Neil Hammerschlag is pursuing his doctorate degree at the University of Miami, Rosenstiel School for Marine and Atmospheric Science.  Neil concurrently acts as a staff biologist for the ReefQuest Centre for Shark Research and also directs local shark education programs for Floridian high school marine science students.

Neil studied Great White Shark-Cape Fur Seal predator-prey interactions for his master’s degree in marine biology at Nova Southeastern University.  He completed his undergraduate degree in ecology at the University of Toronto, in Canada. Neil has satellite tagged and genetically sampled Whale Sharks in Honduras with the Shark Research Institute, studied parasite loads in leaf tent-making bats in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, studied coral disease in neritic waters off Bermuda, studied sensory modalities and behavior of chimney-building crayfish at the University of Toronto, studied population dynamics of Leopard Sharks and Blue Sharks off central California with Pelagic Shark Research Foundation, has researched Great White Shark feeding ecology in South Africa since 2002, has studied habitat utilization of sharks in the Mozambique channel and has also worked as a volunteer at the Marine Mammal Rescue Center in Santa Cruz, California.

In addition to his skills as a researcher, Neil is a Master Scuba Diver (PADI) and has been a teaching-assistant at Nova Southeastern University and South Broward High School. Neil is a South African native, raised in Canada, who now resides in Miami.  He is a member of the American Elasmobranch Society, European Elasmobranch Association as well as NCORE and has a long-standing interest in fine art, and enjoys running, reading, and wildlife photography.

Personal website: www.neil4sharks.org