Inside the Daily Work of Shark Scientist Jasmin Graham

Jasmin Graham, a marine biologist and science communicator based in Sarasota, Florida, begins her days around 8 a.m., though she occasionally rises earlier for appointments such as a dentist visit. After handling email and a fundraising call while commuting, she returns home for a brief workout that includes aerial-hoop, pole and silks—skills she likens to those seen in Cirque du Soleil. Breakfast typically consists of Honey Nut Cheerios, and lunch is often a delivered pasta meal, allowing her to maximize time for field and office tasks. In the evening she relaxes with a personal pizza, a visit to a Blockbuster-themed bar for music bingo, and a short wind-down routine that includes petting her dog, watching light-hearted videos, and checking her calendar before bedtime around 11 p.m.

The Guardian

Graham’s core scientific work centers on a weekly shark survey that targets local bonnethead sharks and occasionally stingrays. The team captures specimens, takes fin clips comparable to fingernail samples for genetic analysis, and performs muscle biopsies to assess toxin loads, particularly brevetoxin from regional red-tide algal blooms. For each bonnethead, a small incision allows the insertion of a transmitter that can track movements for up to three years before the animal is released. These data aim to evaluate population health, stability, and environmental exposure in Florida’s coastal waters.

The Guardian

Beyond field research, Graham co-chairs the Priorities, Projects, and Campaigns committee of the America the Beautiful for All Coalition, a network that blends nature protection with social-justice goals. Through her nonprofit Minorities in Shark Sciences, she partners with an artist-in-residence to develop theatrical props and sets for immersive experiences that blend a whodunit narrative with an escape-room format, highlighting the mass extinction threat facing sharks.

The Guardian

Looking ahead, Graham is preparing grant proposals to support grassroots environmental organizations throughout the southeastern United States. Continued monitoring of brevetoxin exposure and long-term tracking of tagged sharks will inform conservation strategies aimed at mitigating the impacts of harmful algal blooms on marine ecosystems.

The Guardian