Lillie Schwier
Staff Writer
Kaitlin Gallagher has always been fascinated by marine life. From a young age, Gallagher admired her father, who would scuba dive the reefs of South Florida, hoping that she too would dive with him.
That day came when she was 12 years old, as she obtained her scuba diving license and joined a diving club with her father. It was here that Gallagher decided she was destined for a career in marine biology.
Gallagher vividly remembers her reaction when a marine biologist came to speak at the diving club.
“That’s what I want to do … That sounds like the coolest thing ever. I want to do that,” Gallagher said.
She held onto this passion throughout her adolescence and pursued her undergraduate degree at the Honors College at Florida Atlantic University, majoring in marine biology. Gallagher interned at the Hatfield Marine Science Center at Oregon State University the summer between her Sophomore and Junior year. She had planned on studying the ecology of fish, however, to her surprise, she began studying the ecology of fish parasites. Although unexpected, Gallagher became fascinated with parasitology.
“I loved it. I thought it was the coolest thing, and I continued with independent studies on parasites throughout my junior and senior years of undergrad,” Gallagher said.
This internship inspired her senior thesis. After graduating from FAU in 2013, Gallagher attended the University of Connecticut, where she bypassed her master’s degree and earned her Ph.D. She studied the evolution of shark tapeworms and their genome with the globally renowned tapeworm taxonomist Dr. Janine Caira.
Gallagher also discovered her love for teaching by working as an assistant teacher while earning her Ph.D.
“That’s the first time I had the opportunity to really teach, and I ended up loving it, realizing that I didn’t just want to do research,” Gallagher said. “I wanted to be able to teach and do research … that’s when I came to the realization that I want to be a professor.”
After graduating from UConn in 2019, Gallagher took on a postdoctoral position at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre in Vancouver, where she continued to teach. However, all of Gallagher’s work soon became remote when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
As a result, she moved back to Florida before relocating to Memphis in July of 2020 to teach at Christian Brothers University. Gallagher served as an assistant professor of biology there for three years.
After three years in Tennessee, Gallagher decided she wanted to teach marine-focused classes at a small college in Florida.
She enjoyed attending a smaller honors college for her undergraduate degree, where she could interact with her teachers and could conduct research on topics she was passionate about. Gallagher desired to teach in a similar environment, where she could get to know her students and work with them hands-on. She also wished for the freedom to pursue her research interests and support her students in doing the same.
“At a school like this, the research you do doesn’t necessarily have to bring in big grants, so you can do more of what interests and fascinates you,” Gallagher explained.
Gallagher now holds the position of marine and vertebrate zoologist at FSC, in addition to being a biology and marine biology professor. She has initiated numerous research projects and hopes to expand them, involving her students in many of these projects.
She also emphasizes creating a welcoming space for her students, where they can openly discuss any topic and grow academically. Gallagher plans on doing this through open communication and personal relationships where she can provide the information and support students need.
