MEET OUR INTERNS
Emily Comber
Emily grew up in Melbourne, Australia. With both parents being zookeepers, she was always surrounded by weird and wonderful animals and there was never a question that she would work with them in the future. After graduating high school she worked with Australian reptiles, invertebrates, birds and mammals but always had a keen passion for sharks and the marine world, Spending much of her free time learning about marine life through podcasts and documentaries, she learnt about the BBFS and kept a sharp eye out for internship opportunities. Emily is a keen traveller and began her internship at the Shark Lab on the tail of a seven-month backpacking trip across Europe. She hopes to study a Bachelor of Science majoring in Marine and Conservation Biology when she returns to Australia and continue to work with sharks and other marine animals around the world in the future.
Taylor MacDonald
Taylor’s from the suburbs outside of Seattle Washington. A place that fueled the fire of adventure and curiosity that has led him so far. He was able to participate in a Marine Research study abroad through the School for Field Studies in Turks and Caicos in 2018. There he was a part of the ongoing studies conducted on Aliger Gigas (Queen Conch) populations around South Caicos and its Marine Protected Area. He completed his B.S. in Ecology in March of 2023 at SPU in Seattle. Taylor’s passion in life is to leave things better than he found them, hoping to some day play a part in conserving our planet for generations to come. A naturalist with love for all life and friend of any he meets.
Lewis Shedden
Lewis is from Sandhurst, in the UK and from the age of 4 has always had an interest in the marine world, especially in Sharks! His favorite shark is the great hammerhead.
Lewis recently graduated from the University of Cumbria, in July 2023 with an undergraduate degree BSc (with Hons) in Marine and Freshwater Conservation where he completed a sandwich year in industry, with Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation, in Greece. This involved research on seagrass ecology and health, cetacean research and completing his thesis on group composition and group size on short-beaked common dolphins vocalizations.
Shortly after graduating, Lewis came straight to the shark lab. He’s ready to apply previous skills and jump into shark conservation, finally able to fulfil a childhood dream and lifelong ambition.
Toni Muzzo
Toni is from Chicago Heights, Illinois and recently graduated from Spring Hill College with a Bachelor of Science in Organismal Biology with a Marine Biology focus. During her undergraduate studies, Toni sought out opportunities in the marine biology field to expand her skill set, with a specific interest in shark science. These opportunities included a Sharks and Rays course at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab and volunteering at Pritzker Lab for Molecular Systematics and Evolution working with shark genetics. These solidified her interest in Elasmobranchs and led her to the Bimini Shark Lab! As her passion and experience grows, Toni hopes to pursue a master's degree that will allow her to contribute to the research and conservation of elasmobranchs.