Mike Muglia
RESEARCH ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF COASTAL STUDIES, ECU
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR FOR SCIENCE & RESEARCH, NORTH CAROLINA RENEWABLE OCEAN ENERGY PROGRAM
Dr. Mike Muglia is the Assistant Director of Science and Research for the NC Renewable Ocean Energy Program (NROEP) and an Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Coastal Studies at the ECU Coastal Studies Institute on the Outer Banks of NC. His scientific interests include understanding variability in position and transport of western boundary currents; the complex confluence of different shelf water masses; shelf and deep ocean exchange processes; meridional overturning circulation linkages between western boundary currents and deep western boundary currents; and applying his oceanographic knowledge to developing renewable ocean energy solutions. Specifics of his ongoing research efforts include:
● Understanding high-frequency variability in the cyclonic shear zone of the Gulf Stream with HF radars
● Quantifying the variability in the available hydrokinetic energy resource from the Gulf Stream for the state of NC
● Gulf Stream, Mid Atlantic Bight, South Atlantic Bight, Chesapeake Bay Outflow, and Slope Sea water mass dynamics off the NC coast
● Developing ocean renewable energy solutions with multidisciplinary teams
Mike has extensive experience integrating, deploying, maintaining, and recovering many different types of observing systems; analyzing oceanographic observations; instructing students; and managing field projects with faculty, graduate students, and private industry partners. He studied marine science and biology at the University of Miami where he became captivated by physics. He returned to UNCW to get a BS in physics and received a MS in Physics from UNC-CH before returning to complete his Ph.D. in marine science there. Mike is a self-described surf junkie and hates to miss a wave on the Outer Banks. He also enjoys fishing, diving, and everything salty. He is also the Vice President for Product Development for Fathom Science.
● Understanding high-frequency variability in the cyclonic shear zone of the Gulf Stream with HF radars
● Quantifying the variability in the available hydrokinetic energy resource from the Gulf Stream for the state of NC
● Gulf Stream, Mid Atlantic Bight, South Atlantic Bight, Chesapeake Bay Outflow, and Slope Sea water mass dynamics off the NC coast
● Developing ocean renewable energy solutions with multidisciplinary teams
Mike has extensive experience integrating, deploying, maintaining, and recovering many different types of observing systems; analyzing oceanographic observations; instructing students; and managing field projects with faculty, graduate students, and private industry partners. He studied marine science and biology at the University of Miami where he became captivated by physics. He returned to UNCW to get a BS in physics and received a MS in Physics from UNC-CH before returning to complete his Ph.D. in marine science there. Mike is a self-described surf junkie and hates to miss a wave on the Outer Banks. He also enjoys fishing, diving, and everything salty. He is also the Vice President for Product Development for Fathom Science.
Patterson "Trip" Taylor
RESEARCH ASSISTANT
Trip received his bachelor of sciences in Physics and Mechanical Engineering from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He has worked at the Coastal Studies Institute since 2013, and some of his research includes assessing the available hydrokinetic energy resource availability from the Gulf Stream near Cape Hatteras, maintaining and refurbishing marine equipment used for Ocean Energy research, maintaining the Coastal Ocean Radar (CODAR) installations along the coast of northeast North Carolina, and developing software to analyze observations made by the Muglia lab.
Spencer Wilkinson
RESEARCH TECHNICIAN
Spencer is a research technician in Dr. Mike Muglia's Oceanography research group. He graduated from East Carolina University in 2017 with a degree in biology. During his studies he started his work as a technician in Dr. Ariane Peralta’s microbial ecology lab his sophomore year. The following summer he joined CSI as an intern, supporting Dr. Peralta's investigation of the effects of salt water intrusion on fresh water microbial communities. The following summer he worked under Dr. Lindsay Dubbs as a summer research intern. After graduating from ECU he went to work for Catalent, a pharmaceutical company in Morrisville, NC, where he worked in compounding, microbial, and analytical chemistry labs. After a two year stint with Catalent he decided to travel then move back to the Outer Banks. Spencer and his fiancé traveled to Indonesia for a two month long backpacking/surf trip. Now living back on the Outer Banks, Spencer loves to surf whenever he can. If he’s not surfing he can be found playing disc golf with his close friends and dog, or grilling out on his porch drinking beers with his friends and family.
Paul Paris
RESEARCH SCIENTIST
Paul received a Ph.D., in Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and a graduate certificate in Geographic Information Sciences through North Carolina State University, a M.S. in Marine Sciences through Louisiana State University, and a
B.A in Geography through Virginia Tech. Paul’s research interests include process geomorphology and quantitative landscape dynamics, geomorphometry, geospatial analysis, geostatistics, and geo-computing. His geomorphic investigations range from hillslope processes to coastal and nearshore dynamics and sediment transport. Other areas of interest include landscape response to anthropomorphic inputs, impacts associated with climate change and eustatic sea level rise, and the application of UAV and Structure from Motion (SfM) technologies to study land surface morphology and spatial and temporal change. |
Zaid Al-Attabi
POSTDOCTORAL SCHOLAR
Zaid received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physics from the University of Basrah in Iraq. He completed his doctorate at the University of South Carolina in the School of the Earth Ocean and Environment, where he focused on using high-frequency radar to measure ocean wave spectra. His doctoral research focused on physical oceanography. In his new position as a postdoctoral researcher, he is working with Dr. Mike Muglia on re-processing long term HF radar data to investigate Gulf Stream variability and its impacts on the circulation and dynamics in the region of Cape Hatteras. He is also working with Dr. Siddharth Narayan on numerical modeling to simulate the interaction of waves, surges and other processes with vegetation and reefs in coastal environments.
Gabe Matthias
CONTRACTOR
Gabe is a contractor working on the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency's (DARPA) Manta Ray project. Specifically, he's preparing and operating the R/V Miss Caroline. He attended the University of Rhode Island and earned an MBA and M.S in Oceanography. His work experience includes a wide variety of marine technical projects, often in remote locations. He also works on the University National Oceanographic Laboratory System (UNOLS) research vessels as a marine technician. When he's back home, Gabe has his own boat that he enjoys working on. "Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats." (Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows).
Jacquelyn Moore Flanagan
PHD STUDENT
Jacquelyn's life long goal has been to work at the Coastal Studies Institute. A native of the Outer Banks, she loves the ocean, local history, and her friends and family. She enjoys the beach, exploring National and State Parks, reading, and playing with her two tots, Cedar & Aspyn. As a doctoral student in ECU’s Integrate Coastal Sciences PhD Program, her interdisciplinary research interests range from novel measurements of water levels on the shelf and in the Albemarle/Pamlico Estuary System (APES), wave energy resource characterization, underwater kite development for harvesting current energy, and studying individual and group perceptions of climate change, coastal impacts, and wave energy. Go Pirates!
Savannah Wilson
UNDERGRADUATE INTERN
Savannah is from Raleigh, NC and is a junior at UNC-Chapel Hill. Savannah is studying Environmental Science and Math. Some of her research interests include solar and wind energy, waste management, and environmental geography. For Dr. Muglia's lab, she does field work and is developing an alert system to improve CODAR performance. She plans to work in renewable energy after college. Savannah enjoys reading, painting, and solving jigsaw puzzles in her free time.
Jack Voight
UNDERGRADUATE INTERN
Jack comes locally to the Coastal Studies Institute, growing up in Kill Devil Hills right over the bridge. He is currently a sophomore at NC State and studying Environmental Engineering with a minor in Film Studies. Some of Jack's research interests include ocean energy, sustainable planning and infrastructure, coastal environments, and media impact on the perception of these topics. In his free time you can find Jack playing basketball, reading a good book, surfing, or even filming his friends tear up waves.
Cora McQuaid
UNDERGRADUATE INTERN
Cora McQuaid is a junior at East Carolina University studying Bioprocess Engineering with a minor in Coastal Marine Studies. This summer she will be working at CSI with the National Renewable Energy Lab to deploy a Wave Energy Converter (WEC). Cora worked at the Coastal Studies Institute with Mike's team last summer doing research characterizing the wave field to look at the potential for wave energy in the Outer Banks. She guides kayaking and paddle boarding tours on the weekends, is a certified beekeeper, and loves playing spike ball in free time!
Sawyer Gouldman
UNDERGRADUATE INTERN
Sawyer is a rising senior at Bowdoin College in mid coast Maine. He studies Earth and Oceanographic Science, Physics, and squeezes in as many art classes as he can. He has loved exploring and studying nature since he was young. Outside of school and work, Sawyer finds peace in playing frisbee with friends and surfing wherever he can find waves.
Jude Sproul
UNDERGRADUATE INTERN
Jude is an intern under the North Carolina Renewable Ocean Energy Program (NCROEP). He works with Mike, Zaid, Trip, and Jack on completing a program that extracts the gulf stream’s properties utilizing high frequency radar. Jude is a first year student at NC State University studying Computer Science. In his free time he enjoys surfing, playing video games, and learning new things. In the future he plans to attain a Master’s in computer science and pursue a lucrative career.
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