Lauren K.

Olinger
PHD STUDENT · MARINE BIOLOGY
University of North Carolina Wilmington, 5600 Marvin Moss Ln., Wilmington, NC 28401
 (727)-412-1239 |  lko5561@uncw.edu |  www.laurenkolinger.weebly.com |  @LaurenKOlinger

Education
University of North Carolina Wilmington Wilmington, NC
PHD MARINE BIOLOGY Jan 2018 - present
• Advisor: Dr. Joseph Pawlik
• Thesis: Sponge growth, feeding ecology, and carbon cycling on Caribbean coral reefs: Insights through innovation
University of the Virgin Islands St. Thomas, VI
MS MARINE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE Aug 2015 - Dec 2017
• Advisor: Dr. Marilyn Brandt
• Thesis: An evaluation of local and community-scale multispecies competition among corals, sponges, and macroalgae on
reefs in the U.S. Virgin Islands
University of Miami Miami, FL
BS MARINE SCIENCE AND BIOLOGY Aug 2011 - May 2015

Appointments
PhD Research Assistantship (UNCW) Jan 2018 - Present
SUPERVISOR: DR. JOSEPH PAWLIK
• Duties: Planned and executed laboratory and field-based research projects, helped with planning of five major research trips
(travel logistics, supplies, permits), assisted in grant-writing, and mentored two undergraduates. Developed photogrammetry
methodologies to incorporate into existing long-term monitoring of the giant barrel sponge Xestospongia muta and for mea-
suring sponge growth. Collaborated with chemistry department faculty to analyze sponge alteration of seawater dissolved
organic matter, and created a custom workflow in R to analyze and visualize metabolomics data.
Graduate Research Assistantship (UVI) Aug 2016 - Aug 2017
SUPERVISOR: DR. DANIEL HOLSTEIN
• Project: Department of the Interior and Office of Insular Affairs, Department of Planning and Natural Resources contract,
“Evaluating connectivity of coral reef species in the U.S. Caribbean as a tool to strengthen management”
• Duties: Used connectivity modeling system to model fish larval connectivity between MPAs in the US Caribbean. Compiled
larval characteristics and oceanographic models for connectivity simulations, programmed and ran simulations remotely on
the Duke Compute Cluster, and developed MATLAB scripts to analyze multi-gigabyte larval trajectory datasets.
Graduate Research Assistantship (UVI) Aug 2015 - Aug 2016
SUPERVISOR: DR. MARILYN BRANDT
• Project: NOAA contract, “Evaluating the impacts of increasing sponge cover on the recovery and resilience of Caribbean corals”
• Duties: Assisted in planning, maintenance, and data collection for field research experiments monitoring sponges and corals
on reef sites around St. Thomas. Deployed and maintained recruitment plates for later processing to quantify coral recruit-
ment, helped with bi-annual detailed benthic surveys on sponge communities, and participated in 2017 research cruise to
monitor sponge communities around St. Thomas in the aftermath of Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
Undergraduate Research Assistant (UM/CIMAS) Jan 2012 - July 2015
SUPERVISORS: DR. DEREK MANZELLO AND DR. IAN ENOCHS
• Duties: Helped process CT scans to measure coral density, analyzed benthic photographs for percent cover in coral point
count, and processed seawater samples (measured TA and pCOϵ ) for National Coral Reef Monitoring Program.

Publications
PUBLISHED & ACCEPTED
Olinger LK, Chaves Fonnegra A, Enochs IC, Brandt ME (Accepted Nov. 2020) Three competitors in three dimensions: Pho-
togrammetry reveals rapid overgrowth of coral during multispecies competition with sponges and algae. Marine Ecol-
ogy Progress Series
Olinger LK, Scott AR, McMurray SE, Pawlik J (2019) Growth rates of Caribbean sponges on a shipwreck using 3D photogram-
metry. Scientific Reports.
Olinger LK, Heidmann SL, Durdall A, Howe C, Ramsayer TN, Thomas S, Lasseigne D, Brown E, Cassell J, Donihe M, Duffing-
Romero M, Duke M, Green D, Hillbrand P, Nemeth R, Wilson Grimes KR, Smith TB, Brandt M (2017) Altered juvenile fish
communities associated with invasive Halophila stipulacea seagrass habitats in the U.S. Virgin Islands. PLoS ONE.

NOVEMBER 2020 OLINGER · CURRICULUM VITAE 1

Brandt ME, Olinger LK, Chaves Fonnegra A, Olson JB, Gochfeld DJ (2019) Coral recruitment is impacted by the presence of
a sponge community. Marine Biology.
TECHNICAL REPORTS
Holstein DM, Olinger LK, Smith TB (2018) Evaluating connectivity of coral reef species in marine protected areas of the
US Caribbean. A technical report to the Department of Planning and Natural Resources Coastal Zone Management
Program.

Scholarships & Grants

2019-2021 Owen Graham Kenan Fellowship, UNCW $ 16,000
2015-2017 S-STEM Scholarship, National Science Foundation $ 20,000
2020 Student Travel Award, International Coral Reef Society $ 500
2018 Student Travel Grant, UNCW $ 750
2017 Student Travel Grant, VI EPSCoR $ 1400
2016 Research Grant, Lana Vento Charitable Trust $ 600

Presentations
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
Olinger LK, Chaves Fonnegra A, Enochs IC, Brandt ME. 2018. Local multispecies competition on Caribbean coral reefs: some
sponges overgrow coral more rapidly when in contact with algae. Benthic Ecology Meeting, April 27-31, 2018. Corpus
Christi, Texas
Olinger LK, Chaves Fonnegra A, Enochs IC, Brandt ME. 2018. Evaluation of multispecies competition between coral, sponges,
and macroalgae on coral reefs in the US Virgin Islands. 10th World Sponge Conference, June 25-30, 2017. Galway,
Ireland.
Olinger LK, Holstein DM (2017) Modeling connectivity of Nassau grouper (Epinephilus striatus) larvae between protected
spawning sites and nearshore settlement habitats in the US Caribbean. US-IALE Annual Meeting, April 9-13, 2017. Bal-
timore, Maryland.
INVITED TALKS
Spring 2018. Planning and analyzing data for a masters thesis: a student’s perspective. Guest Lecture, Research methods,
University of the Virgin Islands.

Advanced Technical Skills & Experience

COMPUTER PROGRAMMING AND DATA ANALYSES
Programming languages, R, Matlab, Python
3D Photogrammetry, Agisoft Metashape, Meshlab, MeshMixer, CloudCompare,
www.sketchfab.com/l.olinger
Metabolomics data analysis, R-based metabolomics analyses workflows (including
packages xcms and CAMERA), Sirius, UNIFI, GNPS, Masslynx
Other relevant software, CPCe, Photoshop, ImageJ,

SCUBA DIVING & BOATING CERTIFICATIONS

Scientific Diving, 500+ career dives as an American Academy of Underwater Sciences
Scientific Diver, additional certifications in Decompression Procedures and Advanced
Nitrox (TDI)
Extensive small boat experience, Boat US Boater Safety Course

SUMMARY OF SCIENTIFIC DIVING EXPERIENCE:

NOVEMBER 2020 OLINGER · CURRICULUM VITAE 2

 2018-2020 Carrie Bow Cay, Belize, Smithsonian Field Station (3 trips, 4 weeks, 70 dives)
2018-2019 Florida Keys, Aquarius Reef Base (2 trips, 4 weeks, 50 dives)
Research cruise, F.G. Walton Smith., NSF RAPID: Sponge Resilience in the face of multiple
Dec 2017
stressors, St. Thomas, VI (20 dives)
Aug 2017 Fish and Benthic Assessment, NCRMP, St. Thomas, VI (40 dives)
June 2017 Fish and Benthic Assessment, NCRMP, St. Croix, VI, (20 dives)
2015-2017 St. Thomas, VI, Misc. research/monitoring (max depth 150 ft; 250 dives)

Outreach & Professional Development

SERVICE AND OUTREACH
2020 Benthic Ecology Meeting, Social media manager, Wilmington, NC
2018 North Carolina Science Olympiad, Volunteer, Wilmington, NC
2017 Reef Fest, Organizer and host of the Caribbean reef sponge exhibit, St. Thomas, VI
Coral relocation prior to restoration of historic Creque Marine Railway, National Park
2016
Service Volunteer Diver, Hassel Island, VI
Acoustic receiver swaps in the Buck Island National Park array, National Park Service
2016
Volunteer Diver, St. Croix, VI
2015 UVI Emerging Caribbean Scientists Research Symposium,, Judge, St. THomas, VI
2012-2015 Ocean Kids, Volunteer, Miami, FL

PEER REVIEW
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Marine Ecology Progress Series
PeerJ

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
International Coral Reef Society (2016- present)

Media Coverage
Featured in “Women on Sketchfab”, Sketchfab community blog,
April 2019
www.sketchfab.com/blogs/community/women-on-sketchfab-lauren-olinger
VI EPSCoR: 2015 MMES Cohort Publishes Study in Major Scientific Journal,
Nov 2017
www.viepscor.org/news/2017/11/27/2015-cohort

NOVEMBER 2020 OLINGER · CURRICULUM VITAE 3