Dr. Kennedy Paynter

Dr. Paynter is an Associate Professor and Director of the Marine, Estuarine, Environmental Sciences (MEES) Program at the University of Maryland, College Park.  He completed his PhD at the Iowa State University, Department of Zoology, studying amino acid metabolism in bivalves.  Dr. Paynter then moved onto to a post doc at John’s Hopkins University examining lactate metabolism in the mummichog, Fundulus heteroclitus, and was a research scientist at the John’s Hopkins Chesapeake Bay Institute from 1988-1991. He started working at the University of Maryland in 1992 and became the director of the MEES program in 1997.  When he is not studying oysters and advising students, Dr. Paynter enjoys hanging out with his family, including their three dogs, and fly fishing.

Anne Handschy    

Anne is a faculty research associate at the University of Maryland and has been working in the Paynter Lab since the fall of 2012.  Before coming to the Paynter Lab, she worked for SEA Semester educating college students about the wonders of the ocean while sailing the globe!  When she isn’t on the bay, Anne enjoys building treehouses and testing new varieties of swim goggles (see photo).

Matt Spitznagel

Matt is a research associate at the University of Maryland and PADI dive instructor who joined the Paynter Lab in 2013. After completing his bachelor’s degree in Biology at Goucher College in 2008, Matt travelled to Australia to join species genetics, ecology, and fishery studies on the wobbegong Orectolobus spp. and smooth hammerhead shark Sphyrna zygaena. Logging hundreds of dives and attaining a Masters Degree in Wildlife Conservation from Macquarie University, Matt returned to America to teach and work with the diving, tonging, and data management aspects of the Paynter Lab. When not underwater, Matt will be found hiking, fly-fishing, flying sailplanes, or hanging out with any animal he can find.

Drew Needham

Drew completed his bachelor's degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Maryland in 2012, and has been working in the Paynter Lab since the summer of 2010. Drew has helped with all aspects of the lab’s activities, including pulling transect lines, keeping watch of divers, sorting macro invertebrates, and data entry. During his senior year, Drew developed a method for quantifying oyster heart rate using an ECG machine and continues heart rate-related projects. When he isn’t helping out around the lab, Drew enjoys talking like a pirate and doing crossword puzzles. Also, since officially graduating Drew can reveal his alter-ego...Testudo!