Boswell, Kevin
- Associate Professor, Biological Sciences , College of Arts, Sciences & Education

Overview
overview
- Kevin Boswell is a marine ecologist, with general interests in the ecology and behavioral dynamics of coastal and marine nekton and surface oriented vertebrates. His research program broadly focuses on the interacting factors that mediate the distributional patterns, behavior, habitat use, energetics and natural ecology of coastal and oceanic animals, including the implications of ecosystem variability, particularly for rapidly changing environments. To address many of these interests, his lab integrates advanced sampling techniques, such as active and passive underwater acoustics, with observations from autonomous aerial and aquatic platforms to collect high-resolution data to simultaneously describe spatial and temporal patterns of interest, ranging from individual-level interactions to broad ecosystem dynamics. The observational and analytical techniques his lab employs are robust across an array of ecosystems and animal types facilitating a high-level interdisciplinary and collaborative research program.
research interests
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Understand the processes that influence and structure coastal and marine communities.
Fisheries Acoustics
Estuarine, Coastal and Pelagic Fish Ecology
Fisheries
Population Biology
Habitat Loss
Hypoxia
Oil and Gas Development
Biological Oceanography
Dr. Boswell's research focuses on understanding the processes that mediate behavioral and distributional patterns in coastal and marine nekton. Through the development and application of advanced sampling techniques, we seek to understand the processes that influence and structure coastal marine communities with an emphasis on habitat and resource utilization, predator-prey interactions and behavior.
Scholarly & Creative Works
selected publications
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Article
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2020A Multidisciplinary Approach to Investigate Deep-Pelagic Ecosystem Dynamics in the Gulf of Mexico Following Deepwater Horizon. FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE. 7.Full Text via DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2020.548880 Web of Science: 000605646500001
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2020High-Resolution Sampling of a Broad Marine Life Size Spectrum Reveals Differing Size- and Composition-Based Associations With Physical Oceanographic Structure. FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE. 7.Full Text via DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2020.542701 Web of Science: 000600726000001
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2020Three-Dimensional Imaging Lidar for Characterizing Particle Fields and Organisms in the Mesopelagic Zone. FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE. 7.Full Text via DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2020.558745 Web of Science: 000600666300001
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2020Spatiotemporal variation of environmental conditions and prey availability that drive Arctic nearshore fish community structure in the Point Barrow, Alaska, region. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF FISHERIES AND AQUATIC SCIENCES. 77:1612-1624.Full Text via DOI: 10.1139/cjfas-2019-0068 Web of Science: 000575801000002
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2020Examining the relationship between morphological variation and modeled broadband scattering responses of reef-associated fishes from the Southeast United States. FISHERIES RESEARCH. 228.Full Text via DOI: 10.1016/j.fishres.2020.105590 Web of Science: 000531585900004
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2020Combined eDNA and Acoustic Analysis Reflects Diel Vertical Migration of Mixed Consortia in the Gulf of Mexico. FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE. 7.Full Text via DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2020.00552 Web of Science: 000551098600001
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2020Environmental context elicits behavioural modification of collective state in schooling fish. ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR. 165:107-116.Full Text via DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.05.002 Web of Science: 000565604900013
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2020Capture stress and post-release mortality of blacktip sharks in recreational charter fisheries of the Gulf of Mexico. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY. 8.Full Text via DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coaa041 Web of Science: 000534361600001
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2020Oceanographic Structure and Light Levels Drive Patterns of Sound Scattering Layers in a Low-Latitude Oceanic System. FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE. 7.Full Text via DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2020.00051 Web of Science: 000514298900001
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2020Linking hunting weaponry to attack strategies in sailfish and striped marlin. PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES. 287.Full Text via DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.2228 Web of Science: 000529202400006
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2019Effect of reef morphology and depth on fish community and trophic structure in the northcentral Gulf of Mexico. ESTUARINE COASTAL AND SHELF SCIENCE. 230.Full Text via DOI: 10.1016/j.ecss.2019.106423 Web of Science: 000505649500008
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2019Incorporating fish orientation into target strength-total length equations: Horizontal-Aspect target-Strength equations for gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum. FISHERIES RESEARCH. 218:155-165.Full Text via DOI: 10.1016/j.fishres.2019.05.009 Web of Science: 000477786600016
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2019Site Fidelity and Habitat Use by Young-of-the-Year Transient Fishes in Salt Marsh Intertidal Creeks. ESTUARIES AND COASTS. 42:1387-1396.Full Text via DOI: 10.1007/s12237-019-00576-4 Web of Science: 000469363100012
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2019Tidal Stage Mediates Periodic Asynchrony Between Predator and Prey Nekton in Salt Marsh Creeks. ESTUARIES AND COASTS. 42:1342-1352.Full Text via DOI: 10.1007/s12237-019-00553-x Web of Science: 000469363100009
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2019Accuracy and precision of hydroacoustic estimates of Gizzard Shad abundance using horizontal beaming. FISHERIES RESEARCH. 212.Full Text via DOI: 10.1016/j.fishres.2018.12.012 Web of Science: 000458939000011
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2019Implications of trophic discrimination factor selection for stable isotope food web models of low trophic levels in the Arctic nearshore. MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES. 613:211-216.Full Text via DOI: 10.3354/meps12893 Web of Science: 000464519600014
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2019Weather induced subtidal flows through multiple inlets of an arctic microtidal lagoon. ACTA OCEANOLOGICA SINICA. 38:1-16.Full Text via DOI: 10.1007/s13131-019-1361-2 Web of Science: 000462288400001
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2019Experimental determination of tissue turnover rates and trophic discrimination factors for stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes of Arctic Sculpin (Myoxocephalus scorpioides): A common Arctic nearshore fish. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MARINE BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY. 511.Full Text via DOI: 10.1016/j.jembe.2018.11.005 Web of Science: 000456892900007
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2018Using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) surveys and image analysis in the study of large surface-associated marine species: a case study on reef sharks Carcharhinus melanopterus shoaling behaviour. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY. 93.Full Text via DOI: 10.1111/jfb.13645 Web of Science: 000443231700014
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2018Swimming abilities of juvenile estuarine fishes: implications for passage at water control structures. WETLANDS ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT. 26.Full Text via DOI: 10.1007/s11273-017-9580-9 Web of Science: 000434164100013
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2018Seascape connectivity and the influence of predation risk on the movement of fishes inhabiting a back-reef ecosystem. ECOSPHERE. 9.Full Text via DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2200 Web of Science: 000435729400026
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2018Seasonal presence and potential influence of humpback whales on wintering Pacific herring populations in the Gulf of Alaska. DEEP-SEA RESEARCH PART II-TOPICAL STUDIES IN OCEANOGRAPHY. 147:173-186.Full Text via DOI: 10.1016/j.dsr2.2017.08.008 Web of Science: 000428005900019
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2018The Application of Novel Research Technologies by the Deep Pelagic Nekton Dynamics of the Gulf of Mexico (DEEPEND) Consortium. MARINE TECHNOLOGY SOCIETY JOURNAL. 52.Full Text via DOI: 10.4031/MTSJ.52.6.10 Web of Science: 000457656100013
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2017A comparison of diver vs. acoustic methodologies for surveying fishes in a shallow water coral reef ecosystem. FISHERIES RESEARCH. 189:62-66.Full Text via DOI: 10.1016/j.fishres.2017.01.007 Web of Science: 000397368800007
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2017Detecting a nearshore fish parade using the adaptive resolution imaging sonar (ARIS): An automated procedure for data analysis. FISHERIES RESEARCH. 191:190-199.Full Text via DOI: 10.1016/j.fishres.2017.03.013 Web of Science: 000402357600021
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2017Estuarine Plume: A Case Study by Satellite SAR Observations and In Situ Measurements. IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON GEOSCIENCE AND REMOTE SENSING. 55:2276-2287.Full Text via DOI: 10.1109/TGRS.2016.2641161 Web of Science: 000396394900034
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2017Estuarine fish behavior around slotted water control structures in a managed salt marsh. WETLANDS ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT. 25:299-312.Full Text via DOI: 10.1007/s11273-016-9517-8 Web of Science: 000402175600003
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2017Influence of oceanographic conditions on abundance and distribution of post-larval and juvenile carangid fishes in the northern Gulf of Mexico. FISHERIES OCEANOGRAPHY. 26:526-541.Full Text via DOI: 10.1111/fog.12214 Web of Science: 000407178900002
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2017Latitudinal dependence of body condition, growth rate, and stable isotopes of juvenile capelin (Mallotus villosus) in the Bering and Chukchi Seas. POLAR BIOLOGY. 40:1451-1463.Full Text via DOI: 10.1007/s00300-016-2041-8 Web of Science: 000406338800010
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2017Predator identity and time of day interact to shape the risk-reward trade-off for herbivorous coral reef fishes. OECOLOGIA. 183:763-773.
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2017Surveying the distribution and abundance of flying fishes and other epipelagics in the northern Gulf of Mexico using airborne lidar. BULLETIN OF MARINE SCIENCE. 93:591-609.Full Text via DOI: 10.5343/bms.2016.1039 Web of Science: 000400132200020
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2016Are spatial and temporal patterns in Lynn Canal overwintering Pacific herring related to top predator activity?. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF FISHERIES AND AQUATIC SCIENCES. 73:1307-1318.Full Text via DOI: 10.1139/cjfas-2015-0192 Web of Science: 000419644500001
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2016Diel variation in the vertical distribution of deep-water scattering layers in the Gulf of Mexico. DEEP-SEA RESEARCH PART I-OCEANOGRAPHIC RESEARCH PAPERS. 115:91-102.Full Text via DOI: 10.1016/j.dsr.2016.05.014 Web of Science: 000386984200007
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2016Examination of Winter Circulation in a Northern Gulf of Mexico Estuary. ESTUARIES AND COASTS. 39:879-899.Full Text via DOI: 10.1007/s12237-015-0048-y Web of Science: 000377798600001
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2016Investigating the Effect of Tones and Frequency Sweeps on the Collective Behavior of Penned Herring (Clupea harengus). EFFECTS OF NOISE ON AQUATIC LIFE II. 875:391-398.
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2016Ontogenetic and spatial variability in trophic biomarkers of juvenile saffron cod (Eleginus gracilis) from the Beaufort, Chukchi and Bering Seas. POLAR BIOLOGY. 39:1109-1126.Full Text via DOI: 10.1007/s00300-015-1792-y Web of Science: 000378782300014
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2015Effects of Slotted Water Control Structures on Nekton Movement within Salt Marshes. MARINE AND COASTAL FISHERIES. 7:177-189.Full Text via DOI: 10.1080/19425120.2015.1024358 Web of Science: 000362351200013
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2015Habitat differences in the feeding ecology of red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus, Poey 1860): a comparison between artificial and natural reefs in the northern Gulf of Mexico. ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY OF FISHES. 98:811-824.Full Text via DOI: 10.1007/s10641-014-0317-9 Web of Science: 000349029800006
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2015Not So Fast: Swimming Behavior of Sailfish during Predator-Prey Interactions using High-Speed Video and Accelerometry. INTEGRATIVE AND COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY. 55:719-727.
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2015The reaction of a captive herring school to playbacks of a noise-reduced and a conventional research vessel. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF FISHERIES AND AQUATIC SCIENCES. 72:491-499.Full Text via DOI: 10.1139/cjfas-2014-0257 Web of Science: 000351774100002
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2015Tidal and diel variations in abundance and schooling behavior of estuarine fish within an intertidal salt marsh pool. HYDROBIOLOGIA. 753:149-162.Full Text via DOI: 10.1007/s10750-015-2202-8 Web of Science: 000354194600010
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2014Diel Littoral-Pelagic Movements by Juvenile Bluegills in a Small Lake. TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN FISHERIES SOCIETY. 143:796-801.Full Text via DOI: 10.1080/00028487.2014.880743 Web of Science: 000335211300012
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2014Regional differences in the age and growth of red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) in the US Gulf of Mexico. FISHERY BULLETIN. 112:261-273.Full Text via DOI: 10.7755/FB.112.4.3 Web of Science: 000344448700003
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2014School density affects the strength of collective avoidance responses in wild-caught Atlantic herring Clupea harengus: a simulated predator encounter experiment. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY. 85:1650-1664.
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2013REGIONAL VARIATION IN MERCURY AND STABLE ISOTOPES OF RED SNAPPER (LUTJANUS CAMPECHANUS) IN THE NORTHERN GULF OF MEXICO, USA. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY. 32:434-441.
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2012Challenges for Implementing an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management. MARINE AND COASTAL FISHERIES. 4:496-510.Full Text via DOI: 10.1080/19425120.2012.690825 Web of Science: 000312007400039
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2012The Dynamics of Coordinated Group Hunting and Collective Information Transfer among Schooling Prey. CURRENT BIOLOGY. 22:1213-1217.
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Conference
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Correction
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2017Latitudinal dependence of body condition, growth rate, and stable isotopes of juvenile capelin (Mallotus villosus) in the Bering and Chukchi Seas (vol 40, pg 1451, 2017). POLAR BIOLOGY. 1465-1466.Full Text via DOI: 10.1007/s00300-017-2097-0 Web of Science: 000406338800011
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Works By Students
chaired theses and dissertations
Research
principal investigator on
- Trends and drivers of faunal abundance in the offshore Gulf of Mexico: narrowing the largest data gap in the Gulf's large marine ecosystem awarded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin 2019 - 2024
- Next generation sensor systems for bioluminescence awarded by Office of Naval Research 2020 - 2024
- Florida International University Artificial Reef Monitoring 2019-20 awarded by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation 2020 - 2022
- The Great(er) Amberjack Count: Greater Amberjack (Seriola dumerili) Abundance, Distribution, and Movement in U.S. Waters in the South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico awarded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin 2021 - 2022
- Listen In: Acoustic Monitoring of Estuarine Communities Facing Ecosystem Change awarded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin 2020 - 2022
- Acoustic characterization and flux estimation of oil associated with the MC20 site in the Gulf of Mexico awarded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin 2019 - 2021
- From aggregations to individuals: Exploring migrating deep sea scattering layers through multiscale-multimode technologies in the Gulf of Mexico awarded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin 2018 - 2021
- Integration of acoustic methods for assessing fish spawning aggregations and associated habitat using goliath grouper as a model species awarded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin 2015 - 2021
- Estimating the Absolute Abundance of Red Snapper in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico awarded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin 2017 - 2020
- Developing acoustic classification methods for reef fish species in the Gulf of Mexico, southeastern US coast, and US Caribbean Sea awarded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin 2017 - 2020
- Depredation mortality associated with catch-and-release angling on offshore Permit (Trachinotus falcatus) spawning aggregations in the Lower Florida Keys, USA awarded by Bonefish and Tarpon Unlimited 2018 - 2019
- Spawning Habitat and Early-Life Linkages to Fisheries (SHELF) awarded by U.S. Department of the Treasury 2016 - 2019
- Examining the status and distribution of reef fish spawning aggregations in the Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative (SEFCRI) Region awarded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin 2016 - 2018
- Ecology of Forage Fishes in the Arctic Nearshore awarded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin 2016 - 2018
- Fishery-Independent Surveys of Reef Fish Community, Size, and Age Structure off Northwest Florida awarded by U.S. Department of the Treasury 2015 - 2018
- Framework for mobile deployment of the ZOOplankton Visualization and Imaging System (ZOOVIS) and Dual-frequency IDentification SONar system (DIDSON) awarded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin 2014 - 2017
- HRM - Non lethal sampling: In situ estimation of juvenile herring sizes awarded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin 2015 - 2017
- Ecology of Forage Fishes in the Arctic Nearshore awarded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin 2015 - 2016
- Examining the status and distribution of reef fish spawning aggregations in the Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative (SEFCRI) Region awarded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin 2015 - 2016
- Examining the status and distribution of reef fish spawning aggregations in the Southeast Florida Coral Reef Initiative (SEFCRI) Region awarded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin 2014 - 2016
- Role and function of coastal lagoon and nearshore habitats for dominant fishes: Evaluating the potential for impacts of climate change and anthropogenic alterations awarded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin 2013 - 2016
- HRM-Non lethal sampling: In situ estimation of juvenile herring sizes awarded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin 2013 - 2016
- Analysis of acoustic data from Deep Water Horizon awarded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin 2013 - 2016
- OCEAN INFLUENCES ON THE OCCURRENCE AND ABUNDANCE OF BILLFISHES IN THE GULF OF MEXICO awarded by McDaniel Charitable Foundation 2012 - 2015
- Examining the effects of offshore marine mining activities on Norton Sound red king crab habitat - Phase 2 awarded by Alaska Pacific University 2015
- Recovering humpback whales and the future of Alaska's hatcheries, fisheries and coastal communities. awarded by University of Alaska Fairbanks 2014 - 2015
- Development of Methods to Assess Fish Biomass and Community Structure in Louisiana's Artificial Reef Sites awarded by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fis 2012 - 2015
- Importance of reef complexity on the distribution of reef-associated fishes: contrasting natural and restored reefs awarded by Loxahatchee River District 2014
- SEED Funding: Is what you "see" really what you get?: Developing an acoustic baseline for the ecology and management of coral reef fish species awarded by FIU Office of Research and Economic Deve 2013 - 2014
- Evaluating the effect of water control structures on the accessibility of critical nursery habitats for ecologically and economically important estuarine nekton? awarded by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fis 2011 - 2013
- Preserving Navigation Access for the War Fighter- Development of an Acoustic Marine Life Watch System to Support Corps Channel Maintenance and Enhancement Activities awarded by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2012 - 2013
- Red snapper and reef community dynamics on natural and artificial habitats in the northern Gulf of Mexico: Are Louisiana's shelf-edge banks the center of abundance and historical natural refuge for the Gulf of Mexico's most valuable reef fish? awarded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin 2011 - 2012
co-principal investigator on
- ASV Sediment profiling in L67 and L29 canals upstream of S-333 and S-333N gated structures in the Everglades awarded by National Park Service 2021 - 2022
- Collaborative Research: RAPID: Storm and tropical cyclone effects on the spawning activity, larval dispersal, and ecosystem impacts of an endangered marine predator awarded by National Science Foundation 2019 - 2022
- Acquisition of a Combined Aerial and Underwater Motion Capture System awarded by Army Research Office 2021 - 2022
- Trophic interactions and habitat requirements of Gulf of Mexico Bryde's whales awarded by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin 2017 - 2021
- DEEPEND: Deep-Pelagic Nekton Dynamics of the Gulf of Mexico awarded by Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative 2015 - 2020
subproject principal investigator on
- NSF Graduate Research Fellowships awarded by National Science Foundation 2020 - 2025
- Graduate Research Fellowship Program awarded by National Science Foundation 2015 - 2021
- DEEPEND: Deep-Pelagic Nekton Dynamics of the Gulf of Mexico awarded by Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative 2015 - 2020
Contact
full name
- Kevin Boswell
Identifiers
ORCID iD
- https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2037-1541 (confirmed)
visualizations
Recent publications and grants in Scholars@FIU
publication subject areas
- Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
- Biodiversity & Conservation
- Cell Biology
- Engineering
- Environmental Sciences & Ecology
- Fisheries
- Geochemistry & Geophysics
- Imaging Science & Photographic Technology
- Life Sciences & Biomedicine - Other Topics
- Marine & Freshwater Biology
- Oceanography
- Remote Sensing
- Science & Technology - Other Topics
- Toxicology
- Water Resources
- Zoology