Dr. Peters’ academic training is concerned with marine chemical ecology of Antarctic marine invertebrates. He was able to travel to Antarctica on three separate occasions as a graduate student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham for a total time on “the ice” of approximately one year. He was interested in the benthic community dynamics of the shallow coastal waters off the western edge of the Antarctic Peninsula.

His Master’s thesis concentrated on the physical and chemical compositions of macro algae from this unique ecosystem. My doctoral research allowed me to study the marine invertebrates (concentrating on the sponges) and how the internal chemical compounds of the sponges potentially influence their interactions with other shallow water marine organisms.

Since arriving in Virginia from Alabama in 2009, he has not ventured to Antarctica for further research opportunities, but has enjoyed studying the local ecosystems and understanding the diverse interactions at play in both terrestrial and aquatic habitats.

Student research projects have been varied, including: soil and aquatic bacterial communities, plant community dynamics, and invertebrate trophic structures, to name a few.