• M.S., Coastal Science, The University of Southern Mississippi, 2005

• B.S., Biology, Missouri State University, 2000

Florida Association of Benthologists Workshops:

• Echinodermata (2007)

• Non-Chironomidae Diptera (2008)

• Non-amphipod Peracarida (2008)

• Odonata (2009)

• Amphipoda (2009)
• Crayfish (2010)

Health and Safety for Hazardous Waste Site Activities: HAZWOPER (2008)

• The Crustacean Society
• Florida Association of Benthologists
• The University of Southern Mississippi Alumni Association

• Arthropoda, Echinodermata and other benthic invertebrate species identification
• Taxonomic illustrations using a camera lucida and Photoshop
• Fish identification and tagging
• Use of YSI surface water monitoring probes and data sondes
• Marine microbial sampling processes

• Surface water sampling
• Descriptions of new crustacean species

Mrs. Gray is responsible for taxonomic identification of Arthropoda, Echinodermata and other invertebrates, including fine-sorting of Annelida to the family level.  She also has participated in surface water sampling programs implemented in support of environmental resource permit applications.

Prior to joining Terra Environmental, Mrs. Gray was employed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (Fisheries Independent Monitoring program) in St. Petersburg. She conducted taxonomic identification of ingested organisms within various fish species from Tampa Bay and other Gulf of Mexico sites. Her responsibilities also included maintaining the database, preparing summary reports, maintaining a specimen collection and literature collection. Prior to working in Florida, Mrs. Gray attended graduate school at the University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast Research Laboratory. Her thesis described three new species and one new genus within the crustacean order Tanaidacea from New Zealand coastal waters. While completing her degree, she was employed as the field supervisor for the Mississippi Gulf Coast Microbiology beach monitoring project. Her main responsibilities were to collect and process water samples from public beaches. She also oversaw new employees and graduate students, maintained the laboratory’s equipment and vehicle and performed daily QA/QC.

•Taxonomic identification of benthic Arthropoda, Echinodermata and other invertebrates collected as part of an extensive hydrobiological monitoring program in Tampa Bay, Florida

•Taxonomic identification of marine, estuarine and freshwater invertebrates collected from the southeastern United States, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean

•Surface water sampling for a marina expansion on the Anclote River, Tarpon Springs, Florida

• Knight, J., G. Bird and R.W. Heard. In prep.  Two new species and a new genus within the family Apseudidae (Crustacea; Tanaidacea) from the marine waters of New Zealand.

• Knight, J. and R.W. Heard. 2006. A new species, Apseudes larseni (Crustacea: Tanaidacea), from the marine waters of New Zealand. – Zootaxa. 1306:56-67

• Knight, J. 2005. Descriptions of four new species and a new genus belonging to the family Apseudidae (Crustacea: Peracarida: Tanaidacea) from New Zealand marine waters. – M.S. Thesis, The University of Southern Mississippi, 88 pp

• Knight, J., K. Larsen and R. Heard. 2003. A new genus and species, Tumidochelia randyi, from the Gulf of Mexico (Crustacea: Peracardia: Tanaidacea). – Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington.  116(2):497-502