With a deep passion for coastal ecosystems, Greta Fust recently joined the SCCF Marine Lab as a research assistant. Her main focus will be maintaining the lab’s River, Estuary, and Coastal Observing Network (RECON). She’s also helping with the upkeep of the lab’s recently deployed Sanibel Slough monitoring stations, as pictured above.

Greta grew up in Minnesota, the “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” where her fascination with life below the surface took root. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in Marine Biology from the University of Minnesota and completed a semester-long exchange at the University of Hawaii, Hilo, which solidified her desire to trade freshwater for saltwater.

COVID delayed those plans after graduation, but it gave her time to narrow her interests to marine and aquatic plants. In 2021, she became a Science Instructor at Seacamp on Big Pine Key, FL, where she fell in love with mangroves and the species they house. She was also mentored there by the late Dr. Jeffrey Carrier, a mentorship that sparked a lasting interest in shark ecology.

In 2023, Greta moved to Green River Preserve in Cedar Mountain, NC, to take on more leadership as a hike leader and waterfront director. That winter, she joined the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island (NCARI) in Manteo as an Aquarium Dive Technician and Husbandry Assistant. There, she deployed and recovered acoustic receivers for shark telemetry mapping on shipwrecks off Cape Hatteras, deepening her interest in shark habitat use and migration. On land, she assisted aquarists with water quality and feeding for rays, sharks, freshwater turtles, and fish — and even helped train catfish and gar. She also helped care for sea turtles during cold-stun season.

Most recently, Greta spent six months as a Field and Lab Technician for Hourglass Climate, supporting their olivine-based ocean alkalinity enhancement project.

Greta is on a winding path toward becoming a career research scientist, and she’s excited to see how SCCF will shape and challenge her next.

“I’m especially drawn to the resilience of coastal ecosystems and artificial reefs —shipwrecks included — and hope to eventually study how key species respond to shifting habitats in graduate school,” she said.

Outside of work, Greta enjoys shell collecting, crochet, camping, thrifting, line dancing, D&D, and community theatre.