguin is the Curator of Husbandry and Records at Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium in Sarasota, Florida.  His primary duty is overseeing the health/husbandry of the fish and invertebrate collection. Matt works closely with the veterinary staff to maintain biosecurity within the aquarium, ensuring that all animals go through proper quarantine treatments before being added to the collection. He also serves as the registrar for the aquarium, securing proper permits and maintaining accurate physical and digital records of the animals in the collection. Outside of Mote, Matt is an Adjunct Professor at the Ringling College of Art and Design, teaching Environmental Science and Biodiversity. 

 Sean Westley is a researcher at The Whitney Marine Laboratory for Marine Bioscience. Sean considers himself a wetland ecologist as he works with many flora and fauna of these diverse ecotones. As a wetland ecologist Sean uses climate research in parallel with system biogeochemistry to study how coastal shark habitats are changing within our very own back yards. He hopes that build a cross discipline approach to create new metrics for conservation and restoration research around the globe. Sean works to build an understanding of the changing systems and how to better adapt to those futures because we all understand the importance of these coastal nursery grounds for all fishes. 

 Vicky Vásquez was raised in San Diego by a Mexican-American mom and a Venezuelan dad, which meant family reunions allowed her to explore different oceans and even remote locations growing up. Her passion to explore the unknown has led to a career researching deep sea sharks and achieve exciting scientific firsts such as the discovery of the Ninja Lanternshark (Etmopterus benchleyi) and tagging Goblin Sharks (Mitsukurina owstoni). Vicky also dedicates a significant portion of her time to science communication through both in-person and online outreach. In particular, she works with students from low-socioeconomic Spanish speaking neighborhoods. But you don’t have to be from California to hear Vicky talk about sharks! As a Shark Week alum, you may recognize her from Alien Sharks: Stranger Fins, Rogue Tiger Shark: Hunt for Lagertha, Island of the Walking Shark, Shark After Dark, and as a commentator for other episodes. She’s also been featured on CBS’s Mission Unstoppable, several documentaries, YouTube series and podcasts. Vicky has a B.S. in Evolution & Ecology with two minors, in Psychology and in Arts from the University of California, Davis where she also studied for a semester at their Bodega Bay Marine Lab. She also has a Masters in Science from Moss Landing Marine Laboratories through her research with the Pacific Shark Research Center. She also worked for a number of nonprofits focused on marine science education such as the Marine Science Institute, Ocean Discovery Institute, and continues through consulting services. Combining all of her expertise Vicky is embarking on a new sharky project that she’s planning to reveal for the FIRST TIME at Shark Con!