Kelli Hunsucker, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor | Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences Florida Tech

  • Melbourne FL

Dr. Hunsucker investigates biofouling prevention methods for marine growth and eco-engineering techniques for ecosystem enhancement.

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Spotlight

2 min

Florida Tech Welcomes Visiting Australian Scholar to Aid in Antifouling Research

Florida Tech’s Center for Corrosion and Biofouling Control is welcoming a new teammate for the semester. Tamar Jamieson, a postdoctoral researcher hailing from Australia’s Flinders University, is in Melbourne, Fla. to collaborate on biofouling research with assistant professor of marine sciences Kelli Hunsucker and professor of oceanography and ocean engineering Geoffrey Swain. Biofouling is the growth of a bacterial film or larger marine life, such as barnacles, after an object’s surface is submerged in water. It can inhibit a ship’s functionality by creating drag and slowing it down, which forces the vessel to use more fuel and emit more greenhouse gases. Over the course of the semester, Jamieson will help Hunsucker’s team develop a collaborative experiment to test antifouling techniques, combining Jamieson’s expertise with that of the lab. “I’m excited to have someone here who has this kind of wealth of knowledge in her field,” Hunsucker said. “She’ll be able to use her knowledge to help move our research forward and then kind of in return, use our knowledge to help move hers forward.” The Center for Corrosion and Biofouling Control aims to understand and improve corrosion and biofouling control systems. Part of Hunsucker’s research involves evaluating materials that can protect surfaces, such as a ship’s hull, from unwanted growth. She is currently working with the U.S. Navy to see how antifouling techniques perform under different conditions. Jamieson’s research through Flinders’s ARC Training Centre for Biofilm Research & Innovation focuses on the small-scale microorganisms that make up biofilm. She also studies the genetic makeup of microbial communities, which Hunsucker wants to add to her own research. Jamieson is especially interested in learning how antifouling materials interact with local waters. Florida’s seascape is warmer than Australia’s, so fouling grows quicker here than it does there. She also wants to see how American antifouling materials vary from those used in Australia and collaborate on a versatile solution that can withstand a variety of conditions. “Materials that work well here will probably not work in other environments,” Jamieson said. “Seeing how to develop materials for all three environments will be an interesting pathway forward.” Hunsucker hopes this exchange will lead to even more collaboration with Flinders University. “The program that she’s involved with opens the door for collaborative efforts for us to maybe go to Australia in the future,” Hunsucker said. “Her colleagues can also similarly come back and work with us.” Jamieson’s scholarship is funded by the American Australian Association, a New York-based non-profit organization dedicated to deepening and strengthening ties between the United States and Australia. The South Australia Defense, Space and Cyber Scholarship funds scholars from the U.S. and South Australia undertaking Ph.D. or post-doctoral research in those fields. Kelli Hunsucker and Geoffrey Swain are available to speak with media. Contact Adam Lowenstein, Director of Media Communications at Florida Institute of Technology at adam@fit.edu to arrange an interview today.

Kelli Hunsucker, Ph.D.

Areas of Expertise

Marine Education
Oceanography
UVC
Biofilms
Biofouling
Benthic Ecology
Ecological Engineering
Environmental Science

About

Dr. Kelli Hunsucker’s research focuses on biofouling organisms, both micro and macro plants and animals, and their settlement on surfaces such as ship hulls and oceanographic instrumentation. She works with government, industry, and academia to research, test, and design novel systems to determine their efficacy in preventing biofouling. Currently her team is investigating the application of UVC on biofouling and its efficacy in the marine environment. She has authored over 250 technical reports, publications and book chapters on biofouling ecology and prevention. Dr. Hunsucker’s other projects involve eco-engineering solutions for improved water quality and ecosystem enhancement in estuarine waters. In addition to teaching and research, she is heavily involved in community based outreach projects and marine science summer programs for children.

Media Assets

Media Appearances

Florida Tech Professor Kelli Hunsucker Awarded Marine Science Educator of the Year Honor

Space Coast Daily News  

2022-05-18

When ocean engineering and marine sciences assistant professor Kelli Hunsucker was working on her Ph.D., she saw a want ad for an adjunct professor at what was then Brevard Community College.

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UVC Showing Positive Signs for Biofouling Solution

Florida Tech News  

2021-07-07

The research paper, “The Application of UVC Used in Synergy with Surface Material to Prevent Marine Biofouling,” was published in the June edition of Journal of Marine Science and Engineering. Doctoral candidate Kailey Richard is the lead author on the paper, which also features ocean engineering and oceanography professor Geoffrey Swain, oceanography assistant professor Kelli Hunsucker, lead research engineer Harrison Gardner and research assistant Kris Hickman.

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Q&A: Kelli Hunsucker Stands For … Collaboration

Florida Tech News  

2021-04-29

Dr. Kelli Hunsucker ’07 M.S., ’13 Ph.D., breaks down her research into three components: preventing plant and animal growth on certain underwater surfaces (biofouling), promoting it on others (ecological engineering) and getting the community involved in and excited about marine science and engineering (outreach).

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Education

Florida Institute of Technology

Ph.D.

Biological Oceanography

2012

Florida Institute of Technology

M.S.

Chemical Oceanography

Stockton University

B.S.

Oceanography, with a Marine Chemistry focus

2005

Social

Selected Articles

Assessing the Biological Performance of Living Docks—A Citizen Science Initiative to Improve Coastal Water Quality through Benthic Recruitment within the Indian River Lagoon, Florida

Journal of Marine Science and Engineering

2022

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The Application of UVC Used in Synergy with Surface Material to Prevent Marine Biofouling

Journal of Marine Science and Engineering

2021

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The Use of a UVC Lamp Incorporated With an ROV to Prevent Biofouling: A Proof-of-Concept Study

Marine Technology Society Journal

2020

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Affiliations

  • Marine Technology Society Journal : Editorial Board
  • Marine Science & Coastal Engineering Camp : Director
  • Florida Academy of Sciences: Past President
  • Indian River Lagoon Symposium : Steering Committee Member