Matthew Thomas Balazik 3843 Quinton Road Quinton, Virginia 23141 USA Telephone: (804) 484-5300 Email ID: balazikmt@vcu.edu I am a U.S citizen and I am registered for Selective Service Education Post-Doctoral Research 2013 Ph D in Integrative Life Science 2012 Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA Dissertation: Life History Analysis of James River Atlantic Sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) with Implications for Management and Recovery of the Species Committee: Greg Garman (Chair), Stephen McIninch, Michael Fine, Robert Latour, John Musick, Clint Smith GPA: 4.0 M.S in Biology 2008 B.S in Biology 2005 Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA Thesis: Age and Growth of Atlantic Sturgeon in the James River, VA Committee: Stephen McIninch (Chair), Greg Garman, Donald Young, James Mays GPA: 3.67 Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA GPA: 3.44 (Cum Laude) Job Experience Post Doctoral Researcher, 01/01/2013-Current: 40+ hours a week Main duties: Lead research on the restoration of the federally endangered Atlantic sturgeon in the James River See skills below Ph.D Research Assistant, 08/05/2008-12/31/2012: 40+ hours a week Main duties: Created the globally known Atlantic sturgeon researcher program and Virginia Commonwealth University's Rice Center See skills below M.S Research Assistant, 08/10/2005-08/01/2008: 40+ hours a week Main duties: Worked with commercial watermen throughout Virginia to monitor, estimate, and reduce bycath of the federally endangered Atlantic sturgeon in the Chesapeake Bay See skills below Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, 05/15/2005-08/05/2005 Main Duties: Collect fish tissues from waters around the state of Virginia for chemical analysis Virginia Blood Services, 11/15/2001-08/05/2005 Main Duties: Processed whole blood units into various products Responsible for maintaining FDA approved lab Grants, Fellowships, Donations -2014 National Ocean and Atmospheric Grant (Section on ESA) Monitoring the restoration of Atlantic sturgeon in the James River, Virginia Major Researcher $550K -2014 Virginia Sea Grant Fisheries Resource Grant Principal Investigator looking at Atlantic sturgeon bycatch in the Chesapeake Bay and gear modification to lower bycatch $18K -2014 Virginia Sea Grant Fisheries Resource Grant Principal Investigator looking at using commercial electrofishing to reduce the population of an introduced blue catfish $20K -2014 Virginia James River Association Principal Investigator looking at the usefulness of creating artificial spawning habitats in the James River, Virginia $22K -2013 National Ocean and Atmospheric Grant (Section on ESA) Monitoring the restoration of Atlantic sturgeon in the James River, Virginia Major Researcher $450K -2013 PADI Foundation Grant Grant to build a Vemco Positioning System to determine small-scale spawning habitat of Atlantic sturgeon in the James River, Virginia $10K -2013 Virginia Fisheries Resource Grant Grant determining Atlantic sturgeon bycatch in the striped bass fishery in Virginia waters $22K -2010-2013 Rivers in Real Time: Migration (NA10NMH4570046) Grant tracking anadromous fish movements and incorporating data into high-school and undergraduate education programs $266K -2012 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Grant Grant creating real-time passive telemetry tracking of Atlantic sturgeon in the James River, Virginia $105K -2009-2012 Public Donations Monies donated by conservation groups and private citizens $19K -2009-2011 Rice Center Research Award Grant to study Atlantic sturgeon genetics, spawning habitats and season, and young-of-year distribution $4K -2009 PADI Foundation Research Grant Grant tracking fall spawning Atlantic sturgeon $15K -2008-2011 ALTRIA Student Fellowship $15K -2008-2010 Environmental Protection Agency Student Fellowship $18K -2007 PADI Foundation Research Grant Grant looking at juvenile Atlantic sturgeon migration $6K _ Selected Publications Matthew Balazik Status of Atlantic sturgeon in the James River, Virginia Writing Stage Matthew Balazik and John Musick The phenomena of dual-spawning by Atlantic sturgeon along the fish's range Writing Stage Matthew Balazik Capture and brief invasive procedures using electronarcosis does not appear to affect postrelease habits in Atlantic Sturgeon during the spawning season North American Journal of Fisheries Management In Review Kevin Stokesbury, Michael Stokesbury, Matthew Balazik, Michael Dadswell Use of the SAFE Index to Evaluate the Status of a Summer Aggregation of Atlantic Sturgeon in Minas Basin, Canada and the Implication of the Index for the USA Endangered Species Designation of Atlantic and Shortnose Sturgeons Reviews in Fisheries Science Accepted Matthew Balazik, Stephen McIninch, Brianna Langford, Greg Garman, Michael Fine, Jennifer Stewart, Robert Latour Comparison of MS222 and electronarcosis on cortisol levels in aquacultured juvenile Atlantic sturgeon Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 142:1640-1643 DOI:10.1080/00028487.2013.824924 Aaron Aunins, Bonnie Brown, Matthew Balazik and Greg Garman 2012 Migratory movements of American shad in the James River fall zone, Virginia North American Journal of Fisheries Management 33:569-575 Matthew T Balazik, Stephen P McIninch, Greg C Garman, Michael L Fine and Clint B Smith 2012 Using energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence microchemistry to infer migratory life history of Atlantic sturgeon Environmental Biology of Fishes 95:191-194 doi: 10.1007/s10641-012-9979-3 Matthew T Balazik, Stephen P McIninch, Greg C Garman and Robert J Latour 2012 Age and growth of Atlantic sturgeon in the James River, Virginia, 1997-2011 Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 141:1074-1080 doi: 10.1080/00028487.2012.676590 Matthew Balazik, Greg Garman, Joel Van Eenennaam, Jerre Mohler and L Curry Woods 2012 Empirical evidence of fall spawning by Atlantic sturgeon in the James River, Virginia, USA Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 141:1465-1471 doi: 10.1080/00028487.2012.703157 Matthew Balazik, Kevin Reine, Albert Spells, Charles Fredrickson, Michael Fine, Greg Garman and Stephen McIninch 2012 The potential for vessel interactions with adult Atlantic sturgeon in the James River, Virginia, USA North American Journal of Fisheries Management 32:1062-1069 doi: 10.1080/02755947.2012.716016 Christopher Blair, Dana E Weigel, Matthew Balazik, Annika T.H Keeley, Faith M Walker, Erin Languth, Sam Cushman, Melanie Murphy, Lisette Waits and Niko Balkenhol 2012 A simulation-based evaluation of methods for inferring linear barriers to gene flow Molecular Ecology Resources 2012:822-833 doi: 10.1111/j.17550998.2012.03151.x Matthew T Balazik, Greg C Garman, Michael L Fine, Christian H Hager and Stephen P McIninch 2010 Changes in age composition and growth characteristics of Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) over 400 years Biology Letters 6:708-710 doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2010.0144 Media Communication and Community Outreach My research is featured in Virginia Commonwealth University’s student recruitment pamphlet and video: Matt Balazik (Make It Real) VCU recruitment material (click photo for video) Matt Balazik (A Personal Stake) My research has been featured in local newspapers: Richmond Times Dispatch 19th of September 2011, (A Sea Monster Swims Into Focus) Richmond Times Dispatch 28th of September 2012, (VCU Scientist Finds Rare Sturgeon in James, Plans to Look for More) Richmond Times Dispatch 28th of September 2012, (Who Needs "Jurassic Park") James River News Hub 11th of April 2011, (Have Man-Made Spawning Beds Helped Atlantic Sturgeon in the James?) Newspapers around the world: The Himalayan Times 14th of November 2010, (Virginia Sturgeon May Be Key to Fish's Recovery); this Associated Press article was in over 240 newspapers around the world Magazines: Richmond Magazine February 2014, (Out of the Depths) Nation Parks Conservation Association Magazine Fall of 2013, (Swimming With Dinosaurs) Virginia Wildlife Magazine April 2011, (James River Sturgeon) Chesapeake Bay Journal 11th of October 2011, (Female Sturgeon Caught in James Suggests Fall Spawning Run) Documentary: Award winning documentary about my research December 2013, (Sturgeon Documentary) Documentary about my research January 2013, (Great Return), password "greatreturn" Presentations Restoration of Atlantic sturgeon in the James River, VA 2013 World Sturgeon Conservation Society Conference Genetic analysis of fall spawning Atlantic sturgeon in the James River, VA Leetown Science Center - USGS Empirical evidence of fall spawning by Atlantic sturgeon in the Chesapeake Bay, VA Virginia Commonwealth University’s Rice Center Symposium Atlantic sturgeon research in the James River, VA 2012 2012 Maymont - An American Estate 2012 Gulf Sturgeon Research Society 2011 Possibility of disparate spawning runs of James River Atlantic sturgeon Current status of Atlantic sturgeon in the James River, VA Virginia Aquarium Upstream movements of adult Atlantic sturgeon in the James River, VA Virginia Commonwealth University’s Rice Center Symposium 2011 2011 Restoration of Atlantic sturgeon in the James River, VA, USA World Sturgeon Conservation Society Conference 2010 Using Sr/Ca ratios to help understand Atlantic sturgeon life history The Center for the Study of Biological Complexity and VCU Life Sciences Eighth Annual CSBC Research Review Virginia Commonwealth University’s Rice Center Symposium 2010 2010 Movement and boat interaction of Atlantic sturgeon in the James River, Virginia National American Fisheries Society Conference 2009 Distribution of Atlantic sturgeon boat-strike mortalities in the James River, VA Virginia GIS Conference Delaware Atlantic Sturgeon Conference 2009 2009 Compensatory growth of James River Atlantic sturgeon Virginia Commonwealth University’s Rice Center Symposium 2009 Age and growth of Atlantic sturgeon in the James River: A 400 year study Southern Division of American Fisheries Society Virginia Chapter Conference of American Fisheries Society 2008 2007 Teaching Experience Graduate Teaching Assistant, 2006-2007 Virginia Commonwealth University Biotechniques (Junior/Senior Level Course) -course required for all premedical and forensics students -updated and presented PowerPoint and white board lectures -covered laboratory techniques such as: pipetting, electrophoresis, micro-satellite analysis, tissue-typing, etc -prepared and maintained laboratory teaching samples -designed and graded quizzes and exams -analyzed work-flows to determine student errors -taught students to work individually and in small groups Graduate Teaching Assistant, 2009-2011 Virginia Commonwealth University Introduction to Life Sciences (Freshman Level Course) -course required for all environmental studies students -updated and presented PowerPoint lectures -designed and graded homework and quizzes Professional Society Memberships American Fisheries Society 2007-present World Sturgeon Conservation Society 2009-present North American Chapter of World Sturgeon Conservation Society 2010-present North American Sturgeon and Paddlefish Society 2012-present Skills and Qualifications Developed Virginia Commonwealth University’s Atlantic sturgeon research program with very limited funds (www.vcu.edu/rice) which is now globally recognized as spear-heading many research questions involving all stages of Atlantic sturgeon life-history Generated population status and recovery plan for federally endangered Chesapeake Bay Atlantic sturgeon distinct population segment Experience with artificial propagation of Atlantic sturgeon Maintained aquaculture Atlantic sturgeon for over five years Conducted artificial propagation and aquaculture of various Alosa spp for restoration efforts Vast experience with boat and backpack electroshocking, gill netting, and trawling for fish community analysis Experience with monitoring fish communities to determine source pollution into waterways Helped conduct off-shore trawl surveys for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Experience with public education outreach Experience with various fish anesthetics ESRI Level II Certification (GIS), have guest lectured graduate level GIS courses Experience with statistical programs (R, SPSS, Sigma Plot, PCORD) Proficient with Microsoft Access, Excel, Word, PowerPoint Conducted Atlantic sturgeon Population genetic (fish microsatellite) analysis Proficient in generating age and growth curves and monitoring how a population's growth changes over time Collection and identification of fish ichthyoplankton Maintained captive Atlantic sturgeon for over four years USFWS trained fish surgeon Pioneered use of electronarcosis as a field anesthetic technique for adult Atlantic sturgeon Familiar with various commercial fishery techniques Worked with commercial watermen to get hands on experience with fisheries techniques Helped design fisheries bycatch reduction techniques and monitored success Designed/Conducted laboratory experiments monitoring blood cortisol levels of Atlantic sturgeon in response to stress events Maintaining passive and active tracking equipment and managing/analyzing tracking data Designed/Conducted active and passive telemetry studies monitoring adult/subadult Atlantic sturgeon behavior Conducted elemental analysis (Energy dispersive X-Ray Florescence) of fish ossified material to monitor diadromous fish movements Maintaining research vessels and boat crews Oral and poster presentation experience with academic, government, and nongovernment affiliation groups Raised funds from private donations to maintain research needs Helped design, plant, and monitor restored wetlands around the Virginia area Catching and banding juvenile osprey (Pandion haliaetus) Designed and constructed field for research on adult Atlantic sturgeon Identification of fish bones from archival trash middens for colonial Jamestown Familiar with freshwater and marine fish species in Virginia waters Implemented the use of laproscopy on Atlantic sturgeon in a field setting Reviewer for Peer-Reviewed Journals Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, Transactions of the American Fisheries Society, PLOS One, North American Journal of Fisheries Management, Environmental Biology of Fishes, Freshwater Ecology, Environmental and Natural Resources Research