Christopher M. Finelli
Post-Doctoral Research Associate
Patrick Center for Environmental Research
Academy of Natural Sciences
Philadelphia, PA  19103
finelli@acnatsci.org
http://www.acnatsci.org

Chris received his Ph.D. in 1997 from the University of South Carolina, working under the direction of Dr. Wethey.  Chris's research focuses on physical-biological coupling, particularly the role of turbulent water flow in structuring aquatic populations. Recent projects include studies of turbulent mass transfer over corals, the effects of flow speed and turbulence intensity on populations of benthic suspension feeding insects, and odor mediated predator-prey interactions.  At the conclusion of the mission Chris will be working with the Exhibits Department of Academy of Natural Sciences to include the mission into a touring exhibit of "Extreme Science". In September, Chris will begin as Assistant Professor of Marine Science at the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (http://www.lumcon.edu). Chris has been a research SCUBA diver for 10 years, although this is his first saturation mission.