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Internships

Research Experiences for Graduate Students (REGS)

Applications are now open! Applications are due March 27th, 2026.

APPLY NOW

A young black woman examines a sample through a microscope.

Today's Research for Tomorrow's Oceans

Research Experiences for Graduate Students (REGS)

Eligibility

Participants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and currently enrolled in a graduate degree program (full-time or part-time) leading to a master’s or Ph.D. degree.

Funding

Participants receive a $10,000 stipend throughout the duration of the program.
Mote’s Research Experience for Graduate Students has funded two graduate research internship positions annually since 2019.

Application Process

Applications for the 2026 Research Experience for Graduate Students (REGS) Program are now open! Applications are due March 27th, 2026.

Participating Research Programs:

Marine Biomedical Research Program

Dr. Samuel Vielee

Establishing and Characterizing Primary Cell Lines from Stingray Epithelial Tissue and Venom Glands

The project seeks to address knowledge gaps in marine venom research, while supporting Mote’s mission to advance our understanding of marine science through new discoveries, revitalization, and sustainability. In sum, we propose generating an in vitro framework to improve the collection volume and purity of stingray venom, while decreasing researcher effort and animal stress incurred by collecting venom in the field. The outcomes of this project will build upon protocols established for other animal venoms to emphasize the utility of stingray venom as an alternate source for drug development and encourage more detailed investigation of its bioactivity. The outcomes of this project may also lend themselves to historical research focuses of the Marine Biomedical Research Program through in vitro assessment of stingray wound healing (epithelial, fibroblast cells), antimicrobial compounds, and the ability of stingrays to evade non-communicable diseases (cancer). This work will initially strengthen internal collaborations between the Marine Biomedical Research program and the Marine Immunology Research Program, with the potential for establishing future collaborations with other programs (e.g., Marine Microbiology Research Program). Additional work will include developing a preliminary characterization of lionfish venom using proteomics techniques and in vitro bioactivity assays.

Marine & Freshwater Aquaculture Research Program

Dr. Nicole Rhody

Investigating Tools for Evaluating Stone Crab Health Post-Claw Removal

Stone crabs support Florida’s second most valuable commercial fishery and are increasingly the
focus of fisheries and environmental research. Interest in these areas has increased as concerns
about long-term viability of the fishery have grown. These concerns are largely centered on
stressors associated with claw removal and resulting post-harvest survival when the individuals
are returned to the wild. Hemolymph-based physiological metrics (e.g. lactate, protein,
hemocytes) are widely used as indicators of stress and health conditions in crustaceans;
however, these have not been established for stone crabs. In addition, the methods for
obtaining the samples and precision testing are currently unavailable.

To address this knowledge gap, this project will develop practical science-based guidance for
hemolymph collection for Florida stone crabs. Goals include supporting fisheries research and
applied aquaculture science. Results will directly contribute to a section of an Extension Data
Information Source (EDIS) publication that provides authoritative, peer-reviewed practical
knowledge about one of Florida’s iconic Fisheries. A portion of the research will be conducted in
the workforce laboratory at Mote Science Education Aquarium (MSEA). The project allows the
student opportunities to gain the following skills: Experimental design, animal husbandry, data
collection and analysis, manuscript preparation, travel and presentation at an upcoming
conference.