Andrew P. Nosal, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Biology

Dr. Andrew Nosal joined PLNU in 2022, and has been teaching undergraduate lecture and laboratory classes since 2011, including general, cell, and organismal biology, marine biology, ecology, animal behavior, and environmental science. He has also team-taught interdisciplinary courses on science communication, environmental justice, and the intersection of science and religion. Nosal believes students learn science by doing science and that students must internalize the notion that they are scientists.

Nosal is passionate about science communication and integrates opportunities for students to hone this fundamental skill into every course he teaches. Nosal has undergone formal training in science communication at the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University in New York, where he learned how to incorporate improvisational theatre skills and storytelling into his science teaching and community outreach. In 2015, Nosal was one of five international winners of the iBiology Young Scientist Seminar (YSS) Competition.

As a movement ecologist, Dr. Nosal studies the causes and consequences of animal movement, using GIS to integrate high-resolution movement data from animal-borne tracking devices, aerial drone footage, and camera traps with in-situ measured, remotely sensed, and modeled environmental data. Since 2007, Nosal has studied the sharks and rays of California and Baja California, including their aggregation behavior, migration patterns, navigation abilities, mating systems, and population structure, along with the conservation and management implications of these. Nosal has also investigated the psychological effect of ominous background music in shark documentaries on viewers’ perceptions of and willingness to conserve sharks. Nosal holds a concurrent Visiting Assistant Researcher appointment at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

As a Latino of Puerto Rican descent, Nosal is committed to broadening the participation of underrepresented minorities in the STEM fields. In 2021, Nosal was a member of a National Science Foundation URGE (Unlearning Racism in Geosciences) pod.

CNN Interview - Deep Dive Into Concerns Over Rising Shark Attacks

PLNU Viewpoint, "Deep Understanding"

Education

  • Ph.D., Marine Biology, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California – San Diego
  • B.S., Biology (Concentration in Environmental and Biological Conservation), University of Virginia

Courses Taught

  • Ecology and Conservation – BIO 1005
  • Ecological and Evolutionary Systems – BIO 2011

Experience in Field

  • Visiting Assistant Researcher, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California – San Diego, 2016 – Present
  • Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental and Ocean Sciences, University of San Diego, 2017 – 2022
  • Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Natural Sciences, University of Saint Katherine, 2016 – 2017
  • Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California – San Diego, 2013 – 2016
  • Visiting Scientist, Oceana – South America (Chile), 2008

Professional and Community Involvement

  • Member, American Elasmobranch Society (AES), 2010 – Present
  • Member, Equity and Diversity Committee, AES, 2021 – Present
  • Chair, Judging Committee for Best Student Oral Presentation, AES, 2012 – Present
  • Conference and Online Store Manager, AES, 2010 – 2013
  • Member, IUCN Shark Specialist Group (SSG) – Northeast Pacific Region, 2016 – Present
  • Member, Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), 2016 – Present
  • Pod Member, Unlearning Racism in Geosciences (URGE), National Science Foundation, 2021
  • External Manuscript Reviewer (12 peer-reviewed journals), 2009 – Present
  • Research Mentor (44 undergraduate and high school students), 2008 – Present
  • Chair, Thesis Committee (2 M.S. students), 2020 – Present
  • External Member, Thesis Committee (3 M.S. students), 2018 – Present
  • Invited Academic Seminars (11) and Course Guest Lectures (8), 2012 – Present
  • Media Consulting (>150 news interviews and on-camera documentary contributions), 2008 – Present
  • Invited Community Outreach Speaker (53), 2008 – Present
  • Assistant Regional Director, National Ocean Science Bowl (NOSB), 2017 – 2022
  • Volunteer SCUBA Diver, Birch Aquarium, 2013 – 2021
  • Tour Guide, Scripps Community Outreach Program for Education (SCOPE), 2008 – 2016

Awards and Honors

  • iBiology Young Scientist Seminar (YSS) Competition Winner, 2015
  • DeLaCour Postdoctoral Fellowship in Ecology and Conservation, 2013 – 2016
  • Award for Best Student Oral Presentation, 27th Annual Meeting of the American Elasmobranch Society, Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Minneapolis, MN, 2011
  • Award for Best Student Oral Presentation, 1st International Conference on Fish Telemetry, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan, 2011
  • NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), 2009 – 2012
  • NSF Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT), 2007 – 2009
  • Eagle Scout Award, 2001

Dissertations, Presentations, and Publications

  • Doane MP, Johnson CJ, Johri S, Kerr EN, Morris MM, Desantiago R, Turnlund AC, Goodman A, Mora M, Lima LF, Nosal AP, Dinsdale EA (2022). “The epidermal microbiome within an aggregation of leopard sharks (Triakis semifasciata) has taxonomic flexibility with gene functional stability across three time-points.” Microbial Ecology (doi: 10.1007/s00248-022-01969-y).
  • Wegner NC, Portner EJ, Nguyen A, Bellquist L, Nosal AP, Pribyl AL, Stierhoff KL, Fischer P, Franke K, Vetter RD, Hastings PA, Semmens BX, Hyde JR (2021). “Post-release survival and prolonged sub-lethal effects of capture and barotrauma on deep-dwelling rockfishes (genus Sebastes): Implications for fish management and conservation.” ICES Journal of Marine Science: 78(9): 3230 – 3244.
  • Nosal AP, Cartamil DP, Ammann AJ, Bellquist LF, Ben-Aderet NJ, Blincow KM, Burns ES, Chapman ED, Freedman RM, Klimley AP, Logan RK, Lowe CG, Semmens BX, White CF, Hastings PA (2021). “Triennial migration and philopatry in the critically endangered soupfin shark (Galeorhinus galeus).” Journal of Applied Ecology (doi: 10.1111/1365-2664.13848). *Featured as Editor’s Choice with Open Access
  • Doane MP, Morris MM, Papudeshi B, Allen L, Pande D, Haggerty JM, Johri S, Turnlund AB, Peterson M, Kacev D, Nosal AP, et al. (2020). “The skin microbiome of elasmobranchs follows phylosymbiosis, but in teleost fishes, the microbiomes converge.” Microbiome 8: 93.
  • Nosal AP, Cartamil DC, Lam C, Wegner NC, Hastings PA (2019). “Movement ecology of young-of-the-year blue sharks (Prionace glauca) and shortfin makos (Isurus oxyrinchus) within a putative binational nursery area.” Marine Ecology Progress Series 623: 99 – 115.
  • Nosal AP, Cartamil DP, Lam CH, Bellquist LF, Blincow KM, Burns ES, Ben-Aderet NJ, White CF, Logan RK, Freedman RM, Lowe CG, Semmens BX, Hastings PA (2019). “Triennial philopatry in the Eastern North Pacific soupfin shark (Galeorhinus galeus).” 35th Meeting of the American Elasmobranch Society, Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Snowbird, UT
  • Nosal AP, Cartamil DP, Lam CH, Bellquist LF, Ben-Aderet NJ, White CF, Logan RK, Freedman RM, Lowe CG, Semmens BX, Hastings PA (2018). “Movement Ecology of the Soupfin Shark (Galeorhinus galeus) in the Eastern North Pacific II.” 3rd Sharks International Conference, João Pessoa, Paraíba, Brazil
  • Ketchum JT, Slager CJ, Buckhorn ML, Nosal AP, Klimley AP (2017). “Residency and long-distance movements of sevengill sharks (Notorhynchus cepedianus) tagged in San Francisco Bay. Animal Biotelemetry 5(26): 1 – 9. doi:10.1186/s40317-017-0141-z
  • Ho C, Joly K, Nosal AP, Lowe CG, Clark CM (2017). “Predicting coordinated group movements of sharks with limited observations using AUVs.” Proceedings of the Association for Computing Machinery Symposium on Applied Computing: 289 – 296. doi:10.1145/3019612.3019711
  • Nosal AP, Cartamil DP, Lam CH, Bellquist LF, Ben-Aderet NJ, White CF, Logan RK, Freedman RM, Lowe CG, Semmens BX, Hastings PA (2017). “Movement Ecology of the Soupfin Shark (Galeorhinus galeus) in the Eastern North Pacific I.” 4th International Conference on Fish Telemetry, Cairns, Queensland, Australia
  • Nosal AP, Chao Y, Farrara JD, Chai F, Hastings PA (2016). “Olfaction contributes to pelagic navigation in a coastal shark.” PLoS ONE 11(1): e0143758. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0143758
  • Nosal AP, Keenan EA, Hastings PA, Gneezy A (2016). “The effect of background music in shark documentaries on viewers’ perceptions of sharks.” PLoS ONE 11(8): e0159279.  doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0159279
  • Nosal AP, Cartamil DC, Lam C, Wegner NC, Hastings PA (2016). “Movement ecology of juvenile blue (Prionace glauca) and shortfin mako sharks (Isurus oxyrinchus) off southern California and Baja California, Mexico.” 32nd Annual Meeting of the American Elasmobranch Society, Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, New Orleans, LA
  • Barker AM, Nosal AP, Lewallen EA, Burton RS (2015). “Genetic structure of leopard shark (Triakis semifasciata) populations along the Pacific coast of North America.” Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 472: 151 – 157.
  • Nosal AP, Yanagitsuru Y, Hyde JR, Hastings PA, Wegner NC (2015). “Hypoxia tolerance in the bocaccio rockfish (Sebastes paucispinis).” 94th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Reno, NV
  • Nosal AP, Caillat A, Kisfaludy EK, Royer MA, Wegner NC (2014). “Aggregation behavior and seasonal philopatry in male and female leopard sharks (Triakis semifasciata) along the open coast of southern California, USA.” Marine Ecology Progress Series 499: 157 – 175.
  • Nosal AP, Hastings PA (2014). “Shoreward homing in experimentally displaced leopard sharks (Triakis semifasciata).” 30th Annual Meeting of the American Elasmobranch Society, Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Chattanooga, TN
  • Nosal AP, Hastings PA (2014). “Shoreward homing in experimentally displaced leopard sharks (Triakis semifasciata).” 2nd Sharks International Conference, Durban, KZN, South Africa
  • Nosal AP, Lewallen EA, Burton RS (2013). “Multiple paternity in leopard shark (Triakis semifasciata) litters sampled from a predominantly female aggregation in La Jolla, California, USA.” Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 446: 110 – 114.
  • Nosal AP, Cartamil DC, Long JW, Lührmann M, Wegner NC, Graham JB (2013). “Demography and movement patterns of leopard sharks (Triakis semifasciata) aggregating near the head of a submarine canyon along the open coast of southern California, USA.” Environmental Biology of Fishes 96: 865 – 878.
  • Nosal AP, Keenan EA, Gneezy A (2013). “Happy and playful sharks?  The effect of background music in nature documentaries on viewers’ perception of and willingness to protect sharks.” 29th Annual Meeting of the American Elasmobranch Society, Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Albuquerque, NM
  • Nosal AP, Lewallen EA, Burton RS (2012). “Low incidence of multiple paternity in leopard sharks (Triakis semifasciata) sampled from a predominantly female aggregation.” 28th Annual Meeting of the American Elasmobranch Society, World Congress of Herpetology, Vancouver, BC, Canada
  • Nosal AP, Caillat A, Kisfaludy EK, Royer MA, Wegner NC (2011). “Aggregation behavior of the leopard shark (Triakis semifasciata) at the head of La Jolla Submarine Canyon, La Jolla, California, USA.” 27th Annual Meeting of the American Elasmobranch Society, Joint Meeting of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Minneapolis, MN
  • Nosal AP, Caillat A, Kisfaludy EK, Royer MA, Wegner NC (2011). “Aggregation behavior of the leopard shark (Triakis semifasciata) at the head of La Jolla Submarine Canyon, La Jolla, California, USA.” 1st International Conference on Fish Telemetry, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan